Ben l'oncle Soul

Soul from Tours. Benjamin Duterde is Ben l'Oncle Soul, the soul man from France with his recognizable bow tie. He and his collective of magnificent musicians have been the best ambassadors for sweet soul music in Europe the last few years.

Thanks to his trademark bow tie Benjamin Duterde, from the French city of Tours, earned his nickname Uncle Ben (l'Oncle Ben). Once he started making music, and it was no question that had to be soul music, he changed his name to Ben L'Oncle Soul. Duterde met keyboard player Gabin Lesieur when they were both in a gospel choir. The two of them started making music together. Duterde caught the attention with his covers of songs by Gnarls Barkley, Katy Perry and The White Stripes. He has, however, proven that he doesn't need the songs of others. His debut album is filled with thirteen of his own songs stuffed with the best soul you can imagine. He's not a superman, he's a soulman, he sings on Soulman. The songs are both in English and in French. English is for the world, French is for his friends and family, he says. And when he sings in English, you don't even notice he is French. After listening to so much good music during his lifetime it has become his second language. For now he is done with covers and works on new material. Every show he and his band try to change their set up, to make sure a concert of Ben L'Oncle Soul is unique every time. And they always succeed.