Avraham Fried

Avraham Shabsi Hakohen Friedman ( he, אברהם שבתי הכהן פרידמן, born March 22, 1959) better known by his stage name, Avraham Fried, is a popular musical entertainer in the Orthodox Jewish community.

Career

Fried was encouraged towards a music career by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the rebbe of Lubavitch, Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum, Mordechai Ben David and producer Sheya Mendlowitz. Fried began his career with the release of his first album ''No Jew Will Be Left Behind'' in 1981. The title song was composed by Yossi Green and the song "''Kel Hahodaos''" was written by Rabbi Baruch Chait of Kol Salonika & The Rabbis' Sons. Music by the Zimriah Orchestra, arranged by Marty Lewinter. Fried went on to collaborate with Sheya Mendlowitz and Yossi Green on eight albums. Green is credited with some of Fried's biggest hits, including "''Aderaba''", "''Tanya''", and "''Didoh Bei''". Fried also collaborated most notably with arranger Moshe Laufer over the years, but worked with a number of other arrangers including Marty Lewinter, Yisroel Lamm (the Neginah Orchestra), Suki Berry, Mona Rosenblum, Hershel Lebovits, Yaron Gershovsky, and others.

Avremel, as many of his friends call him had appeared as a guest soloist on the Amudai Shaish Orchestra's ''Kol Sason V'kol Simcha - Wedding Album'' in 1981. During that same year he appeared as special guest star on ''Suki With a Touch of Ding II - Wedding Album''. He also appeared as an adult soloist on the Amudai Shaish Boys Choir's third album (their second double album), in 1982. He also sang on a number of all-star cast albums produced by Suki & Ding.

In summer 2009, Fried made a concert tour in Israel where he introduced Israeli singer and composer Chanan Yovel and featured the songs "''Rak T'filla''" ("") and "''U'Nesane Tokef''" ("").

Musical style

His music is mostly categorized as pop Jewish music, similar to Mordechai Ben David and tends to integrate many styles of popular music, including pop, rock and jazz, with Jewish lyrics and themes. He also has a few "cantor" style songs on most of his albums, as well as many songs written in Yiddish.

Family background

Fried's grandfather, Rabbi Meir Yisroel Isser Friedman, was the Rav of Krenitz, a renowned halakhist and Sanzer Hasid. After World War II he resided in Borough Park, Brooklyn. His father, Yaakov Moshe Friedman, OBM, was a Hasid of the Rebbe of Bluzhov, and worked as an administrator at the United Lubavitcher Yeshiva in Crown Heights for 40 years.

Fried is the youngest of eight children of the Friedman family. He has five brothers and two sisters. Fried and his siblings were all educated in Lubavitcher institutions, becoming Lubavitcher Hasidim. His brothers are all involved in Chabad outreach; his brother, Rabbi Manis Friedman, is an author, lecturer and ''shaliach'' (emissary) in St. Paul, Minnesota. Benzion and Eliyahu are ''shlichim'' in Overland Park, Kansas, and Safed, Israel, respectively. Yossi works at the Kehot Publication Society and Shlomo at Lubavitch Youth Organization. Two sisters, Feige Green in Florida and Ita Marcus in California, are also engaged in outreach.

His nephews include Jewish singers Benny Friedman (son of Manis), Eli Marcus & Shmuel and Bentzi Marcus (sons of Ita) of 8th Day, and Simche Friedman (son of Eliyahu).Besser, Yisroel. "On the Wings of a Song". ''Mishpacha'', March 20, 2013, pp. 84-101.

Fried and his wife have six children and they live in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. He is a Kohen.

Charity appearances

Fried has appeared several times in the annual A Time for Music HASC concert to benefit HASC (Hebrew Academy for Special Children), an organization that provides Jewish children with disabilities the chance to live a normal lifestyle. He most recently appeared in the 31st HASC concert, which took place at the David Geffen Hall in the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in Manhattan on January 7, 2018. Avraham was the headline performer along with Mordechai Ben David and others at the Ohel rganizationconcerts in Madison Square Garden during the late 1990's.

Discography

*''No Jew Will Be Left Behind'' (1981)
*''The Time is Now'' (1982)
*''Forever One'' (1983)
*''Melaveh Malka with Avraham Fried'' (1984)
*''Goodbye Golus'' (1985)
*''Around the Year Volume 2'' (1986)
*''The Good Old Days'' (1986)
*''We Are Ready'' (1988)
*''Around the Year Volume 3'' (1989)
*''Aderaba'' (1991)
*''Yiddish Gems Volume 1'' (1992)
*''Shtar Hatnoim'' (1993)
*''Yiddish Gems Volume 2'' (1994)
*''Brocha V'Hatzlocha'' (1995)
*''Im Eshkachech Yerushalayim'' (2 CD's) (1996)
*''Hupp Cossack!'' (1996)
*''Hebrew Gems Volume 1'' (1997)
*''Hebrew Gems Volume 2'' (1997)
*''All the Best'' (compilation of songs on ''Suki & Ding'' Albums) (1997)
*''Chazak'' (1997)
*''The Baal Shem Tov's Song'' (1998)
*''My Fellow Jew - Yochid V'rabim'' (2001)
*''Avraham Fried Live!'' (2 CD's) (2001)
*''Avinu Malkeinu'' (2003)
*''Bein Kach U'vein Kach'' (2006)
*''My Father's Zemiros - The Zemiros of R' Yaakov Moshe Friedman'' (2008)
*''Yankel Yankel'' (2009)
*''30 Hits, One Collection'' (compilation album) (3 CD's) (2009)
*''Live In Israel'' (2 CD's) (2009)
*''Keep Climbing'' (2012)
*''Ah Mechayeh!'' (2013)
*''Bring the House Down'' (2016)
*''Kama Tov Shenifgashnu - The Israeli Album'' (2017)
*''Project Relax with Avraham Fried'' (2020)
*''Project Relax with Avraham Fried 2'' (2022)

Other solos and singles

*1971: ''Eliyohu Hanovee'' & ''V'hu Rachum'' (child solos) art of ''Eli Lipsker'' albums*1971:''V'nikeisi'' (child solo) art of ''S'dei Chemed International Vol. 1''(also heard on ''Goodbye Golus'')
*1972: ''Hakshiva'' (child solo) art of ''Pirchei sings Al Chomosayich''*1976: ''V'hi Sheamdah'' (solo) art of ''Nichoach'' vol. 8*1980: ''A Moment of Meditation'' (''Arukah M'eretz Midah'') & ''Gam Ki Eileich'' (singles) art of ''Amudai Shaish Wedding Album''(first promo for the Jewish music scene)
*1981: ''V'hu K'chasan'' & ''Asher Bara''/''Chaim Shetehei Banu'' (singles) art of ''Suki with a Touch of Ding 2''; re-released as ''The Greatest Wedding Collection 2''*1981: ''Hodu Lahashem'' & ''Bo'ee V'shalom'' (solos) art of ''Kol Naim Choir Sings the Best of Chaim Banet''(as Avraham Friedman)
*1982: ''Shuvi Nafshi'', ''Habot'chim'', ''Pikudei'' & ''Mi Ho'ish'' (solos) art of ''Amudai Shaish Boys Choir Volume 3''*1983: ''Al Kein Tzion'' (single) art of ''Yerushalayim All-Star Cast''*1985: ''His'halelu'', ''Stoliner Niggun'', & ''Hashem's the World'' (singles) art of ''Torah All-Star Cast''*1984: ''Pikudei Hashem'' & ''Ki L'cha Tov'' (singles) art of ''Simcha All-Star Cast''*1986: lbum''Zelig Lider sings Sholom Aleichem'' (background vocals)
*1987: ''Kol Rina'' & ''Keili Atah'' (singles) art of ''Hallel All-Star Cast''*1987: ''Prok Yas Anach'' & ''Racheim B'chasdecha'' (solos) MBD_and_Friends''.html" ;"title="Mordechai_Ben_David.html" ;"title="art of ''Mordechai Ben David">MBD and Friends''">Mordechai_Ben_David.html" ;"title="art of ''Mordechai Ben David">MBD and Friends''*1986: ''You're Never Alone, Yiboneh,'' & ''Hisoriri'' (solos) [part of ''Holyland's Greatest Hits'', re-released as ''You're Never Alone'']
*2002: ''Aleh Katan Sheli'' (single)
*2003: ''Moriah'' (single) [part of ''Mona 4'']
*2005: ''Ani Choshev Aleichem'' (single)
*2007: ''Galei'' (single) [part of ''Afikoman (Oorah)'']
*2008: ''Ma Oshiv'' (single) art of ''Harei Yehudah''*2008: ''Ge'ulah Sheleimah'' (single) art of ''Kosher L'Pesach Bagels (Oorah)''*2008: ''Hesech Hada'as'' (solo) art of ''The 8th Note''*2009: ''Rak T'filla'' (single)
*2009: ''Haazinu'' (solo/single)
*2009: ''The Song of Miracles'' (single)
*2010: ''Ki Hirbeisa'' (single)
*2010: ''Kinor'' (single) art of ''Shmorg 2 (Oorah)''*2010: ''Bar Yochai'' (single) art of ''Kdai R' Shimon Bar Yochai - Teem Productions''*2010: ''Hu Yivneh Bayis'' (single) art of ''Hamenagnim, Fried and Friends''*2011: ''Kama Tov Shenifgashnu'' (single)
*2014: ''Racheim'' (single) art of ''Shir''*2014: ''Oid Oid Oid'' (single) art of ''The 2nd Dance 2''*2015: ''Boruch Haba'' (single) art of ''6 All New Songs''*2015: ''Ptach Libcha'' (solo/single)
*2015: ''Greit Zich'' (single)
*2016: ''Riboin Ho'olomim'' (single)
*2016: ''V'zakeinu'' (single) art of ''Shabbat HaMalka 3''*2016: ''Ata V'chartonu'' & ''Kad Yasvun'' (singles) art of ''Shir 2''*2016: ''Shuva Hashem'' (single) art of ''Tzamah 3''*2017: ''Maher'' (single)
*2017: ''Al Hasela'' (single) art of ''Tzamah 4''*2017: ''The Beinoni, Arba Bavos'' & ''Nyeh Zhuritze'' (singles) art of ''The Nigunim''*2018: ''Pikudei Hashem'' (single)
*2018: ''Mizmor L'soda'' (single) art of ''Matana Tova''*2019: ''Aba'' (single)

References

External links

*
Avraham Fried Facebook PageListen to 4 complete albums for free

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fried, Avraham
American Hasidim
category: Israeli Hasidim
Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidim
American male singer-songwriters
Israeli male singer-songwriters
Jewish American musicians
Israeli musicians
Jewish American songwriters
Israeli songwriters
Hasidic entertainers
Yiddish-language singers
Living people
1959 births
Hasidic singers
Orthodox pop musicians