Marga Scheide

Margareth "Marga" Scheide (born 15 February 1954 in Amsterdam, Netherlands) is a Dutch singer and former model. She is a member of the girl group Luv'. Alongside her Luv' colleagues Patty Brard and José Hoebee, she scored a string of international hit songs such as "You're the Greatest Lover", "Trojan Horse", "Casanova" and "Ooh, Yes I Do". She was the only member to be involved in all the group's line-ups.
In 1989, she reformed Luv' with other vocalists and had a moderate hit single (Welcome to my Party) in Benelux. She reunited twice with the original Luv' formation (in 1993 and 2005). Today she performs with the female pop act from time to time across the Netherlands and Flanders.

Marga started her career as a model in her homeland in the early 1970s. Scheide often appeared on the covers of Dutch Various artist hit compilations and budget cover albums. She also took part in several beauty contests (Miss Holland 1972, 1973, 1977, Miss Young International 1973, Unofficial Miss Europe 1975 pageant). Moreover, Marga was chosen to promote the bintje (a potato variety) in an international advertising campaign. In 1976, she was cast as a member of a girl group (Luv') created by two record producers, Hans van Hemert and Piet Souer.

From 1977 to 1981, Luv' (Marga Scheide, Patty Brard and José Hoebee) scored a string of hit records in a large part of Continental Europe (Benelux, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, France) as well as South Africa, New Zealand and Mexico. In March 1981, the group disbanded.
Eight years later, Marga formed a new version of Luv' with two other vocalists (Diana van Berlo and Michelle Gold). This new line-up only scored a minor hit (Welcome to my Party) on the Dutch Top 40 in the autumn of 1989 and never became as successful as the original trio. In the summer of 1990, Michelle Gold was replaced by Carina Lemoine. In 1992, the formation broke up again. The original Luv' singers reunited twice (in 1993-1996 and in 2005–present).

In 1982, Marga Scheide was the lead member of another short-lived girl group Marga & Deuce with two twin sisters Clari and Anja Horsmeier who recorded an unsuccessful single ('One, Two, Three... Bananas'). Then, a solo single was released ('Love Symphony'), a medley of The Supremes that flopped, even though it was broadcast on Black American radio stations. In 1984-1985, she participated in a TV musical for children based on ABBA's songs and performed in Dutch : Abbacadabra. José Hoebee was also part of the cast of this show.

In 1992, alongside the singer Lisa Boray, Marga was briefly involved in another musical: 'Rockstar'

• Singles:
  • One, Two, Three...Bananas (Marga & Deuce, Polydor, 1982)
  • Love Symphony (Carrere, 1983)
  • Wij Zijn Vrij (Abbacadabra, Indisc, 1984)
  • Love Again (Boni, 1985)
  • I'll Sing You A Song (He Ho) (Dureco, 1986)
• Album:
  • Abbacadabra (Indisc, 1984)

• Marga sings a solo track (De kokende spoken show), a duet with Benny Neyman (Geef die banden terug) and two songs with the Abbacadabra troupe (Laat het feest beginnen and Wij Zijn Vrij).

Marga Scheide was twice the candidate in TV programmes in which Dutch celebrities took part in.

• In 2004, she was filmed as she had a health cure in Ibiza in Patty's Fort (a docusoap conceived by Patty Brard on Yorin).
• In 2006, she was a contestant in the Dutch version of Skating with Celebrities (Sterren Dansen Op Het IJs) on SBS 6. This show pairs six champion figure skaters with six celebrities who have various degrees of ice skill. Each team is composed of one man and one woman and has to demonstrate a specific figure skating skill. Marga was eliminated from the competition after the third competition.

In addition to her career in entertainment, she's been involved in several businesses. In the mid-1980s, she was temporarily the owner of a souvenir shop (Dutchy Souvenirs) in Utrecht's Holiday Inn. She later ran another short-lived company to export make-up to East Europe. In 2001, Marga launched with Jacques Zwart an online music store (www.selectcd.nl). Since 2004, she has been in control of another online service specialized in Dutch celebrities merchandising (www.selectidols.com).

While Luv' reached its peak in 1979, Marga had a three-year-long affair with John de Mol, Endemol's founder. Then, she had a relationship for twenty years (1983–2003) with Jacques Zwart who produced her solo recordings and the Sincerely Yours album of Luv'. In the Spring of 2003, Zwart died of a heart attack in Ibiza. Since 2006, Marga has dated another partner: Michiel Gunning.