Cheb Sahraoui (born Mohamed Sahraoui,

Tlemcen Tlemcen (; ar, تلمسان, translit=Tilimsān) is the second-largest city in northwestern Algeria after Oran, and capital of the Tlemcen Province. The city has developed leather, carpet, and textile industries, which it exports through the por ...

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

, 1 April 1961) is an Algerian

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 ...

musician, the first to tour North America and the first to incorporate electronic synthesizers into his arrangements.

Early life

As a pianist, he studied music at the conservatory of music 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 ...

, and launched his musical career by singing raï classics and Beatles tunes in the city's nightclubs. His first hit, "Ana Mahlali Noum", was released in 1978.

Career

In 1983 he married singer Fadela Zalmat, known as Chaba Fadela, and the pair began recording as a duo. Their first record together, "N'sel Fik", became an international hit, and was followed by further record successes and tours, including tours of the USA in 1990 and 1993. While in New York they recorded the album "Walli" with producer and multi-instrumentalist

Bill Laswell William Otis Laswell (born February 12, 1955) is an American bass guitarist, record producer, and record label owner. He has been involved in thousands of recordings with many collaborators from all over the world. His music draws from funk, w ...

. They relocated from Algeria to France in 1994. In the late 1990s, Sahraoui and Fadela separated. Sahraoui's debut solo album, Un Homme Libre (A Free Man), was released in 2000.

Further information and main sources

* AMG entrybr> Further information
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sahraoui, Cheb 1961 births Living people Raï musicians People from Tlemcen 20th-century Algerian male singers 21st-century Algerian male singers