Before settling on the name Golden Earring, the Dutch rock band was known as The Tornadoes and The Golden Earrings. ∙ In 1969, Golden Earring became the first Dutch group to tour America, sharing bills with Led Zeppelin, Sun Ra, Joe Cocker, and John Lee Hooker. ∙ Their first international hit, 1973’s “Radar Love,” still tops lists of the best driving songs, and swimmer Brian Goodell credits its propulsive beat as the “secret weapon” for his gold medal wins. ∙ In 1992, drummer Cesar Zuiderwijk and the rest of the band joined 1,000 other drummers to perform “Radar Love” in Rotterdam. ∙ Guitarist/singer George Kooymans was inspired to write their No.1 hit “Twilight Zone” after reading Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Identity, and the song’s video was an early MTV hit. ∙ During their half-century career, they’ve released 25 albums and placed nearly 30 Top 10 singles on the Dutch charts.