A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Z

Umm Kulthum

Birth:1904

Death:1975

The Grand Lady of Arab singing, the Nightingale of the Nile, was the greatest singer to have emerged from the Arab world. Titles and superlatives were invented for Um Kalsum ceaselessly during her life- time, and in death from Morocco to Iran. In Egypt, the country literally came to stop every Thursday evening when she broadcast a live show from Cairo theatre. It was said that President Nasser never made a speech on Thursday night because nobody would listen. Um Kalsum united the Arab people as nobody before or since. She sang long and increasingly melodramatic verses, some lasting 20 minutes, and drove audience to near-hysteria. She made the first record in 1925 with a local quartet. In 1926 she formed a small orchestra and was soon Cairo's most popular singer. Um Kalsum was born Fatma Al Zohra Ibrahim.

Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

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2024-01-06