Kobi Oz (, , born Ya'akov Uzan (, ) on 17 September 1969) is the lead singer of Israeli group

Teapacks Teapacks (also known as Tipex) () is an Israeli band that formed in 1988 as HaHotzaa La'Poal (Hebrew: , ''The Execution'') in the southern Israeli city of Sderot. Originally the band was named after the correction fluid Tipp-Ex, but in 1995 th ...

Biography

Yaakov Uzan was born on 17 September 1969 in

Sderot Sderot (, , ; , sometimes Romanized as "Sederot") is a western Negev city and former development town in the Southern District (Israel), Southern District of Israel. In , it had a population of . Sderot is located less than a mile from Gaza St ...

to Tunisian Jewish parents who moved to the British Mandate of Palestine in 1942 to escape the pro-Nazi

Vichy France Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the Battle of France, ...

regime. In 1985, Uzan adopted the stage name ''Kobi Oz'' and began playing music and composing. He started out playing keyboards for the band Sfatayim, which performed traditional

Moroccan music Moroccan music varies greatly between geographic regions and social groups. It is influenced by musical styles including Arabic music, Arab, Berber music, Berber, Andalusian classical music, Andalusi, History of the Mediterranean region, Mediterr ...

. In 1988, Oz released two solo singles, "Silonim" (Jets) and "Lispor kvasim" (Counting Sheep), which didn't get much traction. "Lispor kvasim" would be revisited in 1992 for Teapacks' debut album, ''Shvil klipot hagarinim''. Two years later, he formed

with guitarist Einav Cohen, bassist Gal Peremen and drummer Tamir Yemini. Despite many lineup changes, Oz and Peremen remain in the band to this day. Footage of Oz' time in Sfatayim was used in the music video to the Teapacks song "Avodat kapayim" (Manual Labour) in 2016. The song itself tells the story of Oz's involvement in Sfatayim. This is not the first time Oz has used footage from his teenage years in a music video: the song "Elohai" (God), released in 2010, used footage from Oz's

Bar Mitzvah A ''bar mitzvah'' () or ''bat mitzvah'' () is a coming of age ritual in Judaism. According to Halakha, Jewish law, before children reach a certain age, the parents are responsible for their child's actions. Once Jewish children reach that age ...

as a music video, as well as sampling an old recording of his grandfather singing. The song "Lo haya lano klum" (We Had Nothing) tells the story of the exodus of the Mizrahi Jews from their native countries, and the video features Oz' mother Rachel Uzan. Oz is the author of two books: ''Petty Hoodlum'' (2002) and ''Moshe Chuato and the Raven'' (1996). He organized a demonstration in 2007 to raise public awareness of the tragedy of his home town, which is constantly under missile attack from the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...

. About 40,000 people came to

Rabin Square Rabin Square (), formerly Kings of Israel Square (), is a main large public city square in the center of Tel Aviv, Israel. Over the years it has been the site of numerous political rallies, parades, and other public events. In 1995, the square ...

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

to show solidarity with the inhabitants of Sderot."Close Despite the Distance"
''Ynetnews''. Retrieved 25 February 2016. In 2010, Oz released his second solo album, ''Mizmorey Nevochim'' (''Psalms for the Perplexed'').

Discography

* ''Silonim'' (Jets), 1988 * ''Lispor kvasim'' (Counting Sheep), 1988 * ''D'ma'ot veYam'' (Ocean and Tears), 2004 * ''Mizmorey Nevochim'' (Psalms for the Perplexed), 2010 * ''Mizmorim Nosafim'' (Some More Psalms), 2011

Bibliography

* ''Moshe Chuvato ve ha-orev'' (1996) * ''Avaryan tzaatzua'' (2002)

References

External links

Teapacks
*Kobi Oz
Addicted to Pluralities
Kobi Oz, reveals a multi-faceted identity
Eretz Acheret
Magazine
Makom on Kobi Oz' Mizmorim Nevochim
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oz, Kobi 1969 births Living people 20th-century Israeli male singers Israeli keyboardists 21st-century Israeli male singers Israeli pop singers Israeli people of Tunisian-Jewish descent People from Sderot Jewish rock musicians Jewish singers