Blaoui Houari ( ''Blawī al-Hwārī''; 23 January 1926 – 19 July 2017) was an Algerian singer-songwriter, composer and conductor. Over the course of his career, he recorded over 900 songs and released over 100 albums.

Early life

Blaoui Houari was born on 23 January 1926 in

Oran Oran ( ar, وَهران, Wahrān) is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural ...

, Western Algeria, then

French Algeria French Algeria (french: Alger to 1839, then afterwards; unofficially , ar, الجزائر المستعمرة), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of French colonisation of Algeria. French rule in the region began in 1830 with the ...

. His father, who owned a bar in Oran, played the

Kwitra The kwitra (also '' quwaytara'', ''kouitra'' and ''quitra''); Arabic الكوترة or عود أندلسي (literally Andalusian oud); is an Algerian stringed instrument, sometimes referred to as the Algerian lute. The instrument is tied to And ...

. Houari left school at 13 to work for his father.

Career

Houari began his career as a singer-songwriter in the 1940s, when he first played music at weddings and circumcision ceremonies. He also composed songs and played the piano, the guitar, the

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

and the accordion. He released his first album in 1955, which included a cover of Benyekhlef Boutaleb's song ''Rani M’hayer''. In 1986, he released ''Dikrayat Wahran'', an album about Oran. Over the course of his career, he recorded over 900 songs and released over 100 albums. With Ahmed Wahby, Houari co-founded El Asri, a musical style which blended traditional Arab music with

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu (; , singular ) are nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia. The Bedouin originated in the Syrian Desert and A ...

rhythm and Oranian dialect. For example, he turned

Abdelkader El-Khaldi Abd al-Qadir or Abdulkadir ( ar, عبد القادر) is a male Muslim given name. It is formed from the Arabic words ''Abd (Arabic), Abd'', ''al-'' and ''Kadir, Qadir''. The name means "servant of the powerful", ''Al-Qādir'' being one of the ...

's poems into songs. During the

Algerian War The Algerian War, also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence,( ar, الثورة الجزائرية '; '' ber, Tagrawla Tadzayrit''; french: Guerre d'Algérie or ') and sometimes in Algeria as the War of 1 November ...

, Houari was arrested by the French army and detained in

Sig Sig used as a name may refer to: * Sig (given name) *Sig, Algeria, a city on the banks of the Sig River *Sig Alert, an alert for traffic congestion in California, named after Loyd Sigmon *Sig River, a river of Algeria also known as Mekerra sig (l ...

for his pro-Algerian songs. When Algeria became an independent nation in 1962, he became the head of Oran's public radio and television stations. In 1970, he conducted the Algerian National Orchestra at

Expo '70 The or Expo 70 was a world's fair held in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, Japan between March 15 and September 13, 1970. Its theme was "Progress and Harmony for Mankind." In Japanese, Expo '70 is often referred to as . It was the first world's fair ...

in Osaka, Japan.

Death and legacy

Houari died on 19 July 2017 in Oran, at the age of 91. He was buried in Oran's Ain El Beida cemetery. Houari is considered as the "precursor of

raï Raï (, ; ar, راي, Latn, ar, rāʾy, ), sometimes written rai, is a form of Algerian traditional music, folk music that dates back to the 1920s. Singers of Raï are called ''cheb'' (Arabic: شاب) (or ''shabab,'' i.e. young) as opposed ...

music." Indeed, his music influenced many raï performers, including Khaled, who covered some of his songs, as well as

Houari Benchenet Houari Benchenet (Arabic: هواري بنشنات), born in Oran on May 25, 1961, is an Algerian raï singer. Biography A native of El Hamri, in Oran. Benchenet is a member of a large family that has no resources other than song. In 1975 h ...

and Cheb Mami.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Houari, Blaoui 1926 births 2017 deaths Musicians from Oran Male singer-songwriters 20th-century Algerian male singers Algerian composers 20th-century composers 21st-century Algerian people