Ozark Henry

Biography

Piet Goddaer (born 29 April 1970 in Kortrijk) is a Belgian musician, better known by his stage name Ozark Henry. As of June 2020, he has released nine studio albums under the name Ozark Henry. In 2001, he released the album To All Our Escapes under the name Sunzoo Manley, a collaboration with Frank Deruytter.

Background

Goddaer drew the inspiration for his stage name from a geographic region in the United States, the Ozark mountains, and the book Junkie by William S. Burroughs.
Ozark Henry's first album, I'm Seeking Something That Has Already Found Me, was considered avant-garde. His third album, Birthmarks×Birthmarks10 September 2001 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Word Up4:392Rescue3:473Do You Love Me4:024Sweet Instigator4:205Seaside3:306Intersexual4:187Rainbow5:338Tattoo7:029I’ll Be Rain4:1610This Is All I Have3:47, marked a transition from earlier experimental music to pop music with classical influences, such as string and wind instruments. Birthmarks and the subsequent album The Sailor Not the Sea×The Sailor Not the Sea18 October 2004 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1La donna è mobile5:442Indian Summer3:483Jocelyn, It’s Crazy We Ain’t Sixteen Anymore5:394Give Yourself a Chance With Me4:135Vespertine4:466At Sea5:137Free Haven4:428The Sailor Not the Sea6:189Cry5:3310April 45:03 were Henry's breakthrough with Belgian audiences. Since the album The Soft Machine×The Soft Machine11 September 2006 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 17 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11These Days3:312Christine3:383We Were Never Alone3:464Splinter4:175Play Politics3:286Weekenders4:037Echo as Metaphor2:508Cincinnati3:549Morpheus3:4510Sun Dance3:3711Le Temps qui reste3:3712Jailbird3:55Disc 21Hotel de Flandres 016:452Hotel de Flandres 026:533Hotel de Flandres 036:204Tu manques2:185Elektra14:06 (2006), his music has been characterized by a more mainstream sound.
Goddaer writes, composes, and produces his albums himself. In addition to regular studio albums, he has also released a few soundtracks, including for the film adaptation of Thea Beckman's Crusade in Jeans. He has also produced music for other artists.

Career

In his early life, Goddaer was involved in several local bands. As a rapper in the band Word, founded by his brother Jan, Goddaer scored a cult hit with the song "Henry Man-She" in 1994.
His career really took off when Goddaer started a solo career and adopted the stage name Ozark Henry. The debut album I'm Seeking Something That Has already Found Me was released in 1996 with Double T Music. In an interview, David Bowie praised the album as "debut of the year", but the record had little commercial success.
His second album, This Last Warm Solitude×This Last Warm Solitude25 October 1998 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Radio (7.1.23.19.11.5.13.31)3:472Inhaling3:543Love Is Free to Interfere3:224Hurray Goodbye3:285Ocean (I’m Slipping Away From Me)4:086This Hole Is the Whole4:087Summer Junkie4:558Elvis Is Dead3:279It’s a Calling (Hear Me Out)3:4310Me and My Sister4:1911Junkie Show1:4512In & Out7:5313Pillgrim8:36, was released in Belgium in 1998. The next year, This Last Warm Solitude was released in the Netherlands, Germany, and France, and Henry received a Zamu Award as best songwriter/composer.
The next album, Birthmarks×Birthmarks10 September 2001 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Word Up4:392Rescue3:473Do You Love Me4:024Sweet Instigator4:205Seaside3:306Intersexual4:187Rainbow5:338Tattoo7:029I’ll Be Rain4:1610This Is All I Have3:47, was released in 2001 on Sony Music Entertainment and was the commercial breakthrough for Henry. The singles "Rescue" and "Sweet Instigator" were hits in Belgium, and the album was certified platinum. Henry won two Zamu Awards: best pop/rock and best producer. He appeared regularly on television and radio shows, including Aan tafel.
His fourth album, The Sailor not the Sea×The Sailor Not the Sea18 October 2004 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1La donna è mobile5:442Indian Summer3:483Jocelyn, It’s Crazy We Ain’t Sixteen Anymore5:394Give Yourself a Chance With Me4:135Vespertine4:466At Sea5:137Free Haven4:428The Sailor Not the Sea6:189Cry5:3310April 45:03, was released in 2004, and was awarded a gold record the next year. Henry also won another Zamu Award for best songwriter/composer.
His fifth album, The Soft Machine×The Soft Machine11 September 2006 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 17 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11These Days3:312Christine3:383We Were Never Alone3:464Splinter4:175Play Politics3:286Weekenders4:037Echo as Metaphor2:508Cincinnati3:549Morpheus3:4510Sun Dance3:3711Le Temps qui reste3:3712Jailbird3:55Disc 21Hotel de Flandres 016:452Hotel de Flandres 026:533Hotel de Flandres 036:204Tu manques2:185Elektra14:06, was released in September 2006.
For Henry's tenth anniversary, the compilation album A Decade×A Decade3 December 2007 · Album · CompilationSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 28 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Godspeed3:052Indian Summer3:473These Days3:304Sweet Instigator4:175Vespertine3:466At Sea5:127Word Up3:528Play Politics3:299Weekenders3:4610Intersexual4:1511Rescue3:4512Free Haven3:5313Sun Dance3:3814Genoa Blue3:31Disc 21La Donna E Mobile (Ruff & Jam 7")3:522If This Is Love (original short)3:353Sun Dance (Ruff & Jam vocal 7")3:384Rescue (Pole Folder radio mix)4:125At Sea (Teakhouse - Roof mix)3:166Hope Is a Dope (Gzdub)5:067Intersexual (Zithgliss - Roof mix)4:078Love Is Free to Interfere (Master Rock mix)3:079Sun Dance (Ruff & Jam Moonlight club mix)7:1510La Donna E Mobile (Ruff & Jam 12")7:4711Hope Is a Dope (Gcbug)5:1412Rescue (Winter Will Return Though - Roof remix)4:1013Sun Dance (Ruff & Jam vocal 12")6:4814Dogs and Dogmen (Dogs and Dubmen remix)6:15 was issued.
The sixth album, Hvelreki×Hvelreki29 October 2010 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Out of This World4:482This One’s for You3:493Eventide5:134Godspeed5:585Miss You When You’re Here3:346A Night Sea Journey5:107Air and Fire4:268Yours and Yours Only5:499It’s in the Air Tonight5:0110Hvelreki4:1911See the Lions5:2812No Hands3:2713Memento5:02, was released in October 2010.
Henry also wrote the music for several theatre projects and the soundtrack of the Belgian television series Sedes & Belli, as well as Crusade in Jeans, a movie based on a children's novel by Thea Beckman. He received the Magritte Award for Best Original Score for his work in the 2012 film The World Belongs to Us.
His seventh album is Stay Gold×Stay Gold19 April 2013 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks · 2 discsDisc 1A1Deep6:29A2We Are Incurable Romantics6:14B1Outpatient3:20B2I’m Your Sacrifice4:48B3Juguetes Del Viento5:57Disc 2C1If You Leave6:19C2Stay Gold Ponyboy Stay Gold7:09D1Plaudite Amici Comedia Finita Est3:39D2It Was a Queer Sultry Summer3:44D3Death and the Maiden4:57. In 2014, Henry re-recorded "We Are Incurable Romantics", a track from this album, with Italian singer-songwriter Elisa.
In 2015, Henry released the album Paramount×Paramount2 March 2015 · Album · LiveSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1This Is All I Have4:132We Can Be Heroes3:493Grace3:264Love Is Free to Interfere3:275Maybe3:296Out of This World4:537An Angel Fell It’s Done3:348Vespertine4:139At Sea3:4210Free Haven4:3811Indian Summer3:5212Godspeed4:2413Sun Dance4:2214Radio (7.1.23.19.11.5.13.31)3:3715Sweet Instigator4:17, which was recorded together with the National Orchestra of Belgium. In 2017, his ninth album, Us, came out.

Sunzoo Manley

In 1999, Goddaer collaborated with musician Richard Jonckheere (under the moniker LaTchak) to record the track "If This Is Love". Nothing much happened until 2001, when Goddaer began recording an album together with Frank Deruytter, Marc François, and Stephane Galland, which was released the same year under the name To All Our Escapes.

Activism

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has appointed Piet Goddaer as its national goodwill ambassador against human trafficking. The appointment is aimed at increasing visibility and assisting in mobilizing support in Belgium to tackle human trafficking. Next to his work for the UNODC, Goddaer actively supports Bike For Africa.