Cheb Sahraoui (born Mohamed Sahraoui,

Tlemcen Tlemcen (; ar, تلمسان, translit=Tilimsān) is the second-largest city in northwestern Algeria after Oran, and capital of the Tlemcen Province. The city has developed leather, carpet, and textile industries, which it exports through the po ...

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, 1 April 1961) is an Algerian

raï Raï (, ; ar, راي, Latn, ar, rāʾy, ), sometimes written rai, is a form of Algerian folk music that dates back to the 1920s. Singers of Raï are called ''cheb'' (Arabic: شاب) (or ''shabab,'' i.e. young) as opposed to ''sheikh'' (Ara ...

musician, the first to tour North America and the first to incorporate electronic synthesizers into his arrangements.

Early life

As a pianist, he studied music at the conservatory of music in Oran, and launched his musical career by singing raï classics and Beatles tunes in the city's nightclubs. He released his first hit, "Ana Mahlali Noum", in 1978.

Career

In 1983, he married singer Fadela Zalmat, known as

Chaba Fadela Chaba Fadela (born Fadela Zalmat, 5 February 1962) is an Algerian raï musician and actress. Early life Raised in a poor neighborhood in Oran, Algeria and starred in the Algerian film ''Djalti'' at the age of 14. She launched her musical career ...

, and the pair began recording as a duo. Their first record together, "N'sel Fik", became an international hit, and was followed by further record successes and tours, including tours of the USA in 1990 and 1993. While in New York they recorded the album ''Walli'' with producer and multi-instrumentalist

Bill Laswell William Otis Laswell (born February 12, 1955) is an American bass guitarist, record producer, and record label owner. He has been involved in thousands of recordings with many collaborators from all over the world. His music draws from funk, ...

. They relocated from Algeria to France in 1994. In the late 1990s, Sahraoui and Fadela separated. Sahraoui's debut solo album, ''Un Homme Libre (A Free Man)'', was released in 2000.

Further information and main sources

* AMG entrybr> Further information
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sahraoui, Cheb 1961 births Living people Raï musicians People from Tlemcen 20th-century Algerian male singers 21st-century Algerian male singers