Abdelhalim Hafez (عبد الحليم حافظ) - Fatet Ganbena - live - 1975

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Abdelhalim Hafez (عبد الحليم حافظ) - Fatet Ganbena - live - 1975

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was an immensely popular singer and actor in Egypt and the Arab world from the 1950s to the 1970s. He is widely considered to be one of the four 'greats' of Egyptian and Arabic music. Abdel Halim's music is still played on radio daily throughout the Arab world. His name is sometimes written as 'Abd el-Halim Hafez, and he was also sometimes known as el-Andaleeb el-Asmar (the Brown Nightingale), on account of his sweet voice.
He was born Abdel Halim Ali Ismail Shabana (arabic: عبد الحليم علي إسماعيل شبانه) in el-Hilwat, in e-Sharqiyah Governorate, 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of Cairo, Egypt.
At the age of 11 he joined the Arabic Music Institute in Cairo and became known for singing the songs of Mohammed Abdel Wahab.
After singing in clubs in Cairo, Abdel Halim was drafted as a last-minute substitute when singer Karem Mahmoud was unable to sing a scheduled live radio performance. Abdel Halim's performance was heard by Hafez Abdel el-Wahab, supervisor of musical programming for Egyptian national radio, who decided to support the then unknown singer. Abdel Halim took Hafez Abdel el-Wahab's first name as his stage-surname in recognition of his patronage.
Abdel Halim went on to become one of the most popular singers and actors of his generation, and is considered one of the four greats of Egyptian and Arabic music, along with Umm Kalthoum, Mohammed Abdel Wahab and Farid el-Atrache
At the age of 11 Abdel Halim contracted Bilharzia – a parasitic water-born disease – and was periodically and painfully afflicted by it. During his lifetime, many artists and commentators accused Abdel Halim of using his Bilharzia to gain sympathy from female fans. His death of the disease put to rest such accusations.
Abdel Halim died on March 30, 1977, a few months short of his 48th birthday, while undergoing treatment for Bilharzia in King's College Hospital, London. His funeral (in Cairo) was attended by thousands of people – more than any funeral in Egyptian history except those of President Nasser (1970) and Umm Kalthoum (1975). Four women committed suicide on hearing of his death.
His music can still be heard every day across the Arab world, and he is still considered one of the four 'greats' of Arabic music.
Abdel Halim Hafez's song Khosara enjoyed international fame in 1999 when the American rap superstar Jay-Z used it as the background for his hit ''Big Pimpin' ''.
His most famous songs include Ahwak (''I love you''), Khosara (''A pity''), Gana El Hawa (''Love, come to us''), Sawah (''Wanderer''), Zay el Hawa (''It feels like love''), and El Massih (''The Christ''), among the 260 songs that he recorded. His last, and perhaps most famous, song, Qariat el-Fingan (''The fortune-teller''), featured lyrics by Nizar Qabbani and music by Mohammed Al-Mougy. He starred in sixteen films, including ''Dalilah'', which was Egypt's first colored motion picture