Mahmoud Ahmed
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Mahmoud Ahmed ማሕሙድ አሕመድ | |
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![]() Mahmoud Ahmed performing in 2005 | |
Background information | |
Born | Addis Ababa,Ethiopia | 8 May 1941
Origin | Gurage,Ethiopia |
Genres | |
Instrument | Vocals |
Years active | 1970s–present |
Mahmoud Ahmed(Amharic:ማሕሙድ አሕመድ; born 8 May 1941)[1][2][3]is an Ethiopian singer.[4]He gained great popularity in Ethiopia in the 1970s and among the Ethiopian diaspora in the 1980s, before rising to international fame with African music fans in Europe and the Americas.
Biography
[edit]Born inAddis Ababa,Mercatodistrict,[5]Mahmoud was enthralled with the music he heard on Ethiopian radio from an early age. Having poorly learned in school, he worked as ashoeshinerbefore becoming ahandymanat the Arizona Club, which was the after hours hangout of EmperorHaile Selassie I'sImperial Bodyguard Band.[5][6]One night in 1962 when the band's singer didn't show up, Mahmoud asked to sing a few songs.[5]He soon became part of the band's regular lineup, where he remained until 1974.[1]
After cutting his first single with Venus Band "Nafqot New Yegodagn" and "Yasdestal" in 1971, Mahmoud continued to record with several bands for theAmhaandKaifarecord labels throughout the 1970s[citation needed].The overthrow of Emperor Selassie and the suspension of musical nightlife under the military government created shifts in the Ethiopian music industry—the Imperial Body Guard Band were no more, and Mahmoud continued to make hit records and cassettes with many musicians who remained in the country, including the Dahlak Band, and the Ibex Band. He also began to release solo cassettes, accompanying himself on thekrar,guitar ormandolin.[citation needed]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/Mahmoud_Ahmed_in_DC.jpg/220px-Mahmoud_Ahmed_in_DC.jpg)
By 1978, censorship laws prevented Mahmoud from releasing his music on vinyl and so he switched to releasing cassettes. In the 1980s, Mahmoud operated his own music store in Addis Ababa's Piazza district while continuing his singing career. With many Ethiopianrefugeesliving abroad, Mahmoud became one of the first modern Ethiopian music makers to perform in the United States on a 1980–1981 tour with the Walias Band, Getatchew Kassa, and Webeshet Fisseha. Mahmoud soon began releasing records with the Roha Band and became popular indiasporacommunities.[4]
In 1986, Mahmoud's music reached a larger western audience when the Belgian labelCrammed Discsreleased the collectionEre Mela Meladrawn from two Kaifa LPs Mahmoud had recorded in Addis with the Ibex Band a decade earlier, one being self-titled (ማሕሙድ፡ኣሕመድ).[4][7]Ethiopia was making headlines in the west because of political repression andfamine,and the contrasting tone of Mahmoud's first international release received much acclaim in the burgeoningworld musiccommunity. Mahmoud gained even greater international popularity in the late 1990s afterBuda Musiquelaunched theÉthiopiquesseries on compact disc. This led to new recordings and tours in Europe and the United States withBoston'sEither/Orchestraand Badume Band. Though he has made his home in Addis Ababa and works with a number of NGOs and philanthropic causes,[8]he continues to tour internationally, performing concerts both for world music fans as well as the Ethiopian diaspora.[4]
In 1996, Mahmoud releasedTizita,a 10 track CD and Cassette of his best works over the years. He later followed up with a Volume 2, which released about two years later. Both were done by a few members of the Roha Band but they were also joined alongside Abegazu Kibrework and Tilaye Gebre. WhileEre Mela Melamade him a household name, Mahmoud is generally known for hisTizita,a genre that reminisces the past with its slow and groovy style of music. The word Tizita translates as memories, which is comparable to the concept ofsaudadeprevalent inPortuguese fado.The song titles on his 1997 album Soul of Addis all speak to similar themes with the words love, lonely, longing and alone are all recurring refrains.
Though unknown to many people, Mahmoud is a visual artist who creates art in drawings and illustrations. He illustrates various themes with a pencil, depending on the mood of the period. He was once approached by the Alliance Ethio-Française in Addis Ababa to exhibit his works but he declined.[9]
In 2000, Mahmoud releasedHulum Yisma.The album bombarded fans with new melodies and lyrics that many haven’t seen from him in many years. While most songs were arranged by Dawit Yifru, a notable member of the Roha Band, Mahmoud was accompanied by the much newer and younger 3M Band, with notable members such as Elias Melka and Yenesew Tefera.
Members of the 3M Band would later collaborate with Mahmoud to recordYitbarekin 2003, a collection of traditional Ethiopian wedding songs mixed with some of Mahmoud’s older songs. The title track along withMusheraye and Hay Logaare notable traditional melodies featured in this album.
Although he hasn’t had new recording release in years, Mahmoud’s career had remained alive as he has recorded with other notable artists such as Tsehay Yohannes, Gossaye Tesfaye, Tommy T, and other big names.
In 2007, Mahmoud won a BBCWorld Music Award.[10]In 2015 he featured in an episode ofAnthony Bourdain'sParts Unknownin Ethiopia.[11]
Discography
[edit]- Almazwith Ibex Band (1973 LP; reissued on CD in 1999 asÉthiopiquesVolume 6by Buda Musique)
- Alemye(1974 LP, reissued on CD in 2005 asÉthiopiques Volume 19by Buda Musique)
- Ere Mela Mela(1975 LP, rereleased onCrammed Discsin 1986 with extra tracks, remixed, expanded and reissued on CD in 2000 asEtiopiques Volume 7by Buda Musique)
- Soul of Addis(1997, Earthworks/Stern's Africa)
- Slow Collections(1998, Sounds of Abyssinia)
- Live in Paris(1998, Long Distance)
- Yitbarek(2003, Yene Production, rereleased by Nahom Records in 2007)
- Tizita Vol. 1 (The Best of...)(2003, AIT Records)
- Tizita Vol. 2 (The Best of...)(2003, AIT Records)
- The Rough Guide to the Music of Ethiopia(2004,World Music Network)
- Ethiogroove: Mahmoud Ahmed &Either/Orchestra,with Tsedenia G. Markos (2007, EthioSonic DVD)
- Éthiopiques Live: Mahmoud Ahmed, Alemayehu Eshete & Badume's Band(2009, Innacor DVD)
- Éthiopiques 26: Mahmoud Ahmed & Imperial Bodyguard Band, 1972–1974(collects music from singles released on the Philips label)
- The Rough Guide to the Music of Ethiopia(2012,World Music Network)
References
[edit]- ^abCartwright, Garth (2007)."Awards for World Music 2007 – Mahmoud Ahmed".BBC Radio 3.RetrievedMay 8,2019.
- ^Observer, Ethiopia (May 8, 2018)."Ten things to know Mahmoud Ahmed on his 77th birthday".Ethiopia Observer.RetrievedJuly 19,2021.
- ^Mahmoud AhmedatAllMusic
- ^abcdEyre, Banning."Mahmoud Ahmed".National Geographic World Music.Afropop Worldwide.Archived fromthe originalon June 10, 2008.RetrievedFebruary 22,2013.
- ^abcFalceto, Francis(1999).Almaz 1973(Media notes).Éthiopiques.Mahmoud Ahmed. Buda Musique. 829792.
- ^Soul of Addis(Media notes). Mahmoud Ahmed. Earthworks/Stern's. 1997. STEW35CD.
{{cite AV media notes}}
:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^Prosaïc, Anaïs (1999).Ere Mela Mela 1975(Media notes).Éthiopiques.Mahmoud Ahmed.Buda Musique.pp. 15–16. 829802.
- ^"Mahamud Ahmed at a Benefit Concert to Build Ethiopian Church in San Diego at Tadias Magazine".
- ^Dwek, Joel (May 27, 2021)."ETHIOPIA: Soul Of Addis - Mahmoud Ahmed".200worldalbums.com.RetrievedOctober 11,2023.
- ^"BBC Awards for World Music: Mahmoud Ahmed".BBC.RetrievedNovember 13,2011.
- ^"Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown" Ethiopia (TV Episode 2015) - IMDb,retrievedOctober 11,2023
Further reading
[edit]- Jonathan Miran, "Mahmoud Ahmed," Dictionary of African Biography, Eds. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Emmanuel K. Akyeampong (New York: Oxford University Press, 2012), Volume 4, pp. 43–44.
External links
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Interview with Mahmoud Ahmed on Fly Global Music Cultureat theWayback Machine(archived December 23, 2005)
- Discography of Mahmoud Ahmedas provided byDiscogs