1974 in
Utrecht They were formed in 1971 when
record producer Hans van Hemert brought together
Big Mouth (born
Willem Duyn) and
Maggie MacNeal (born Sjoukje van't Spijker). Big Mouth had previously sung in a number of 1960s bands, including Speedway. MacNeal had released one solo single before teaming up with Big Mouth, a cover of
Marvin Gaye's "
I Heard It Through the Grapevine", also produced by van Hemert. The duo released their first single, "Hey You Love", which reached #5 in the Dutch Top 40, while the next two singles "
How Do You Do" and "Hello-A" both reached
#1 in the Netherlands. In 1972, "How Do You Do" reached the top of the charts throughout Continental Europe and
Scandinavia and peaked at number 32 in Australia, made popular by local bands Jigsaw and Windows. "How Do You Do" was made popular in the
United States by
radio personality Jim Connors and the song eventually reached #8 in the U.S. in July 1972. "How Do You Do" spent 19 weeks in the
Billboard Hot 100 and won the
R.I.A.A. gold disc on 2 August 1972. It sold over a million copies in the U.S. alone, and global sales exceeded two million. MacNeal dropped her pseudonym and performed as Sjoukje Smit; in 2008 she reformed Mouth and MacNeal with
Arie Ribbens replacing Duyn, but with no success. On 21 March 2012
Roel Smit published the Mouth and MacNeal biography;
Mouth & MacNeal, duo tegen wil en dank. ==Discography==