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Music Extra: Behind the Brel - The Story of a Musical Genius

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Behind the Brel - The Story of a Musical Genius

02/04/2016 GMT

BBC World Service - Music Extra, Behind the Brel - The Story of a Musical Genius

Marc Almond’s personal exploration of the life and work of singer-songwriter Jacques Brel

Marc Almond’s personal exploration of the life and work of singer-songwriter Jacques Brel.

Marc Almond delivers a personal exploration of the music and unconventional life of singer-songwriter - Jacques Brel. He is considered one of the great French speaking singer songwriters of the 20th Century, whose lyrical content is poetically introspective and startlingly honest, tackling subjects such as love, death and many social issues.

His music has been translated by artists such as David Bowie, Scott Walker, Shirley Bassey, Joan Baez, Barbra Streisand, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Nina Simone, Dusty Springfield, Petula Clark, Rod McKuen, Terry Jacks, Nirvana and Vera Lynn.

(Photo: Jacques Brel, during the Cannes Cinema Festival, 1972. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

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