Will Tura Explained

Will Tura
Honorific Prefix:Knight
Background:solo_singer
Birth Name:Arthur Achiel Albert Blanckaert
Birth Date:1940 8, df=yes
Birth Place:Veurne, Belgium
Genre:Levenslied, pop rock, rock and roll, soul, gospel, country
Occupation:Singer, instrumentalist, composer, songwriter
Instrument:Piano, guitar, accordion, harmonica, drums
Years Active:1963–present

Arthur Achiel Albert, Knight Blanckaert (born 2 August 1940 in Veurne), known by his stage name Will Tura, is a Belgian artist considered as the most successful Flemish-speaking singer of the 20th century. Famous in Flanders and the Netherlands, Tura is a singer, musician (he plays the piano, guitar, drums, accordion and harmonica), composer and songwriter.[1] Nicknamed the Emperor of the Flemish Song, he released hundreds of singles and albums that cover a wide array of styles, and continued to tour into the 2010s.

Career

Will Tura started singing when he was only nine years old, covering Gilbert Bécaud and Nat King Cole. Tura's first producer was Jacques Kluger, and later his son Jean Kluger.[2]

Tura's first hit was Eenzaam zonder jou (Eng, Lonely without you) in 1963, for which he wrote the melody, and Ke Riema the text.

The first collaboration with Nelly Byl resulted in the song (Draai dan) 797204 (Eng: Then dial 797204) a cover of Hawkshaw Hawkins' Lonesome 7-7203. It became an instant hit, but it also caused a fuss. Since the telephone number 797204 turned out to really exist in the Netherlands, the song was banned there on the radio.

The cooperation with Byl will become exceptional. For many successful songs, she wrote the lyrics, after Tura composed the music earlier.

Many hits followed in various musical styles, including rock 'n roll, gospel, country and rap (Moa vent toch, released in 1992, in the West Flemish dialect).[3]

During the sixties and seventies, Will Tura was by far the most popular Dutch-speaking artist in Flanders. In 1974, he was the first Belgian artist to sell out Vorst National in Brussels.

In 1984 he made a tribute album to Elvis Presley in Nashville, together with Elvis' band. In 1992 he also released his first Tura in Symfonie, performing with a symphonic orchestra.

In 1987 Will recorded the album Ouvertura, together with the London Symphony Orchestra and Robert Groslot.

Tura had a car accident in 1988, and the song Mooi, 't leven is mooi (Eng: Beautiful, life is beautiful) about it became a megahit in Flanders, and it became the most frequently played song of 1989 according to SABAM, with Clouseau's Anne in second place.

In 1990, various alternative rock artists from Flanders created Turalura, a tribute album for the artist. It turned out to be the breakthrough of the alternative band Noordkaap, who covered his 1967 song Arme Joe (Eng: Poor Joe), about a race driver that dies in his last race.

In 2005, Tura's 65th birthday was celebrated elaborately in the Flemish media, along with the release of the cd Viva Tura.

Tura sang Ik mis je zo (Eng: I miss you so) and Hoop doet leven (Eng: Hope gives life) at the ceremony for the deceased King Baudouin of Belgium in 1993. In 2014 he reprised "Hoop doet leven" at the funeral of Queen Fabiola. At the engagement party of Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde in 1999 he gave a mini-recital.

In 1995 Will was made cultural ambassador of Flanders. Tura sold out Vorst Nationaal for three concerts in 1998. 2 years later, he was the central artist at Nekka-Nacht. His songs were performed by artists like Toots Thielemans, Noordkaap and Johan Verminnen, and the concert was released as an album Will Tura & Vrienden-Nekka Nacht 2000.[4]

In 2002 one of Tura's dreams came true, recording an album at the Abbey Road Studios entitled De Mooiste Droom (Eng: the most beautiful dream) with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

A second tribute to Tura, Turalura 2, was released in 2010. On the album, artist like Arid, Triggerfinger, Arno and k's Choice all sang in Dutch, which was unusual for them.[5]

After a performance at the main square of Veurne on the occasion of his 75th birthday, Tura decided to reduce the number of concerts. He worked as co-composer for the Studio 100 musical '40-'45, of which the soundtrack became a certified golden album.

A documentary film of Will Tura, Hoop Doet Leven, directed by Dominique Deruddere was released in the Flemish movie theatres in 2018.[6] A Studio 100 musical, Vergeet Barbara, celebrating the songs of Tura was premiered in 2022.[7]

A year later, after a 60-year long career, Will Tura decided to completely quit performing. Shortly after that, it was revealed that he suffers from Alzheimer's disease.[8] His very last album, a 5 CD collection of 100 singles, was released end July 2023.[9]

Personal life

Will Tura is married to Jenny Swinnen, with whom he has a son David (born 16 October 1974) and a daughter Sandy (born 21 November 1975). His daughter married Flemish TV presenter Luc Alloo in 2011.[10]

Awards and honours

Tura was appointed an Officer of the Belgian Order of the Crown in 1999.[11] In 2001, he was raised into the Belgian nobility by King Albert II and given for life the Belgian noble title Ridder, translated into English as "Knight".[12]

Trivia

Discography

Will Tura has a total of 130 album releases.[18]

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

References

  1. Web site: 4 August 2023 . Biography Will Tura . allmusic.com . en.
  2. Web site: 5 August 2023 . Biografie van Will Tura . sites.zonien.be . nl.
  3. Web site: 2 August 2020 . Waarom de jarige Will Tura (80) "de keizer van het Vlaamse lied" is: een leven in hits . Why birthday boy Will Tura (80) is "the emperor of Flemish song": a life in hits . . nl.
  4. Web site: 10 August 2023 . Will Tura & Vrienden* – Nekka Nacht 2000 . . en.
  5. Web site: 2 October 2010 . Turalura Twee, nieuw eerbetoon aan Will Tura . bruzz.be . nl.
  6. Web site: 5 August 2023 . Will Tura wordt 80 – Herbeleef zijn indrukwekkende carrière met unieke video-biografie . Will Tura turns 80 - Relive his impressive career with unique video biography . sterartiesten.be . nl.
  7. Web site: 12 December 2022 . Will Tura geëmotioneerd na première ‘Vergeet Barbara’: “Dit cadeau koester ik met heel mijn hart” . Will Tura emotional after 'Forget Barbara' premiere: "I cherish this gift with all my heart" . . nl.
  8. Web site: 2 June 2023 . "Ik heb beginnende alzheimer": Will Tura vertelt waarom hij is gestopt met optreden en neemt afscheid met laatste single. . "I have incipient Alzheimer's": Will Tura tells why he stopped performing and says goodbye with latest single . . nl.
  9. Web site: 29 July 2023 . Will Tura viert release van allerlaatste album met zijn vrouw en dochter . Will Tura celebrates release of very last album with his wife and daughter . . nl.
  10. Web site: 26 May 2011 . Luk Alloo en Sandy Tura stiekem getrouwd . Luk Alloo and Sandy Tura secretly married . . nl.
  11. http://vlex.be/vid/bevorderingen-ranginneming-schmidt-auteur-43927800 Nationale Orden Benoemingen 12 september 1999
  12. http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi/article_body.pl?language=nl&caller=summary&pub_date=01-07-19&numac=2001015079#top Publicatie : 2001-07-19, Numac : 2001015079
  13. Web site: 5 August 2023 . Will Tura (° Veurne 1940) . veurne.be . nl.
  14. Web site: 2 February 2000 . Nekka-Nacht huldigt Will Tura . Nekka-Nacht honours Will Tura . . nl.
  15. Web site: 2 August 2021 . Will Tura (81) krijgt standbeeld in "zijn" Veurne voor zijn 80ste verjaardag . . nl.
  16. Web site: 6 September 2021 . Retrospectieve Will Tura in zaal Moorland in Stabroek . woensdrecht.nieuws.nl . nl.
  17. Web site: De Eregallerij – Archief . 29 September 2010 . Radio 2.
  18. Web site: 5 August 2023 . Will Tura . musicmeter.nl . nl.

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