N°90 WILL TURA - ARME JOE

Let’s stick with the name Joe and link it to the person we call in Flanders ‘The King Of The Flemish Chanson’:  Arthur Blanckaert or better known as Will Tura. Will Tura is currently  still active as singer-composer  at the age of 72 and he still performs a few times a week. For those who don’t know Will Tura you might compare him to Tony Bennett or Tom Jones if you’d limit the world to Belgium only.

All together he created over 140 albums between his first in 1963 and his latest ; released in February 2012. This means he has released almost 3 albums per year. This includes collectors editions and compilation albums. To stay in the link I’d like to go back to the very first song I’ve posted by Triggerfinger because they’re planning to make a single together. Triggerfinger as one of the hottest Belgian bands of the moment and Will Tura as one of the big music icons of Belgium. Old meets new. Rock meets chanson. I’m looking forward to it.

Will started his career by covering Nat King Cole and Gilbert Bécaud. At an early age he was given a job as guitar player in a dance orchestra and at the age of seventeen he’d sing fo his first record label. Jacques Kluger saw a raw upcoming talent and untill today Jacques remained his producer and publisher. He and Will are one team and that still pays off.

Were talking 1962 when Will scores his first number one  hit with ‘Eenzaam Zonder Jou’ (Lonely Without You). It would later be chosen as his best song ever and also as best Flemish chanson ever. A landmark in the Flemish music history that is. Will composes all his song himself but the lyrics are mainly written by Nelly Byl. After his first number one hit more would follow. I’m just naming a few: Hopeloos (Hopeless); Blauw (Blue) or the one below Arme Joe (Poor Joe)

Will was chosen to sing ‘Hoop Doet Leven’ (Hope is Alive) at Belgian King Baudouin the First his funeral in 1993. A big honour but also a sad moment. The song would later become a very popular funeral song. Earlier in 1984 Will Tura would travel to Nashville Tennesse to record an Elvis Presley tribute album containing adaptations of The Devil In Disguise and In The Ghetto. It also contains a song Goodbye Elvis.

His songs vary from chansons to popsongs, rock-‘n-roll, country and with his song ‘Moa Vent Toh’ he’d even try a little funky hip  hop. I don’t like that song very much though since I couldn’t handle  a 52 year old artist trying to be young and cool. He created symphonic albums (in 2002 with the London Philharmonic Orchestra) and medley albums. All kinds of musicstyles he tried throughout his career.

Let’s return to 1990 when Noordkaap, a Belgian rockband, covered the song I’m posting when performing at Humo’s Rock Rally Festival. A rock version of a typical Tura song. This initiative was followed by an album called Turalura on which different Belgian artist tributed Will Tura’s songs in their own music style. Amongst the artists were Raymond Van Het Groenewoud, The Scabs, Noordkaap, The Paranoiacs and Soulsister. It was a Will Tura tribute and a celebration of his 50th birthday. Twenty years after the first Turalura cd a second one was recorded to celebrate the 20th birthday of the first Turalura cd and his 70th birthday. This time Daan, Arid, K’s Choice and Triggerfinger would perform his songs.

There’s much, much more to say about him like it seems he’s been married to his Jenny for ever and ever which isn’t always easy in the music industry. His daughter Sandy  ‘Tura’ Blanckaert once had a blossoming media career on television and is married to producer and reporter Luk Alloo…. Etc…