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Remembering Abdel Halim Hafeth

© Aida Hasan

Through music, I learned about my heritage. Arabic music has always made me feel like I belonged to my parents world, their younger years, their memories of home in the Arab world. Their nostalgia became my own. I remember certain Arabic singers as if I grew up listening to them. But in actuality, I did. On family trips and long drives, we never left home without the music. I have a lot of memories of driving down the winding roads along the Pacific coast, headed for the beach we visited often; my father blasting Arabic music.

What I didn't know then was that my father was playing the songs of the greats of the Arabic music world. They were the classics, the best the Arab world had to offer --Farid Al Atrache, Fairooz, Oum Kalthoum, Warda Al-jaza'riya and others. Some times I said "dad, pleeeeeaase, put American music on now." But on those long drives and those happy family trips, I don't ever remember listening to anything but Arabic music. These singers voices became so much a part of my childhood. But they were something more than that, they were an entrance into another world -- a culture, and a place that meant so much to my parents.

So when the wonderful voice of the great Abdel Halim Hafeth came on and my dad said again and again, "this takes me back home", I paid attention. I linked the songs with the photos of my dad during his teens, happy and carefree, and my grandparents young and full of life. And then it became MY own longing for home. So it isn't any wonder that among all the current singers and wide range of Arabic music today, Abdel Halim Hafeth would remain one of my favorite singers.

For a Palestinian male in his teens growing up in the 1950's, Abdel Halim was to my dad, something like Elvis was to American audiences. He was a clear favorite among younger audiences. However, his songs were listened to by young and old all over the Arab world. He appeared in and sang in a total of 16 movies which can often be found playing on some of the Arabic satellite channels like ART. Abdel Halim Hafez was born February 6,1929 in a small village in Sharqia, Egypt. He died at the young age of 48.

Over twenty years after Abdel Halim's death, his music still finds an audience and his albums continue to sell well. What is most often said about him is that he sings with a sincerity and truthfullness that touches peoples hearts. To sample his music, and learn more about his life and professional career, try these sources: