by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief
AMSTERDAM (Worthy News) – Dutch singer, guitarist, and radio presenter Wim Pols, who pioneered Christian country music in the Netherlands, has died, following a series of health scares including heart failure, his band confirmed. He passed away “peacefully” on Saturday, October 25, 2025, surrounded by loved ones, the Country Trail Band explained.
“Dear friends, on Saturday evening, October 25, our brother and friend Wim Pols passed away,” the group added on the social media site Facebook. “In his final days, he slept peacefully and quietly passed away. We are thankful for the fruitful life he lived and grateful to have walked with him for so long. Wim is Home with his heavenly Father.”
Pols rose to prominence in the 1980s through the Dutch Evangelical Broadcasting (EO) network, where he presented “Country Trail” on station Hilversum III, introducing Gospel-inspired country music to a vast Dutch audience.
As one of the first Christian broadcasters in the Netherlands to feature American artists, he brought singers like Johnny Cash, Don Francisco, Larry Norman, and the Oak Ridge Boys to Dutch listeners, “translating their messages of faith and redemption” for a local audience.
Between 1983 and 2000, he produced and hosted EO radio programs, including Het Country-uur ”(“The Country Hour”), which helped shape the Christian music landscape in the Netherlands.
FOUNDING THE COUNTRY TRAIL BAND
In 1985, Pols co-founded the Country Trail Band with Ruud van de Meeberg, Hans Steeds, and Mijndert van der Beek. What began as a radio project evolved into “a full-time music ministry” that released more than 25 albums in English and Dutch, the band explained.
Among their best-known works are “Don’t Play for Nothing!”(1992) and “Dwars door de storm” (“Through the Storm,” 2015).
The band’s signature style blended country, folk, and Gospel, with lyrics reflecting Biblical faith and daily life. They performed across Europe in churches, theaters, and festivals, earning a loyal following in both evangelical and mainstream circles.
Beyond music, Pols and his group supported aid and evangelistic projects, donating proceeds from concerts and album sales to causes such as an orphanage in Nigeria.
Despite health challenges, Pols remained active in recent years. In 2024, the Country Trail Band marked its 40th anniversary with a jubilee concert celebrating four decades of faith-based music.
LAST CONCERT IN DRACHTEN
The group’s last concert took place on October 5, 2025, at Bethel Church in the Dutch town of Drachten, drawing some 600 people.
The band called it “an overwhelming farewell celebration,” adding, “Apparently, in the past forty years, we have managed to leave something good behind.”
Wim Pols is remembered as “a pioneer of Christian country” and gospel music in the Netherlands, Christians said.
Through his EO radio work and decades of performances with the Country Trail Band, he helped connect Dutch believers with the broader world of American Christian music and gave the genre a lasting home in Dutch culture.
The band said further information about a memorial service will be shared later.
(With additional reporting by Worthy News’ Johan Th. Bos in the Netherlands.)
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
Egyptian Christians facing religious-based violence and discrimination are increasingly relying on underground safe houses as authorities continue to fall short on protecting minority rights, Christian advocates say.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced plans Tuesday to overhaul the U.S. military’s Chaplain Corps, arguing the institution has drifted from its original mission and lost the “faith and virtue” that defined it when it was established under George Washington more than 250 years ago.
The United States has approved $11.1 billion in new arms-sales packages for Taiwan, signaling continued security support for the island even as President Donald Trump’s administration emphasizes trade and economic engagement with China, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation late Wednesday night that would criminalize gender transition treatments for minors, marking a significant victory for conservatives who argue the federal government must step in to protect children from irreversible medical procedures.
The U.S. House passed the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act in a party line, 216-211, vote Wednesday, sending the bill to its likely demise in the Senate.
A day before President Donald Trump is set to address the nation, he releases an ominous social media post warning Venezuela, saying the country is “completely surrounded.”
The Trump administration is again saying Mexico will comply with a water treaty after claiming it would earlier this year and seven months later it still hadn’t.