back for a second go
Bob Benny
Bob Benny sang at two Eurovision Song Contests, in 1959 and 1961, for Belgium. The best result was 6th place in 1959, with “Hou toch van mij”.
Belgium
1959 · 1961
- who
- Belgian singer and musical theatre performer
- born
- 18 May 1926, Sint-Niklaas, Belgium
- died
- 29 March 2011 (aged 84), Beveren, Belgium
- contests
- 1959, 1961
- best result
- 6th, 1959
- music
- pop
- sang for
- Belgium
Biography
Bob Benny, who died in 2011, was a Belgian singer and musical theatre performer who sang for Belgium twice, both times in Cannes. “Hou toch van mij” finished joint sixth in 1959; “September, gouden roos” finished joint last in 1961, with one point.
Written by ESC Predictions, 8 October 2026. Sources: Wikipedia, “Bob Benny”.
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Look up
The act’s own accounts, as listed on Wikidata. If one is wrong or out of date, tell us and we’ll take it down.
At Eurovision
Two songs, oldest first, and what became of each.
-
1959 Cannes
“Hou toch van mij”
6th of 11 Finished 6th of 11, with 9 points.
- Sung in
- Dutch
- Written by
- Hans Flower, Ke Riema
- Conductor
- Francis Bay
- Running order
- 11th of 11
- Age on the night
- 32
- Won that year
- Netherlands: Teddy Scholten, “Een beetje”
The story of Eurovision 1959: Cannes, a revolving stage and the first country to win twice
-
1961 Cannes
“September, gouden roos”
15th of 16 Finished 15th of 16, with 1 point.
- Sung in
- Dutch
- Written by
- Wim Brabants, Hans Flower
- Conductor
- Francis Bay
- Running order
- 11th of 16
- Age on the night
- 34
- Won that year
- Luxembourg: Jean-Claude Pascal, “Nous les amoureux”
The story of Eurovision 1961: Sixteen countries, a garden on stage, and a love song with a secret
In our contest stories
What we wrote about Bob Benny, year by year. Follow a link for the rest of that night.
- 1961 A record field
Belgium's Bob Benny and Norway's Nora Brockstedt were both back for a second go. The name that stood out, though, was Germany's. Lale Andersen had become famous across both sides of the Second World War for her recording of "Lili Marleen". She was 56, the oldest performer the contest had seen, and she kept that record for forty-seven years.
Results as published by the European Broadcasting Union. Biographical details from Wikidata. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we'll fix it.