I
Sixties

At the start of the sixties French chanson blended with American easy listening and Dutch lyrics is invented by Will Tura. His 63 hit 'Eenzaam zonder jou' ('Lonely without you') is a classic. Many hits will follow over the decades and Tura is often referred to as the King of the Flemish (pop) song. French chanson is performed by Salvatore Adamo and of course Jacques Brel. Immigrant workers from Italy brought the Italian cantautore tradition which mixed with Belgian folk gives Rocco Granata his international hit 'Marina'.

The popular song contests Canzonissima and the Knokke festival are an important springboard for Belgian (and Dutch) arstist. Singer Liliane Saint-Pierre owes both festivals and even has success in France duet o a duet with Claude François.
Other sixties hits were for Antwerp protestsinger Ferre Grignard ('66)  with his song 'Ring ring I've got to sing' and The Pebbles, who would score internationally with 'Get Around' and 'Seven horses in the sky'. Another odd hit was for the Catholic nun Soeur Sourire who scored a world wide hit with 'Dominique' in 1963.