Koes Plus | Artist

Koes Plus was an Indonesian music group formed 1969 in Tuban, East Java, by brothers Tonny Koeswoyo (guitar), Yon Koeswoyo (guitar, vocals), and Yok Koeswoyo (bass, vocals), plus Kasmuri Murry (drums). The group had actually formed earlier in 1958, under the name Koes Bersaudara (brothers), consisting of all five Koeswoyo brothers: John, Yok, Yon, Nomo and Tonny. From a historical perspective, the Koes brothers were symbols of political rebellion and youth subculture, and genuine pioneers of modern rock music. The early 60's in Indonesia was a time of extreme cultural oppression as the ruling regime under President Sukarno pushed back all liberal "swinging 60's" influences coming from the west. Pop subculture, such as the music of The Beatles, was explicitly banned by Sukarno in the early 1960s. In the face of such oppression the Koes brothers and their music was controversial and in 1965 the brothers were arrested by the Highest Operation Commando (KOTI) for performing covers of Beatles songs. After 3 months imprisonment, they were eventually released on the day preceding the nation's coup d'état, on 29 September. This experience resulted in their song "Di Dalam Bui." Although the band struggled to gain widespread expose, due to censorship and the lack of any public radio stations, they eventually went on to release four albums under the group name Koes Bersaudara, then after 1969, over fifty albums under the name Koes Plus. In 2007, Rolling Stone Indonesia magazine placed 6 of the band's studio albums on their 150 Greatest Indonesian Albums of All Time list. Standout albums include To the So Called "the Guilties" (1967), Volume 1: Dheg Dheg Plas (1969), Volume 2 (1970), Volume 8 (1973), and In Hard Beat (1976). Stylistically the music spans early merseybeat, with garage rock and psychedelic influences with Tonny Koeswoyo's excellent guitar work featuring throughout. Koes Plus never owned any legal rights to their works; they received only flat payment of approximately 3 million rupiahs ($170) for each album they recorded. While this meant that their record label was willing to produce a huge number of albums by Koes Plus due to the small investment involved, it also meant that the band never enjoyed any form of royalties whenever their works are being reproduced. Yon Koeswoyo, the iconic voice behind most of the band's hits passed away in 2018 after battling chronic illness. His death marked the official end of the touring band.

Artist Website: wikipedia/Koes_Plus

Featured Albums: Koes Plus

Related Artists: Koes Bersaudara