Soul singer and songwriter Ben L’Oncle Soul aka Benjamin Duterde (born 10 November 1984) from Indre-et-Loire, France stands out of the crowd with his retro style and gospel infused vocals.
After years of being compared to Uncle Ben (yes, the popular character on the rice brand) by his friends because of striking resemblance, which he embraced with bow-tie in tow. Duterde paid homage by professionally adopting the name Ben L’Oncle Soul (and by adding ‘soul’, he was able to avoid any issues regarding copyright infringement).
In 2004 Duterde began professional singing in the gospel group, Fitiavana. The group recorded their debut album “I Have a Dream” in 2009 which featured a number of soul classics sung in English including “Killing Me Softly”, “Lean On Me” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman”. Meanwhile, Duterde had also started making progress on solo career when the French division of Motown offered a recording contract.
Under the name Ben L’Oncle Soul, Duterde released his debut EP “Soul Wash: Lesson 1” through Motown. Featuring mostly cover material with a 60’s retro feel running throughout, the EP included Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy, Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” and the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army”.
In 2010 he released his full length self-titled album sung in both English and French and included the singles “Soulman”, “Petite Sœur” and “Elle Me Dit”. Peaking at number four in the French album charts, the album also certified triple platinum.
The following year Duterde opened the 32nd Montreal Jazz Festival and captivated an audience of over 10,000. He has also made appearances at North Sea Jazz Festival, London Jazz Festival.
Anja Schneider
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