The Dudaim () was an Israeli folk duo which was active between the years 1957–1993, consisting of vocalist and guitarist (born 1935). The name of the band ''Dudaim'' comes from the Hebrew word for the

mandrake A mandrake is the root of a plant, historically derived either from plants of the genus '' Mandragora'' found in the Mediterranean region, or from other species, such as ''Bryonia alba'', the English mandrake, which have similar properties. The ...

plant, which is native to the Mediterranean region.

History

Dudaim was formed in 1957 when Amdursky and Guriun met in a party in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

and started singing together. Their first album '' Erev Shel Shoshanim'' came out in 1957, and included the hit song in the same name. Another hit song from the same album was ''Tapuach Hineni'' (תפוח חינני) which was later recorded by

the Weavers The Weavers were an American folk music quartet based in the Greenwich Village area of New York City originally consisting of Lee Hays, Pete Seeger, Ronnie Gilbert, and Fred Hellerman. Founded in 1948, the group sang traditional folk songs fro ...

. In 1959, they toured Europe and the USA. They recorded several albums in France and the US, where they changed their name to Ben and Adam for promotional purposes. In 1965-6, they collaborated with

Arik Einstein Arieh Lieb "Arik" Einstein ( he, אָרִיק אַייְנְשְׁטֵייְן, ; 3 January 1939 – 26 November 2013) was an Israeli singer, actor, comedian and screenwriter. He was a pioneer of Israeli rock music and was named "the voice of Is ...

as the Yarkon Bridge Trio. In August The trio was invited to perform in an Israel-themed show at the

Paris Olympia The Olympia (; commonly known as L'Olympia or in the English-speaking world as Olympia Hall) is a concert venue in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France, located at 28 Boulevard des Capucines, equally distancing Madeleine church and Opéra G ...

, a performance which led to a two-album deal with French producer

Eddie Barclay Édouard Ruault (26 January 1921 – 13 May 2005), better known as Eddie Barclay, was a French music Record producer, producer whose singers included Jacques Brel, Dalida and Charles Aznavour. He founded record label Barclay (record label), ...

In September 1965 the trio released its second album, ''HaTochnit HaChadasha'' (The New Program;

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

: התכנית החדשה), following which the trio embarked on a tour in Europe. In January 1966 the trio voted best entertainment group for the

Kinor David Kinor David (lit: "David's Harp") is an annual Israeli cultural award. History The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth presented the Kinor David Award from 1964 to 1986 for outstanding achievement in entertainment, theatre, film, music, and broad ...

award. In the '70s the Dudaim started working as a duo again, performing in the Israeli Song Festival twice, and taking first prize in 1972, together with

Josie Katz Josie Katz (Hebrew: ג'וזי כץ; born August 14, 1940) is an Israeli singer, actress, dancer and painter who received the Bonei Zion Prize in 2021 for her contributions to arts and culture. Biography Katz was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylva ...

, performing the song "''Tov li Lashir''" (''טוב לי לשיר''). In 1971, they released the album ''HaOlam beShachor veLavan'' (העולם בשחור ולבן, "The World in Black and White"), produced and arranged by

Matti Caspi Matti Caspi ( he, מתי כספי) is an Israeli composer, musician, singer, arranger, and lyricist. Born in 1949, he is regarded as one of Israel's top popular musicians. His music's style is informed by classical music, Brazilian and Latin mu ...

. In 1973, they teamed up with the female duo Susan and Fran, who brought the folk style from Canada, and released ''Keset Be'anan'' ("Rainbow"), which contained British and American

folk songs Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has be ...

translated to Hebrew. Their 1979 album, ''הם רוכבים ושרים'' (They Ride and Sing) was once again arranged by Matti Caspi. In 1985 they released a joined album with

the Parvarim The Parvarim (Hebrew: הפרברים, ''haparvarim'', lit: "The Suburbs") is an Israeli band that was first formed in 1960. The band was originally founded by the duo Nissim Menachem (1938–2016) and Yossi Khoury. For a brief while they were joined ...

, and went on a successful national tour together. In 1988 they performed in a thirty-year anniversary event at the Hamam club in

Jaffa Jaffa, in Hebrew Yafo ( he, יָפוֹ, ) and in Arabic Yafa ( ar, يَافَا) and also called Japho or Joppa, the southern and oldest part of Tel Aviv-Yafo, is an ancient port city in Israel. Jaffa is known for its association with the b ...

, under the musical management of

Danny Robas Danny Robas ( he, דני רובס; born December 24, 1957) is an Israeli pop-rock singer and songwriter. Daniel (Danny) Robas was born in 1957 in Kibbutz Shoval, and grew up in Rehovot. He completed his military service in the artillery corps ...

. They again performed at the Hamam in 1989 with Spanish singer and musician Paco Ibanez, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

. Their last album, ''זה לא אותו הבית'' (It's Not the Same House), was released in 1990. It included songs by

Shalom Hanoch Shalom Hanoch ( he, שלום חנוך) (born September 1, 1946) is an Israeli rock singer, lyricist and composer. He is considered to be the father of Israeli rock and modern Israeli music in general, both of which have been profoundly influe ...

Danny Sanderson Danny Sanderson ( he, דני סנדרסון; born November 30, 1950) is an Israeli musician, singer-songwriter and guitarist. In 2005, Sanderson received a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to Israeli music. Biography Sanderson was ...

Boaz Sharabi Boaz Sharabi ( he, בעז שרעבי; born 28 May 1947) is an Israeli singer-songwriter, composer and lyricist, known for Israeli classics as ''Latet'', ''Halevai'', ''At Li Laila'', ''Pamela'', ''Lashir Itach'', ''Kol Od'', ''Mi Yada Shekach Yi ...

and Kobi Luria. Benny Amdursky died of cancer in 1994. At the end of 2009, Israel Gurion and Benny Amdursky's son,

Assaf Amdursky Assaf Amdursky ( he, אסף אמדורסקי; born January 30, 1971) is an Israeli singer, songwriter and music producer. Music career Amdursky began his career in Israel with the band "Taarovet Escot", which also included Amir "Jango" Rusianu ...

, toured with the songs of the Dudaim, and following the tour's success, they recorded the album ''שרים הדודאים'' (The Dudaim Sing) in 2013, which received an Israeli Gold Album Award.

References

{{authority control 1957 establishments in Israel Israeli folk music groups Musical groups established in 1957 Musical groups from Tel Aviv