Meir Banai (‎; 5 July 1960 – 12 January 2017) was an Israeli musician, singer, and songwriter.

Biography

Meir Banai was born in

Beersheba Beersheba ( / ; ), officially Be'er-Sheva, is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the centre of the fourth-most populous metropolitan area in Israel, the eighth-most p ...

in 1960, the son of Yitzhak Banai, to a traditional Jewish

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

which has produced various actors and singers, such as Orna Banai, Eviatar Banai,

Ehud Banai Ehud Banai (; born March 31, 1953) is an Israeli musician, songwriter, author, and a member of the prominent Banai family in Israel. Early life Ehud Banai was born in Jerusalem. His father was the actor Yaakov Banai, one of the Banai siblings. ...

, Yuval Banai, and Yossi Banai. In 1999, he and Arkadi Duchin collaborated on a very successful recording. Tal Sondak, who represented Israel at the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...

in 2001, says that Banai was one of his musical influences. In March 2004, Banai made his U.S. debut at Makor in New York City. ''Shma Koli'' (''"Hear My Voice"'') in 2007 was a CD packed with traditional Jewish texts and prayers. The arrangements are based on traditional tunes but have been given a modern infusion. The single, ''"Lech Elay"'' became a hit as soon as it was released. ''

Haaretz ''Haaretz'' (; originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , , ) is an List of newspapers in Israel, Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel. The paper is published in Hebrew lan ...

'' wrote that Banai, in composing some of the songs on his "excellent 'Jewish' album", created an upswing in the melody at key points in songs, in which the speaker/narrator lifts up his eyes to the heavens and calls upon God. As of February 2008, ''Shma Koli'' had sold more than 15,000 copies, according to NMC figures). In February 2008, the Israeli lottery, Mifal HaPayis, announced that Banai was a winner of the ''Landau Award for Stage Arts'', an award for excellence in the Arts. After not appearing together on stage for a decade, Arkadi Duchin and Banai performed together in April 2009. He released ten albums.

Death

Banai died from

esophageal cancer Esophageal cancer (American English) or oesophageal cancer (British English) is cancer arising from the esophagus—the food pipe that runs between the throat and the stomach. Symptoms often include dysphagia, difficulty in swallowing and weigh ...

on 12 January 2017 in Hemed at the age of 56.

Discography

Albums

*''The First Album'' (1984) *''Rain'' (1987) *Impressions Live (1988) *''The Colors Change/Changing Colors'' (1990) *''Including/In Between'' (1992) *''The Wandering Tune'' (1996) *''Heart Cracked/Fractured Heart'' (2001) *''How Much Love'' (2002) *''Shma Koli'' (2007) *Collections

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Banai, Meir 1961 births 2017 deaths

Meir Meir () is a Jewish male given name and an occasional surname. It means "one who shines". It is often Germanized as Maier, Mayer, Mayr, Meier, Meyer, Meijer, Italianized as Miagro, or Anglicized as Mayer, Meyer, or Myer. Alfred J. Kolatch, ''T ...