Yesterday marks 28 years on the death anniversary of the prominent 20th-century Egyptian singer, actor, and composer Mohamed Abdel Wahab.
Known as generations musician, Abdel Wahab was born in 1902 in Bab El-Sheriyah neighborhood located in Cairo, Egypt, where there is now a statue of him.
He died in his hometown Cairo on May 4, 1991.
He is considered to be one of the greatest musicians in Arab history, laying the foundation for a new era of Egyptian music with his use of non-local rhythms and refined oud playing.
Moreover, Abdel Wahab composed more than 1,820 songs.
The iconic artist composed ten popular songs for Umm Kulthum, including “You Are My Life.” which was a hit during that time.
He also composed some of the best hits of Nagat El Saghira, including four poems by Nizar Qabbani. Abdel Wahab composed the United Arab Emirates’ national anthem as well as The Libyan anthem.
Despite that Abdel Wahab composed many songs and musical pieces of classical Arabic music, he always had his own western music flavour.
He has performed in many films including The White Rose (1933), Doumou’ el Hub (Love’s Tears) (1936), Yahya el Hub (Long Live Love) (1938), Yawm Sa’id (Happy Day) (1939), and Lastu mallakan (I’m No Angel) (1947).
