Amir Kertes ( he, אמיר קרטס; April 1964 - January 1, 2018) was an Israeli musician and singer.
Biography
Kertes is the lead singer and songwriter of the rock band
Ra'ash (רעש). Ra'ash released their debut album ''Noise Only Noise. N.'' (רעש רק רעש. ק.) in 1994 to critical acclaim. Kertes wrote and sang most of the songs on the album, although the songs that were written and sung by the second singer
Jonnie Shualy gained more popularity.
In 1995 Kertes and all of the members of Ra'ash participated in recording of Shualy's first solo album ''The Thousand and One'' (האלף ואחד).
In 1996 Ra'ash released their second album, "Tmimot" (תמימות) . All of the album was written and sung by Kertes. The group appeared on the TV and two songs received limited TV and radio play, but the sales were low. In the same year Kertes played in an album by the popular Israeli singer
Yael Levi, which Shualy produced.
At that time Kertes moved from Tel-Aviv to
Ezuz
Ezuz ( he, עֱזוּז) is a small community settlement in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Named for Nahal Ezuz, a dry riverbed, it is located to the south of Nitzana and falls under the jurisdiction of the Ramat HaNegev Regional Council. ...
, a small
moshav
A moshav ( he, מוֹשָׁב, plural ', lit. ''settlement, village'') is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists between 1904 an ...
in the
Negev
The Negev or Negeb (; he, הַנֶּגֶב, hanNegév; ar, ٱلنَّقَب, an-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its southe ...
desert.
In 1998 all members of Ra'ash played on the debut album of
Adi Ran
Adi Ran ( he, עדי רן; born 1961 in Ramat Gan) is an Israeli singer, musician, lyricist and composer who innovated a new music genre called Hasidic Underground (also known as ''Alternative Hasidic''). He is a Na Nach Breslover. He has bee ...
(עדי רן), a
baal teshuva
In Judaism, a ''ba'al teshuvah'' ( he, בעל תשובה; for a woman, , or ; plural, , , 'master of return God]') is a Jew who adopts some form of traditional religious observance after having previously followed a Jewish secularism, secular lif ...
. The album became popular mostly in the Jewish religious communities.
In 2000 Ra'ash released their last album as a band, ''Ani Ze Lo' Ata'' (אני זה לא אתה). Singing and songwriting on this record were roughly divided between Kertes and Shualy. The album received positive reviews, but the band went on an indefinite hiatus shortly after its release.
In 2001 Ra'ash played their last show as a band at a two-day festival of
Nana Disc
Nana, Nanna, Na Na or NANA may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Nana (given name), including a list of people and characters with the given name
* Nana (surname), including a list of people and characters with the surname
* Nana ( ...
artists.
In 2003 Kertes released his first solo album, ''Yellow Sea'' (ים צהוב).
Death
On January 1, 2018, Kertes died at the age of 53 from
lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...
. He was interred at
Yarkon Cemetery
Yarkon Cemetery ( he, בית העלמין ירקון) is the main cemetery for the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area of Israel. It is located within the Petah Tikva city limits, between the Yarkon River in the West, Highway 5 in the North, and the 491 r ...
.
External links
Former rocker finds a quieter studio - Jerusalem Post
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kertes, Amir
1964 births
2018 deaths
21st-century Israeli male singers
20th-century Israeli male singers
Israeli male composers
Deaths from lung cancer in Israel
Burials at Yarkon Cemetery