Died On This Date (October 9, 1978) Jacques Brel / Belgian Singer-Songwriter
themusicsover Jacques Brel
April 8, 1929 – October 9, 1978
Jacques Brel was a Belgian singer-songwriter who came to prominence in Europe during the 1950s. And although he wrote and sang exclusively in French, many of his songs have been covered in English by such notable performers as Ray Charles, David Bowie and Dusty Springfield. He has sold over 25 million albums worldwide. His career started modestly in the cabarets of Paris, but by the mid ’50s, his talent could not be denied, so he began touring Europe and beyond. He also made a name for himself in film. A longtime smoker, Brel was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1973 and died from it five years later at the age of 49.
What You Should Own
Nicky James was a British singer-songwriter whose career began in the early ’60s when he formed the Lawmen. In 1963, he joined forces with Denny Laine in a band they called Nicky James with Denny and the Diplomats. He was in and out of the band over the next few years, and was gone for good just before they changed their name to the Moody Blues and got signed to Decca Records. James soon signed to Columbia Records with his Nicky James Movement, a band that would be the early home to such pre-fame musicians as 
Steve Ferguson is best remembered as a founding guitarist of the New Rhythm and Blues Quintet (later Quartet), or NRBQ. Formed in 1967 in Miami, Florida, the group has amassed a fanatical cult following for its musical gumbo of R&B, jazz, rockabilly, blues, country, and bar-band rock ‘n roll. After playing on just two albums, including a collaboration with 
