Abu Bakr Salem

Abu Bakr Salem Balfaqih (Arabic: ابو بكر سالم) was a Yemeni singer born on March 17, 1939 in Tarim,Hadhramout. He is also nicknamed Abu Aseel, The Father of Khaleeji Music (Arabic: ابو الغناء الخليجي)., and The one with the golden larynx (Arabic: صاحب الحنجرة الذهبية). Abu Bakr is famously known in the Arab world by his unique riveting voice. He is one of the few musicians in the Arab world who succeeded at being a singer, poet, and composer at the same time and thus, he is considered a complete artist. Before drawing his path in the music world, Abu Bakr worked as a teacher for three years, drawing on his training at a teachers’ institute in Yemen. Some of Abu Bakr's patriotic odes to Yemen celebrated the significant historical events such as the abolition of the monarchy in the north in 1962, the independence of the south in 1967, and the unification of both the South and North Yemen in 1990. In addition to the Yemeni nationality, Abu Bakr also held the Saudi nationality after he moved to Saudi Arabia in the 70's. During his musical career, he worked with other pioneers in the Khaleeji music field including Talal Maddah, Tariq Abdul-Hakim and Shadi Gulf. His last release was a duet with young Yemeni singer and winner of the “Khaleeji Star” (a singing competition on the television) Fouad Abdulwahed. Abu Bakr Salem died on December 10, 2017.

Personal life

Early life

Abu Bakr was born in Tarim, a historic town situated in the Hadhramout Valley south of Yemen. His family is from Ba 'Alawi sada. He lost his father at a young age and he was raised by his mother, grandfather, and uncles. His grandfather Abdel Rahman Balfaqih was a famous poet in Hadramout as well.

Family

Abu Bakr was married to two women both of Hadrami origin. His son Aseel Abu Bakr Salem followed his steps and he made a strong entrance to the world of Khaleeji music when he joined his father in the song “A Sun Between You and Me.” The song immediately became a hit and remained in the top of charts for a long time.

Professional career

Beginning in Yemen

Abu Bakr's “golden larynx” was first discovered while he was a teenager and he was asked to perform the call of prayer in multiple mosques in Tarim. When he became insightful about both poetry and Islamic studies, he started singing nasheeds (spiritual odes) locally. Abu Bakr's poetic talents were noticed first when he was 17 years old when he wrote his first poem “You are the most beautiful among all roses.” He started composing his folk songs when he moved from Tarim to Aden. At that time, Aden was living a cultural and musical boom as the city was home to rising artists such as the Yemeni poet Lutfi Jafar Iman, and the singers Ahmed Bin Ahmed Qasim and Muhammad Saad Abdullah. Inspired by the situation, Abu Bakr began singing at organized parties and events. Eventually he was given the opportunity to perform on Aden TV. In 1956, he made his big hit through a broadcast with his first song using his first poem “Ya Ward Mahla Jamalak.” Later in his career, Abu Bakr brought together all the poems that he turned into songs into one book that he called "A poet First, a Singer Afterwards." Inspired by the great amount of positive feedback that he received after his first appearance on TV and after his hit on the broadcast in Aden, Abu Bakr dedicated two years of hard work to focus on his music career. Within these two years, he regularly released songs including Lima Alqee Al Habib, Khaf Rabek and Ya habib, and Ya Kahef Al Rouh

Moving to Lebanon

In 1958, Abu Bakr left to Beirut with the aim of finding more opportunities as Beirut was known at that time for having a well established regional music hub through its plethora of performance venues, radio stations, and well-designed recording studios. Abu Bakr did reach his aim when he released a series of popular singles such as 24 Saa’a (24 hours). The song sold more than 1 million copies and became a hit in the Arab world in a relatively short time. It is still considered one of the classics of the Arabic music Tarab genre. Abu Bakr fled Beirut when the Lebanese civil war broke out in 1975

Settling in Saudi Arabia

After leaving Beirut, Abu Bakr settled in the capital city of Saudi Arabia: Riyadh. In Saudi Arabia, Abu Bakr established a close work relationship with the Yemeni poet Hussein Al’Mahdhaar. It was Hussein who would pen most of Abu Bakr's greatest songs and in return, it was Abu Bakr who would voice Hussein's greatest and most memorable compositions. Abu Bakr constantly held concerts across the Gulf countries during his musical career and he drew big crowds at each concert

Honors and Awards

• 1968 (Greece) - Abu Bakr Salem received the Golden Disk for his album Mata Ana Ashoufak (When Shall I See You).
• 1978 - He was ranked as the third best voice in the world in contest organized by UNESCO.
• 1985 - He sang at the Albert Hall in London and the concert was organized by the Government of the Sultanate of Oman and the Omani Sapcon Company for Arts and Literature 1/11/1985
• 1989 - He was awarded the first degree art medallion from the Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh .
• 1992 - He was granted an Appreciation and Excellence medallion from the Omani Ministry of National Herite.
• 1999 - He won a prize for best singing performance at Abha Touristic Festival in 1999.
• 1999 - He was granted another Appreciation medallion from the UAE song festival and an Appreciation certificate for his art accomplishments at the Gulf Song Festival.
• 2001 - He was honoured by king of Bahrain decoration of first class arts and literature
• 2002 - The Arab League honored him along with other Arab art pioneers.
• 2003 - He won the UNESCO Prize as the second best voice in the world and the cultural medal in 2003.
• 2003 - The University of Hadhramout awarded Abu Bakr an honorary doctorate degree.
• 2014 -He was honoured by Sultan Qaboos sultan of Oman decoration first class arts and literature

Best Hits

1. Ya Ward Mahlaa Jamalak (You are the most beautiful among all roses)
2. Ma Fe Ahad Mertah (No one is satisfied) duet with the Kuwaiti singer Abdallah Al Rowaished
3. Khair Al Kalam (The Best of Words) duet with the Emirati singer Hussain Al Jassmi
4. Sameh (Forgive) duet with the Saudi singer Rashed Al-Majed
5. Sirr Hobbi (The Secret of My Love)
6. Kama Al Reeshah (Like a Feather)
7. Bashil Hobak (I will Take your Love)
8. Ya Mesafer (O Traveler)

Illness and Death

Abu Bakr suffered from health problems for the last 10 years of his life. He had an open heart surgery and suffered a kidney failure when he was being treated in Munich, Germany. He was admitted in a clinic for several months afterwards. He also went at intermittent periods to King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. His last appearance was on the Saudi National Day celebration at the Red Sea city in Jeddah on September 2017. He was not able to continue singing, however, due to his long-term illness. He died three months later on December 10, 2017 at the age of 78 years.