Yvonne Elliman

Her official website has announced that a new album, titled Simple Needs, will be released in early 2005. Van der Linden had been the drummer during the band's most successful period during the early 1970's. A few minor hits followed in 1979, including the theme song from the film "Moment by Moment", and another disco track "Love Pains", but her career had reached its peak, and with marriage and motherhood Elliman was willing to retire from performing. In October 2004 Pierre van der Linden took over on drums. The huge success of the latter song has resulted in Elliman being remembered as a disco artist, though this style of music was an exception to the medium-tempo ballads that she specialized in, and which comprised the bulk of her recordings. In 2001 Thijs van Leer re-formed Focus with Jan Dumée (guitar), Bobby Jacobs (bass) and Bert Smaak (drums) and recorded a new album called Focus 8. Her biggest success came in 1978 with her #1 hit from the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack, "If I Can't Have You" which was also written by the Bee Gees. In 1985 Van Leer and Akkerman reunited for an unsuccessful Focus album.

Her recording career began to take off from this point and she scored several hit singles throughout the world, including cover versions of the Barbara Lewis hit "Hello Stranger" and the Bee Gees "Love Me". In 1976 Jan Akkerman left the band, which finally dissolved in 1978. This performance led to a 1974 Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy. The musical egos of Van Leer and Akkerman proved incompatible. She appeared in the Broadway and film versions of "Jesus Christ Superstar" as Mary Magdalene and achieved her first hit single with the ballad "I Don't Know How to Love Him". The latter also featured some eccentric vocalisations and yodeling. She performed on many of his 70's hits including "I Shot the Sheriff". The band's biggest international hits were the guitar-based instrumentals "Sylvia" and "Hocus Pocus" (The title may have been a deliberate joke on DJs: "That was Hocus Pocus by Focus").

This led to a recording contract and a close association as a backing vocalist for Eric Clapton. In 1971 the group released their second album, Moving Waves, which received international acclaim. Elliman's singing career began in the early 70's in London where she performed as a vocalist at various bars and clubs. Guitarist Jan Akkerman joined the band in 1970. Yvonne Marianne Elliman (born Honolulu, Hawaii, December 29, 1951) is an American singer. It was founded by classically trained organist/flautist Thijs van Leer in 1969 and leaned heavily on two of the Netherlands' contemporary music's heavyweights, Thijs van Leer and Jan Akkerman. Focus was a Dutch progressive rock band of the 1970s.

Sylvia. Hocus Pocus.