Meir Banai ( he, מאיר בנאי‎; 5 July 1961 – 12 January 2017) was an Israeli musician, singer, and songwriter.

Biography

Meir Banai was born in

Beersheba Beersheba or Beer Sheva, officially Be'er-Sheva ( he, בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, ''Bəʾēr Ševaʿ'', ; ar, بئر السبع, Biʾr as-Sabʿ, Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven), is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. ...

in 1961, the son of Yitzhak Banai, to a traditional Jewish family which has produced various actors and singers, such as

Orna Banai Orna Banai ( he, אורנה בנאי; born November 25, 1966) is an Israeli actress, comedian, entertainer and past member of the Tel Aviv-Yafo city Council. Biography Banai was born in Beersheba and raised in Omer. Her father was a judge in B ...

, Eviatar Banai, Ehud Banai, Yuval Banai, and

Yossi Banai Yosef "Yossi" Banai ( he, יֹוסֶף "יֹוסִי" בַנָאי; April 13, 1932 – May 11, 2006) was an Israeli performer, singer, actor, and dramatist. Biography Banai was born in Jerusalem during the Mandate era, and grew up in the neighb ...

. In 1999, he and

Arkadi Duchin Arkadi Duchin ( he, ארקדי דוכין, russian: Аркадий Духин, Arkadiy Dukhin; born 1 June 1963) is an Israeli singer-songwriter and musical producer. Biography Arkadi Duchin was born in Babruysk, Belarus. He immigrated to Isra ...

collaborated on a very successful recording.

Tal Sondak Tal Sondak ( he, טל סונדק; born July 23, 1976) is an Israeli singer. His musical career started at the age of ten as a member of a boys choir. He received several first prizes at children's song festivals, most recently as a 15-year-old, ...

, who represented Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2001, says that Banai was one of his musical influences. In March 2004, Banai made his U.S. debut at Makor in New York City. ''Shma Koli'' (''"Hear My Voice"'') in 2007 was a CD packed with traditional Jewish texts and prayers. The arrangements are based on traditional tunes but have been given a modern infusion. The single, ''"Lech Elay"'' became a hit as soon as it was released. '' Haaretz'' wrote that Banai, in composing some of the songs on his "excellent 'Jewish' album", created an upswing in the melody at key points in songs, in which the speaker/narrator lifts up his eyes to the heavens and calls upon God. As of February 2008, ''Shma Koli'' had sold more than 15,000 copies, according to NMC figures). In February 2008, the Israeli lottery, Mifal HaPayis, announced that Banai was a winner of the ''Landau Award for Stage Arts'', an award for excellence in the Arts. After not appearing together on stage for a decade,

and Banai performed together in April 2009. He released ten albums.

Death

Banai died from esophageal cancer on 12 January 2017 in

Hemed Hemed ( he, חֶמֶד, lit=grace) is a religious moshav in central Israel. Located near Or Yehuda, it falls under the jurisdiction of Sdot Dan Regional Council. In it had a population of . History During the 18th and 19th centuries, the area ...

at the age of 56.

Discography

Albums

*''The First Album'' (1984) *''Rain'' (1987) *Impressions Live (1988) *''The Colors Change/Changing Colors'' (1990) *''Including/In Between'' (1992) *''The Wandering Tune'' (1996) *''Heart Cracked/Fractured Heart'' (2001) *''How Much Love'' (2002) *''Shma Koli'' (2007) *Collections

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Banai, Meir 1961 births 2017 deaths

Meir Meir ( he, מֵאִיר) is a Jewish male given name and an occasional surname. It means "one who shines". It is often Germanized as Maier, Mayer, Mayr, Meier, Meyer, Meijer, Italianized as Miagro, or Anglicized as Mayer, Meyer, or Myer.Alfre ...

Israeli Sephardi Jews 20th-century Israeli male singers Israeli pop singers Israeli male songwriters Jewish Israeli musicians Jewish singers Jewish songwriters Musicians from Beersheba Israeli people of Iranian-Jewish descent Deaths from cancer in Israel Deaths from esophageal cancer 21st-century Israeli male singers

Biography

Death

Discography

Albums

See also

References