Abdel Aziz El Mubarak

Abdel Aziz was almost fated to become a performer: the child of a musical family who lived in an area noted for its music (Medani), he got an early start on the ladder of fame, as an angel-voiced school boy. He began singing for Sudanese radio in the early '70s and in 1975 enjoyed his first big hit with "Laih Ya Galbi Laih" (Why, My Heart, Why?). Abdel Aziz plays oud and sings, as do many Sudanese musicians, but he is anything but constricted by local sounds, happily blending traditional and Western musical forms. He toured England in 1987-1988 to great acclaim. ~ Leon Jackson