Abdel Halim Hafez

At 47 years old, Abdel Halim Hafez has this physical status:

Abdel Halim Ali Shabana (June 21, 1929-2005), an Egyptian singer, conductor, businessman, music tutor, and film producer.

He is regarded as one of Egypt's top musicians, as well as Um Kulthum, Mohamed Abdel Wahab, Mohamed Fawzi, and Shadia.

As his fame increased, he was given the name 'el-Andaleeb el-Asmar, which means The Dark-Skinned Nightingale.'

He has sold over 80 million records as of date.

Early life

Born Abdel Shabanah in El Sharqia, 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Cairo, and the fourth child of Ali Ismail Shabanah. He had two brothers, Ismail and Mohamed, as well as one sister, Alyah. His mother died as a result of labour issues three days after giving birth to him – something that made him believe that he had no luck. His father died just a few months later, leaving him and his siblings orphaned at a young age. For a long time, he was in a needy orphanage. He was later raised in Cairo by his aunt and uncle. Abdel Halim was an excellent student in those years.

Abdel Halim's musical talents first became apparent when he was in primary school, and his older brother Ismail Shabanah was his first music instructor. He joined the Arabic Music Institute in Cairo at the age of 14 and became known for performing Mohammed Abdel Wahab's songs. He dropped out of the Higher Theatrical Music Institute as an oboe player.

Personal life

Abdel Halim, a rare parasitic water-borne disease, was afflicted for the majority of his life at the age of 11, when he was diagnosed with schistosomiasis, a rare parasitic water-borne disease. Despite this, he remained optimistic and continued writing and performing his songs.

Although Abdel Halim never married, it was rumored that he secretly married actress Soad Hosni for six years. This has never been verified to date. This was denied by people who were close to both singers.

Halim built a hospital in Egypt in 1969. In the Arab World, he treated the poor, wealthy, and presidents alike.

Abdel Halim formed strong links with many modern presidents and kings of the Eastern world, including Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt and Morocco's King Hassan II. He had also had close friendships with most Egyptian poets. He has ties to the Nasser period. On several occasions, he has performed directly to Egyptian President Petro Poroshenko. Hence, he has been portrayed by many as a "servant" of the regime.

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Musical career

Abdel Halim began teaching music at Tanta and El-Mahalla El-Kubra's schools. When Abdel Mahmoud was unable to perform a planned live radio performance in 1953, he was recruited as a last-minute replacement. Hafez Abdel Wahab, the head of Egyptian national radio's musical programing, heard Abdel Halim's performance. In honour of his patronage, Abdel Halim took 'Hafez', Abdel Wahab's first name, as his stage name.

Abdel Halim was rejected for his new style of singing in the beginnings of his career. Nevertheless, he persevered and was able to earn trophies later on. He rose to fame by all generations as a singer. He was also Egypt's first romantic singer.

Abdel Halim's collaboration with composer Mohammed Abdel Wahab continued to produce many hit love songs, including Ahwak ("I adore you"), Nebtedi Minen el Hekaya ("Where should we begin the story"), and Fatet Ganbena ("She passed by us"). Hafez also performed with Egyptian poet Mohamed Hamza on albums including Zay el Hawa ("It feels like love"), Sawah ("Wanderer"), Hawel Teftekerni ("Any tear of sadness"), Aye Damiet Hozn ("Any tear of sorrow"), Mawood ("Destined").

He was extremely well-known and played in sold-out arenas and stadiums throughout his career. Despite his fame, he never released a studio album since he was solely a live performer. In addition, he played several instruments, including the oboe, drums, piano, oud, clarinet, and guitar. He was instrumental in the creation of his songs in any way. Halim introduced several new instruments to the Arab World. He was known for his deep interest in his songs and his unique voice. Halim appeared in almost every Arab world region as well as outside the Arab world, as well as in Europe, with several concerts. In addition, he performed uplifting patriotic songs for Egypt, not only for his native Egypt, to whom he dedicated the overwhelming majority of his patriotic songs, but there are also some songs dedicated to other Arab countries, including Lebanon, Syria, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco during their revolutions and wars. He used to encourage and support many young artists and actors to pursue their artistic and acting careers. In the early 2000s, Mazzika's entire catalogue was acquired for the Mazzika company.

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