Will Tura

Will Tura

Will Tura performing live

Will Tura performing live
Background information
Birth name Arthur Achiel Albert, Knight Blanckaert
Born (1940-08-02) 2 August 1940
Veurne, Belgium
Occupation(s) Singer, instrumentalist, composer, songwriter
Instruments Piano, guitar, drums, accordion, harmonica
Years active 1963–present
Website www.willtura.be

Arthur Achiel Albert, Knight Blanckaert (born 2 August 1940 in Veurne), known by his stage name Will Tura, is a Belgian artist famous in Flanders and the Netherlands. Tura is a singer, musician (he plays the piano, guitar, drums, accordion and harmonica), composer and songwriter. He is married to Jenny Swinnen, with whom he has a son David (born 16 October 1974) and a daughter Sandy Tura (born 21 November 1975).

Career

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.

Will 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. In a newspaper survey, the song got elected the biggest hit in Flanders ever, and it has a place in the Eregallerij (an honorary gallery of the Flemish song, an initiative of Belgian copyright collective SABAM and radio station Radio 2) since the first edition in 2000.[1]

Many hits followed in various musical styles, including rock 'n roll, gospel, country and rap (Moa vent toch, from 1992, in the West Flemish dialect). In 1984 he made a tribute album to Elvis Presley, together with Elvis' band. In 1992 he also released his first Tura in Symfonie, performing with a symphonic orchestra.

In 1987 Will records the album Ouvertura, together with the London Symphony Orchestra and Robert Groslot. In 2002 one of Tura's dreams came true, recording an album entitled De Mooiste Droom (Eng, the most beautiful dream) with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

In 1995 Will was made cultural ambassador of Flanders.

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

In 1990, various rock 'n roll artists from Flanders created Turalura, a tribute album for the artist. In 2005, Tura's 65th birthday was celebrated elaborately in the Flemish media, along with the release of the cd Viva Tura.

In 1993 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 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.

Honours

Tura was appointed an Officer of the Belgian Order of the Crown in 1999.[2] 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".[3]

Trivia

Will Tura

Discography

Will Tura has a total of 128 album releases.

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

References

  1. ↑ "De Eregallerij – Archief". Radio 2. Retrieved 29 September 2010.
  2. ↑ Nationale Orden Benoemingen 12 september 1999 - Belgian official journal
  3. ↑ Publicatie : 2001-07-19, Numac : 2001015079 - Belgian official journal
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