Musical artist
Nazem al-Ghazali (Arabic: ناظم الغزالي, given name also spelled Nazim, Nadhim, Nadhem or Nathem; 1921 – 23 October 1963) was one of the most popular singers in the history of Iraq and his songs are still heard by many in the Arab world.
Biography
Nazem al-Ghazali was born in the Haydar-Khana locality in Baghdad, and studied at the Institute of Fine Arts in Iraq. He started his career as an actor, and after a few years turned to singing. He worked at the Iraqi Radio in 1948, and was member of the Andalusian Muashahat Ensemble. In that period, he worked with Jamil Bashir, and together they produced some distinguished works, such as Fog el-Nakhal and Marrou 'Alayya el-Hilween. He was also a student of Muhammad al-Qubanchi, one of the most prominent maqam singers of the last century. Nazem was renowned for his popular songs and he had also recorded some maqams. According to many, his refined mellow voice was the finest in the field. He was married to prominent Iraqi Jewish singer Salima Murad.
Band
Nazem Al-Ghazali's band consisted of many prominent musicians known to the Arab world. The flute player, in addition to the Qanun player, were blind. They are usually the two musicians most commonly seated directly behind Nazem during his concerts.
