Mohammed Abdu

Who is Mohammed Abdu?

Mohammed Abdu is one of the most beloved and influential singers in the Arab world, widely honored with the title 'Fannan al-Arab' (Artist of the Arabs). Born on 12 June 1949 in the Jazan region of southwestern Saudi Arabia, he was orphaned as a small child after his father, a fisherman, died, and he grew up in Mecca, where his musical talent emerged early. He began his singing career at the start of the 1960s and went on to become a defining voice of modern Saudi and Gulf (Khaleeji) music over a span of more than six decades. He is credited with releasing well over one hundred albums and composing a large number of patriotic and classical Arabic songs, collaborating with leading Arab poets and composers. Musically he is admired for preserving traditional inherited songs while shaping a distinctly Gulf orchestral sound. Following the death of his mother in 1989 he withdrew from performing for several years before returning to the stage in 1997, and he remains a towering cultural icon across the Arabian Peninsula.

Sources: Wikipedia, entry on Mohammed Abdu (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammed_Abdu) · Saudipedia, entry on Mohammed Abdu (saudipedia.com)