Frogtoon Music

Allah Alaik by Ilham Al Madfai

Artist Biography For Ilham Al Madfai

Ilham Al Madfai Arabic إلهام المدفعي Is An Iraqi Guitarist Singer And Composer. His Musical Talent Began To Develop Seriously When He Was Twelve Years Old. He Started As And Still Is A Guitarist At Heart. His Musical Career Formally Started When He Formed His First Band The Twisters In The 1960s. They Were The First Band In Iraq And Probably The Arab World That Used Modern Instruments To Play Arabic Music Guitar Drums Bass & Piano . He Was The First To Modernise Traditional And Folk Arabic Songs Giving A New Wider Appeal And Freshness And Placing It Squarely In The Modern Era. Although The Twisters Created A New Wave In Arabic Music The Media Criticised Al Madfai Heavily For Being An Eccentric And For Modifying Long-Maintained Musical Traditions . His Family Enjoyed A High Social Profile Some Of Them In High Governmental Positions In The 1940s And 1950s They Were Not Against His Musical Style As Such But Were Against His Involvement In Music In General. A Few Years Later Al Madfai Left Baghdad For England In Order To Study Architecture. The Young Student Played With A Group And Performed At Al-Bayt Al-Baghdadi Cafe Baghdad In London He Attracted An Audience That Included Paul McCartney Donovan And Georgie Fame As Well As Many Jazz Musicians. On His Return To Baghdad In 1967 He Formed His Well-Known Band 13 ½. This Time He Introduced Spanish Guitar Rhythms From Andalusia To Iraqi Traditional Songs Appealing To A Newer Younger Audience. He Reached A Peak In Popularity In The 1970s Becoming Iraq’s Most Popular Musician. In 1979 Al Madfai Left Iraq Leaving His Wealth Popularity And His Music. He Travelled To Various Countries In Pursuit Of A A New Career But His Passion For Music Remained And Every Now And Then Gave A Concert Somewhere In The World. Recordings Of These Concerts Made Their Way To Baghdad To The Delight Of His Fans Keeping Them In Touch With His Newer Work. Then In 1990 He Returned To Baghdad And Decided To Restart His Musical Career. He Formed Firqat Ilham Ilham's Band Combining Western And East Styles Of Music. Most Of His Releases Are His Own Compositions Such As "Khuttar" "Chathab" "Maasaal" "Baghdad" And "Ana Blayak". He Has Also Set Lyrics By Famous Arab Poets Such As Nizar Qabbani Bedr Shakir Al-Sayab Ilyya Abu Maadhi Abul Qasim Al-Shabi And Abdel Wahab Al-Bayati.

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