Abdel Halim Hafez
| Abdel Halim Hafez عبد الحليم حافظ |
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|---|---|
Abdel Halim Hafez
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Abdel Halim Ali Shabana |
| Born |
June 21, 1929 El Sharqia, Egypt |
| Origin | El Sharqia; Egypt |
| Died | March 30, 1977 (aged 47) King's College Hospital, London, United Kingdom |
| Genres |
Opera Arabic |
| Occupations | Singer, actor musician producer |
| Years active | 1952–1977 |
| Labels | EMI Arabia |
| Associated acts |
Umm Kulthum Mohamed Abdel Wahab Shadia |
| Website | 7alim.com |
Abdel Halim Ali Shabana (Arabic: عبد الحليم علي شبانة), commonly known as Abdel Halim Hafez (Arabic: عبد الحليم حافظ) (June 21, 1929 – March 30, 1977) was an Egyptian singer, and is among the most popular Egyptian and Arabic singers of all time. In addition to singing, Halim was also an actor, conductor, business man, music teacher and movie producer. He is considered to be one of the Great Four of Egyptian and Arabic music (along with Umm Kulthum, Mohammed Abdel Wahab, and Farid Al Attrach). His name is sometimes written as 'Abd el-Halim Hafez. He is known as el-Andaleeb el-Asmar (The Dark-Skinned Nightingale, Arabic: العندليب الأسمر). He is also known as an icon in modern Arabic music. To this day, his music is still enjoyed throughout the Arab world.
Born in El-Halawat, in Al Sharqia Governorate, 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Cairo, Kingdom of Egypt as Abdel Halim Ali Shabanah, he was the fourth child of Sheikh Ali Ismail Shabanah. He had two brothers, Ismail and Mohammed, and one sister, Aliah. His mother died from labor complications three days after giving birth to him - something that made people around him believe that he brought bad luck. His father died five years later, leaving him and his siblings orphaned at a young age. He lived in a poor orphanage for a number of years. He was later raised by his aunt and uncle in Cairo. During these years Abdel Halim was extremely poor.
Abdel Halim's 'one-of-a-kind' musical abilities first became apparent while he was in primary school and his older brother Ismail Shabanah was his first music teacher. At the age of 14 he joined the Arabic Music Institute in Cairo and became known for singing the songs of Mohammed Abdel Wahab. He dropped out from the Higher Theatrical Music Institute as an oboe player
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