Dahmane El Harrachi (real name Abderrahmane Amrani), (July 7, 1926 – August 31, 1980), was an Algerian Chaâbi singer of

Chaoui The Chaoui people or ''Shawyia'' (, ) are a Berbers, Berber ethnic group native to the Aurès region in northeastern Algeria. They call themselves ''Išawiyen''/''Icawiyen'' (pronounced ) and speak the Shawiya language. They are the second larg ...

origin. His song Ya Rayah made him one of the best exported and translated Chaabi artist. He moved to France in 1949 living in

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

, then

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

, before eventually settling in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. It was in Paris where he made a name for himself, playing in the numerous Algerian cafés there.

Personal

His father, originally from the

village of Djellal in the province of Khenchla, was the

muezzin The muezzin (; ), also spelled mu'azzin, is the person who proclaims the call to the daily prayer ( ṣalāt) five times a day ( Fajr prayer, Zuhr prayer, Asr prayer, Maghrib prayer and Isha prayer) at a mosque from the minaret. The muezzin ...

at the

Djamaa el Kebir Djamaa el Kebir (), also known as the Great Mosque of Algiers (), is a historic mosque in Algiers, Algeria. It is located within the Casbah of Algiers, Casbah (old city), near the city's harbor. Dating to 1097, it is one of the few remaining exam ...

mosque in Algiers. In 2009, his son Kamel El Harrachi issued a homage CD to his father, titled "Ghana Fenou".

Influence

El Harrachi's music brought a modern touch to châabi, incorporating themes like immigrant struggle and longing for one's homeland into his songs, of which he wrote over 500. He has served as an inspiration to a generation of Algerian raï artists, including

Rachid Taha Rachid Taha (, Latn, ar, Rashīd Ṭāhā, ; 18 September 1958 – 12 September 2018) was an Algerian people, Algerian singer and activist based in France described as "sonically adventurous". His music was influenced by many different styles in ...

Death

He died on August 31, 1980, in a car accident on the highway in

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

. He is buried at the

El Kettar Cemetery El Kettar Cemetery () is one of the most famous cemeteries in Algeria. It is situated in a suburb of the city of Algiers in the commune of Oued Koriche. It opened in 1838 replacing the cemetery of Sidi Abderrahmane destroyed in 1830. It was prev ...

References

External links

Dahmane El Harrachi Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrachi, Dahmane Algerian violinists 1926 births 1980 deaths Berber singers Chaoui people People from El Biar 20th-century Algerian male singers Road incident deaths in Algeria Berber-language singers of Algeria