Max Nijman Biography
Max Renier Nijman (Moengo, Suriname, 18 March 1941 - 19 January 2016), Suriname's "Soulman Number One", was a Surinamese singer. He sang mainly ballads in the local 'Sranan Tongo' ("Surinamese tongue"). Many of his songs are classics on his home soil. Nijman has performed with The Mighty Sparrow, Wilson Pickett, Brook Benton, Johnny Nash and Ben E. King, amongst many others. In 1975 he released his debut album Katibo on the Dureco label with soul, kaseko, latin and reggae as its musical ingredients and lyrics in Surinamese, Dutch and English. 'Katibo', 'Adjossi' and 'Ai Sranan' became his most loved hits. This formula was continued on the albums Wan Lobi Dei and Ini Wan Dje on which Nijman collaborated with the producer Stan Lokhin (and members of The Happy Boys). In 2014, many years after his heyday, Amsterdam's Top Notch record label (primarily known for its Dutch-language hiphop, in several cases written and performed by young Dutch rappers with Surinames roots) revived the public's interest in Max Nijman's work by releasing a 'best of' CD in their 'Sranan Gowtu' ('Surinamese Gold') series: Adjossi (en andere Poku's). A "Knight of the Honorary Order of the Yellow Star" and "Grand Officer in the Honorary Order of the Palm", Max NIjman died on January 19th 2016 in Leiderdorp, The Netherlands.
Max Nijman on Social Media