Willem van Kooten, born in Hilversum on 7-1-1941, became one of Holland's biggest music publishers, after he rose to fame as Radio Veronica's number one disc-jockey Joost de Draayer. He started there in the summer of 1961. He introduced de Top 40 in Holland, which started on 2-1-1965, after the exapple of the Billboard Hot 100. He is famed for "having a nose for hits".
Founder ( together with Basart Music) of the Impala/Basart subsidiary in 1966 to specialize in original Dutch beat music.