Jacques Brel (1929-1979), born in Brussels, was a world-famous chansonnier (cabaret-singer) and a pillar of Belgian music. Singing in French, he basically invented the Belgian chanson and gave it a Flemish atmosphere with his unique accent. He drew his inspiration from Verhaeren, Ensor and Ghelderode.
Like all great artists, he expresses the emotions of love, loneliness and death with an intensity unsurpassed by any other chansonnier of his time. He was also a great actor and even had a go at directing films. His best performance was in "De Man van La Mancha" (The Man from La Mancha).
Portraiing every-day life in music requires a special and Brel mastered this skill unlike anyone else.