Jacques Brel

Belgian singer and songwriter, actor and film director. Born: 8 April 1929 in Schaarbeek, Brussels, Belgium. Died: 9 October 1978 in Bobigny, France. Sang predominantly in French, but also had quite a few versions of his songs in Dutch. In his song "Marieke" he combined Dutch and French in the lyrics. His most famous songs include "Ne Me Quitte Pas / Laat Me Niet Alleen", "Le Plat Pays / Mijn Vlakke Land" and "Marieke". During 1964 his songs began to be translated into English in America by Rod McKuen. Brel’s penultimate album of unreleased songs, “J’Arrive” or “I Arrive” was released in 1968. His final album, “Les Marquises" were sold over one million copies and hit number one on the French album charts.