Achmad Albar
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Ahmad Syech Albar ( '), better known as Ahmad Albar (born 16 July 1946), is an Indonesian
rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...
ian and
vocalist Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...
of
Arab Arabs (,  , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...
descent. He is the founding member of
God Bless God Bless is an Indonesian rock band founded in Jakarta in 1973 by Ahmad Albar, Jockie Soerjoprajogo, Fuad Hassan, Donny Fattah, and Ludwig Lemans. It continues to be active and has received several awards from the Indonesian music industry. ...
.


Biography


Early life and career

Albar was born in
Surabaya Surabaya is the capital city of East Java Provinces of Indonesia, province and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. Located on the northeastern corner of Java island, on the Madura Strai ...
,
East Java East Java (, , ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost third of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean border its northern ...
on 16 July 1946 to Syech Albar and his wife Farida Alhasni. Both of his parents were of
Arab Arabs (,  , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...
descent. He was the couple's fourth child. In 1958 he played in the film ''Djenderal Kantjil'' (''General Kancil''). Albar moved to the Netherlands in 1965. In 1970 he sang "Don't Spoil My Day" and "Tell Me the World" with Clover Leaf, which charted. After his return to Indonesia, he founded
God Bless God Bless is an Indonesian rock band founded in Jakarta in 1973 by Ahmad Albar, Jockie Soerjoprajogo, Fuad Hassan, Donny Fattah, and Ludwig Lemans. It continues to be active and has received several awards from the Indonesian music industry. ...
with Jockie Soerjoprajogo, Fuad Hassan, Donny Fattah, and his friend from Clover Leaf, Ludwig Lemans; Albar was lead vocalist. The band's first performance was in
Taman Ismail Marzuki Ismail Marzuki Park Jakarta Arts Center (, TIM), is an arts, cultural, and science center located at Cikini in Jakarta, Indonesia. Taman Ismail Marzuki complex comprises several facilities including six performing arts theaters, cinemas, an exh ...
on 5 May 1973, and on 16 August 1973 they held the Summer 28 concert, the first (and, as of 2004, largest)
open-air concert A music festival is a community event with performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock, blues, folk, jazz, classical music), nationality, locality of musicians, or holi ...
in Indonesia. The band, with Albar, also played in the 1973 comedy ''Ambisi'' (''Ambition''), directed by Nya Abbas Akup.


God Bless

In 1975, Albar and God Bless opened for
Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical style has varied throughout their career. Originally for ...
at a concert in Jakarta. On 27 September 1975, Albar appeared on the cover of ''
Tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...
'', with a full feature on him inside; the coverage compared his costume to
Zorro Zorro ( or , Spanish for "fox") is a fictional character created in 1919 by American Pulp magazine, pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo de Los Ángeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed as a dashin ...
's and described him spinning the microphone over his head as if he were competing in a
hammer throw The hammer throw (HT for short) is one of the four throwing events in regular outdoor track-and-field competitions, along with the discus throw, shot put and Javelin throw, javelin. The hammer used in this sport is not like any of the tools a ...
event. Other magazines, such as ''Junior'', ''Aktuil'', and ''Top'', soon followed; ''Aktuil'' named him the best vocalist of 1976. In 1976, Albar and God Bless released their first album, ''Huma di atas Bukit'' (''House on the Hill''). The titular song was an adaptation of "Firth Of Fifth", from
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Religion * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of humankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Bo ...
' 1973 album ''
Selling England by the Pound ''Selling England by the Pound'' is the fifth studio album by the English progressive rock band Genesis, released on 28 September 1973, by Charisma Records. The album was recorded in August 1973 following the tour supporting their previous al ...
''. The same year Albar played in ''Laila Majenun'' (''Laila is Possessed''), directed by
Sjumandjaja Sjumandjaja ( Perfected Spelling: Syumanjaya; 5 August 1933 – 19 July 1985) was an Indonesian director, screenwriter, and actor. During his career he wrote numerous films, directed fourteen, acted in ten, and produced nine; he also won ...
; "Huma di atas Bukit" was used as its theme song.


Duo Kribo and other projects

The following year, Albar recorded "Neraka Jahanam" ("Blasted Hell"), a duet with Ucok Harahap released on an album of the same name; the two called themselves Duo Kribo, based on their frizzy hair. The titular song was based in the concept of
original sin Original sin () in Christian theology refers to the condition of sinfulness that all humans share, which is inherited from Adam and Eve due to the Fall of man, Fall, involving the loss of original righteousness and the distortion of the Image ...
. That same year he recorded "Jelaga" ("Soot"), a winner of
Prambors FM Prambors FM (formerly known as Prambors Rasisonia and 102,3 FMANIA) is a commercial contemporary hit radio based in Jakarta, Indonesia. Launched on March 18, 1971 in Jakarta, the purpose of station was to play pop music with their target audience ...
's Teenage Song Writing Competition. Duo Kribo released their second album, ''Pelacur Tua'' (''Old Prostitute)'', in 1978. Albar was then invited by
Guruh Soekarnoputra Mohammad Guruh Irianto Sukarnoputra (born 13 January 1953) is an Indonesian politician and artist, formerly a member of Indonesia's People's Representative Council. He is the youngest son of Indonesia's first president, Sukarno with his third wi ...
to perform the song "Anak Jalanan" ("Street Children") at Guruh's Swara Mahardhika concert; it ran from 6 to 7 January 1979. Later in 1979 he and Harahap released their third album, ''Panggung Sandiwara'' (''Theatre Stage''), featuring compositions by former God Bless member
Ian Antono Jusuf Antono Djojo or Ian Antono, born Jauw Hian Ling, (born 29 October 1950 in Malang, Indonesia) is an Indonesian guitarist and songwriter. He has collaborated with many other musicians, including Anggun, Iwan Fals, Nicky Astria, Doel Sumban ...
and lyrics by poet Taufiq Ismail. He also recorded a
dangdut Dangdut () is a genre of Indonesian folk music that is partly derived and fused from Hindustani, Arabic, and, to a lesser extent, Javanese, Malay, Minangkabau, Sundanese and local folk music. Dangdut is the most popular musical genre in Indon ...
album, ''Zakia'', that year; the album featured six compositions by Albar and three by other artists, including Antono and Titiek Puspa. Albar later appeared in the film ''Irama Cinta'' (''Rhythm of Love'') along with dangdut singer Elvy Sukaesih; the pair sang five songs together. Afterwards, in 1980, God Bless released their second album, ''Cermin'' (''Mirror''). With God Bless later going into limbo, Albar recorded two solo albums, ''Dunia Huru-Hara'' (''World of Commotion'') and ''Syair Kehidupan'' (''Poems of Life''); he also recorded an album with
Fariz RM Fariz Rustam Munaf (born 5 January 1959), better known as Fariz RM, is an Indonesian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist of mixed ethnic Minangkabau people, Minangkabau and Indo people, Dutch-Betawi descent. He is the uncle of Indonesian ...
, entitled ''Secita Cerita'' (''An Idea for a Story''). In 1983, Albar sang "Rahasia Semesta" ("Secret of the Universe") at the 11th National Pop Music Festival. In early 1990, Albar formed Gong 2000 with Yaya Muktio, Harry Anggoman, Donny Fattah, and Ian Antono. Their first concert, held in
Senayan Senayan is an administrative village (''kelurahan'' in Indonesian) at Kebayoran Baru subdistrict, South Jakarta, Indonesia. The post code is 12190. Boundaries The borders of Senayan are: * Semanggi Flyover in the north * General Sudirman Street ...
, Jakarta, on 26 October 1991, attracted 100,000 viewers. Together the group released four albums, ''Bara Timur'' (''Ember of the East''; 1991), ''Gong Live'' (1992), ''Laskar'' (''Screen''; 1993), and ''Prahara'' (''Tempest''; 2000). During the same period he was still active with God Bless, releasing ''Semut Hitam'' (''Black Ants''; 1988), ''Raksasa'' (''Monster''; 1989), and ''Apa Kabar?'' (''What's Up?''; 1997).


Focus on God Bless

In 2003, Albar and Jockie had a large fight which led to Jockie leaving the group. According to a 2011 interview with Jockie, Jockie and some fellow band members had been discussing Albar's drug habit when they decided to ask Albar to abandon drugs. When Jockie did so, Albar reportedly pulled a pistol on him. Guitarist
Ian Antono Jusuf Antono Djojo or Ian Antono, born Jauw Hian Ling, (born 29 October 1950 in Malang, Indonesia) is an Indonesian guitarist and songwriter. He has collaborated with many other musicians, including Anggun, Iwan Fals, Nicky Astria, Doel Sumban ...
confirmed that a pistol was involved, but he thought it could be a toy; he stated that the argument flared up when Jockie insulted Albar's family. On 7 February 2004, Albar and a group of Indonesian performers, including Glenn Fredly, Armand Maulana of Gigi, and Duta of
Sheila on 7 Sheila on 7 is an alternative rock band from Yogyakarta, Indonesia. They have changed their lineup several times since their formation on 6 May 1996. Their first lineup consisted of Akhdiyat Duta Modjo (also known as Duta, vocals), Saktia "Sakti" ...
, held a concert to commemorate the founding of the Malaysian rock band
Search Searching may refer to: Music * "Searchin', Searchin", a 1957 song originally performed by The Coasters * Searching (China Black song), "Searching" (China Black song), a 1991 song by China Black * Searchin' (CeCe Peniston song), "Searchin" (C ...
. At the end of the concert the singers sang "Rumah Kita" ("Our House"), from ''Semut Hitam''. In November 2007, Albar was arrested for possessing
ecstasy Ecstasy most often refers to: * Ecstasy (emotion), a trance or trance-like state in which a person transcends normal consciousness * Religious ecstasy, a state of consciousness, visions or absolute euphoria * Ecstasy (philosophy), to be or stand o ...
and hiding a drug dealer. Tried in June 2008, he was convicted and sentenced to eight months in prison. He was paroled in July for good behaviour and counting previous time served. In the middle of 2009, Albar and God Bless released ''36th''. Later, in October of that year, Albar participated in a tribute concert to
Chrisye Hajji Chrismansyah Rahadi (; born Christian Rahadi ; 16 September 1949 – 30 March 2007), better known by his stage name Chrisye (), was an Indonesian progressive pop singer and songwriter. In 2011, ''Rolling Stone Indonesia'' declared him the ...
, entitled "Chrisye: A Night to Remember". With God Bless, in mid-2010 he went on a national tour sponsored by PT Multi Bintang Indonesia Niaga. In June 2011, the band performed for
Hard Rock Cafe Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a chain of theme restaurant, theme bar-restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos, hotels and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll ...
Jakarta's 40th anniversary. The following month, from 22 to 24 July 2011, he and God Bless performed at the InterMusic Java Rockin' Land alongside
The Cranberries The Cranberries were an Irish rock music, rock band formed in Limerick in 1989. The band was composed of lead singer and guitarist Dolores O'Riordan, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan (Noel's brother), and drummer Fergal Lawler. O'Riord ...
and
Neon Trees Neon Trees are an American rock band founded in Provo, Utah. The band received nationwide exposure in late 2008 when they opened several North American tour dates for the band the Killers. Not long after, the band was signed by Mercury Records ...
.


Legacy

In a 2009 issue, ''Rolling Stone Indonesia'' ranked several songs which Albar sang or wrote as being among the 150 best Indonesian songs of all time. God Bless' song " Kehidupan" ("Life"), which he sang, was ranked 8th, while "Rumah Kita" ("Our Home") was ranked 22nd. Duo Kribo's song "Neraka Jahanam" was ranked 18th, while "Panggung Sandiwara" was ranked 21st. Gong 2000's song "Kepada Perang" ("To War") was ranked 114th.


Personal life

Albar married Rini S. Bono on 28 April 1978; she had previously acted with him in ''Laila Majenun'', with whom he has three children. They divorced on 30 September 1994. In May 2011 it was reported that he would be marrying Dewi, his girlfriend, while going on the
hajj Hajj (; ; also spelled Hadj, Haj or Haji) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for capable Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetim ...
. Albar is a maternal half-brother of dangdut singer
Camelia Malik Camelia Malik (born 22 April 1955) is an Indonesian actress and dangdut singer. She is also known as ''Diva Dangdut Jaipong''. Early life Malik was born on 22 April 1955 in Jakarta, Indonesia, as the daughter of Djamaluddin Malik and Farida A ...
and father of actor Fachri Albar. His sons Ozzy and Fachri Albar are also musicians, playing in the band Jibriel; his nephew Bagoes is also a member of the band.


References

;Footnotes ;Bibliography * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Albar, Ahmad Musicians from Surabaya God Bless members 1946 births Living people Indonesian rock musicians 20th-century Indonesian male singers Indonesian Muslims Indonesian people of Yemeni descent Indonesian people of Moroccan descent 21st-century Indonesian male singers