Saudi Arabia to honour late legendary musician Talal Maddah
Saudi Arabia will honour the late legendary musician and composer Talal Maddah in a majestic night as part of Riyadh Season 2022 with the participation of tens of artists from the Middle East.
Turki Al-Sheikh, chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA), announced early Sunday that he will meet the sons of Talal Maddah to reach an agreement regarding the copyrights of their father’s work.
He also called on all Arab artists to join the big night to honour Talal Maddah. Shortly after his invitation, artists from across the Middle East started confirming their participation.
Till Sunday, over 31 popular Arab artists have announced their attendance, including Mohammed Abdo, Rashed Almajed, Abdulmajeed Abdullah, Asala, Ahlam and more. The date of the concert has not been confirmed yet.
Following a career that spanned almost 50 years, Maddah was known as the “golden throat” and had composed more than a thousand songs. He died of a heart attack during a live TV performance on Aug. 11, 2000, a few days after his 60th birthday.
Maddah left an indelible mark on the Arabic culture and music of the 20th century. He was known for playing the Oud, a stringed musical instrument popular in the Middle East and North Africa.
Due to his talent for playing the Oud, Egyptian musician Mohammed Abdel Wahab gave him the title “Ziryab.” Ziryab was the chief entertainer in the Court of Cordoba and a great musician of his time who played a key role in developing medieval Eastern music.
He worked on more than 80 albums and composed the songs of top Arab singers, including Mohammed Abdo, Warda Algerian, Faiza Ahmed, Samira Said, Raja Belmalih, Abadi Al-Jawhar, and Etab.
