bass player Cees van Leeuwen left in 1975 to concentrate on his studies. He became a lawyer, and in 2002, he became the Dutch State Secretary of Culture and Media in the short lived Balkenende 1 cabinet. He was replaced by Bert Veldkamp, who played bass in from 1975 to 1976 and returned for the 1999 reunion. After the 2003 album Merlin – Bard of the Unseen, Veldkamp left Kayak because he could not combine his work in a band with his own career. Peter Scherpenzeel, Ton's younger brother, was Kayak's roadie in the early days. In 1978, he joined as the band's bass player, when Theo de Jong left after just one album. Peter played bass on Kayak's best-selling album Phantom of the Night, as well as on the two following albums. Long-time Kayak fan Edward Reekers became lead singer in 1978, when Max Werner changed to drums. The first song he recorded was "Ruthless Queen", which became Kayak's biggest hit. He remained lead singer until 1982. After that, he did two solo albums and worked as a backing vocalist, doing commercials, and lending his voice to cartoon films and children's TV shows. When singer Bert Heerink had other commitments in 2003, Reekers replaced him at some Merlin concerts. It was the beginning of his comeback, followed by the "Nostradamus" album in 2005 on which Edward plays the part of the monk. After that album, Heerink left the band and Reekers was Kayak's only male lead singer again. From 1978 until 1981, Kayak was augmented by two female background singers; Katherine Lapthorn, wife of bassist Peter Scherpenzeel, sang on three studio albums. After the split in 1982, she left the music business. Ton Scherpenzeel's wife Irene Linders not only sang backing vocals, but also developed into the band's main lyricist. When Kayak reunited in 1999, she became the band's manager. Since the 1999 reunion Bert Heerink (ex Vandenberg) was asked to help the band out on tour in 2000. The plan was that on stage he would do the songs that Edward Reekers did originally, leaving more room for Max Werner to do his own Kayak songs and play percussion. But when Werner left, he was not replaced, so Heerink became lead singer. He did three studio albums and one live album before concentrating on his solo career. Rob Vunderink joined in 2001 as extra guitarist and vocalist. Vunderink