About – Jean Kluger

Jean Kluger, born in Antwerp (Belgium) in 1937, is a composer, editor and music producer.

1957 : His career starts at World Music, the music publishing company of his father, Jacques Kluger.

Passionate about music, he works at his beginnings with the greatest in different styles : Ray Martin, André Popp, Jean Bouchety, Alexis Weissenberg and with Walter Scharf for the original soundtrack of the Harold Lloyd movies. He produces the first Pierre Barouh and Francis Lai album, discovers the group Les Cousins with whom he records “Kili Watch” and launches the group Los Mayas with the song “La Playa”.

1964 : Jean founded his own company in Brussels : Les Éditions Jean Kluger (managed today by Myriam Dekoster) and two years later in Paris, with his wife Huguette Ferly, the company Bleu Blanc Rouge which is now part of the Wise group.
With Claude Bolling, a long-time friend, he forms the group Les Parisiennes “Il fait trop beau pour travailler” and composes several hits for them such as “l’Argent ne fait pas le bonheur”. He produces and publishes the soundtracks “Thème de Borsalino” and “Le mur de l’Atlantique” written by Claude Bolling, and launches the “Casatschok” and “Yamasuki” dances.

In addition to his role as publisher, he also composes for Dalida, Ringo, Sheila, Petula Clark, Nana Mouskouri, Claude François. With Daniel Vangarde, he will write all the hits of La Compagnie créole, The Gibson Brothers, Ottawan.

At the same time, in Belgium, he produces many famous Flemish artists, such as Will Tura, Johan Verminnen, Marva, John Terra, Dana Winner.

His musical eclecticism takes him from the tango with Gustavo Beytelmann to the trumpet of Thierry Cains, passing through the greatest Belgian jazz musicians for the Jazz@Olympics album.

2017 : he produces a documentary on Will Tura, co-writes and produces a play in memory of his mother: ‘Adela and Helena’ and creates graphic works called Multimatum.
More recently, he devotes himself to writing -but prose this time- and to the production of graphic and instrumental works.

THE COMPOSER – INTERNATIONAL

AIEAOA (original version by the Yamasuki Singers) was sung by Black Blood (AIE a Mwana), Bananarama, La Compagnie Créole (Aie a mounla), Velile & Safri Duo (Helele, 2010 FIFA World Cup, official theme of the German and Swiss television)
CUBA (anthem to Thiago Alcantara -FC Liverpool), QUE SERA MI VIDA etc. by the Gibson Brothers (with Daniel Vangarde)
HANDS UP, D.I.S.C.O., YOU’RE OK (film “Le Bal” by Ettore Scola) by Ottawan (with Daniel Vangarde)
C’EST BON POUR LE MORAL, CA FAIT RIRE LES OISEAUX, LE BAL MASQUE, VIVE LE DOUANIER ROUSSEAU, BONS BAISERS DE FORT DE FRANCE by la Compagnie Créole (with Daniel Vangarde)
LE BATEAU BLANC, VENISE by Sacha Distel
ES GIBT KEIN BIER AUF HAWAII, a carnival standard in Germany by Paul Kuhn. A remarkable cover was made in 2022 by Daan.
STORIES: created by the Chakachas, but covered or sampled dozens of times: Dope Lemon (Home soon), Izit, Cake (Thrills), Yong Yello a.m.o.
LIEBESLIED JENER SOMMERNACHT/ADELINA by Dahlia Lavi: in the Top 10 of the German hit parade at the time
In FRANCE (where he lives) he works as a composer and/or publisher with Claude Bolling (Theme of Borsalino, mythical film with Alain Delon in Jean-Paul Belmondo), Petula Clark (Everyone wants to go to heaven), Rika Zara (Casatchok, Balapapa), Sheila, Claude François (Toi tu voudrais = It takes a fool like me by John Rowles), Les Parisiennes, Régine, Ringo, Sacha Distel, Dalida, Annie Cordy etc
EL SOLITARIO & LAZOS DE AMISTAD by Los Diablos, success in Spain and Latin America

PRODUCER OF BELGIAN AND INTERNATIONAL HITS

First success (early 60ies): KILI WATCH by Les Cousins
CASATSCHOK single and album by Dimitri Dourakine (cover of Hava Naguila in the series ‘Entourage’)
YAMASUKI album of which several tracks have been used in films and series as well (Fargo, sampling by Erykah Badu)
Will Tura (50 albums) between 1962 and 2007, Johan Verminnen (15 albums) from 1970 to 1985, Marva, John Terra, Dana Winner, Oscar Benton (Bensonhurstblues), Sail Joia (Amsterdao tem coracao), Fernando Lameirinhas, Amii Stewart (Rocky Woman), Camaleon, Janu (10 albums).
Out of love for jazz, he produced in 1958 the album ‘Jazz in little Belgium (with Pelzer, Albimoor…) and fifty years later he recorded Jazz@the Olympics with the biggest names in Belgian jazz: Toots Thielemans, David Linx, Michel Herr, Nathalie Loriers…

THE FLEMISH HITS COMPOSER

HUTJE OP DE HEIDE: his first success, created by Bobbejaan Schoepen
VLAANDEREN MIJN LAND, IK MIS JE ZO, DE MANNEN VAN DE NACHT, VERBODEN DROMEN, ANGELINA, GOODBYE ELVIS, IN MIJN CARAVAN, a.m.o by Will Tura. Most of the Will Tura’s hits were written in collaboration with authors Nelly Byl and Jo Declercq
RODE ROZEN IN DE SNEEUW and OEMPALAPAPERO by Marva
IS ER EEN ANDER TUSSEN JOU EN MIJ with and by John Terra
DE GLIMLACH VAN EEN KIND (Toi tu voudrais) created by Willy & Willeke Alberti, an evergreen in Holland

THE ORIGINAL PUBLISHER OF INTERNATIONAL AND FLEMISH HITS

TAKA TAKATA created by Paco Paco
CASATSCHOK created by Dimitri Dourakine
LAAT ME NU TOCH NIET ALLEEN written and created by Johan Verminnen, covered by Clouseau a.m.o.
HEMELSBLAUW (LA LUNA DE ASUNCION) by Will Tura. Taken over by Janu and Belle Perez, a.m.o.
GEEN WONDER DAT IK WEEN by Paul Severs (theme from the movie ‘FIRMIN’) HET KAN NIET ZIJN, LINDA, HOPELOOS, MOA VEN TOH, MOOI, ’t LEVEN IS MOOI, GEEF ME LIEFDE etc.

VARIOUS

The feature film: Will Tura, Hoop doet leven
The ‘Tura in Symfonie’ concert series at Forest National and a Will Tura Gospel concert in Antwerp Sportpaleis
Theatre: ‘Adela & Helena’ (co-producer and co-author, in collaboration with Hans Kusters and Kris Van Steenbergen)
Graphic arts and sculptures: Multimatum, Digital Vibrations in Music (in collaboration with Christian Cooky Soete and Daniel Dutilleux), COSMOS.