Abdelhalim Hafez

Born Abdel Halim Ali Shabanah in El-Halawat in El Sharqia, 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Cairo, he was the fourth child of Ali Ismail Shabanah. He had two brothers, Ismail and Mohamed, and one sister, Alyah. His mother died from labor complications three days after giving birth to him – something that made people around him believe that he brought bad luck. His father died as well a few months later, leaving him and his siblings orphaned at a young age. He lived in a poor orphanage for a number of years. He was later raised by his aunt and uncle in Cairo. During these years Abdel Halim was extremely poor.

Abdel Halim's musical abilities first became apparent while he was in primary school and his older brother Ismail Shabanah was his first music teacher. At the age of 14 he joined the Arabic Music Institute in Cairo and became known for singing the songs of Mohammed Abdel Wahab. He dropped out from the Higher Theatrical Music Institute as an oboe player.

In the very beginning, Abdel Halim worked as a teacher of music at schools in Tanta and El-Mahalla El-Kubra. While singing in clubs in Cairo, Abdel Halim was drafted as a last-minute substitute when the singer Karem Mahmoud was unable to sing a scheduled live radio performance in 1953.

Abdel Halim's performance was heard by Hafez Abdel Wahab, the supervisor of musical programming for Egyptian national radio. Abdel Halim took 'Hafez', Abdel Wahab's first name, as his stage-surname in recognition of his patronage.

In the early days of his career, Abdel Halim was rejected for his new style of singing. However he persisted and was able to gain accolades later on. Eventually, he became a singer enjoyed by all generations. In collaboration with composer Mohammed Abdel Wahab, Abdel Halim went on to produce many popular love songs such as Ahwak ("I adore you"), Nebtedi Minen el Hekaya ("Where should we start the story"), and Fatet Ganbena( "She passed by us"). Hafez also worked with Egyptian poet Mohamed Hamza on songs including Zay el Hawa ("It feels like love"), Sawah ("Wanderer"), Hawel Teftekerni ("Try to remember me"), Aye Damiet Hozn ("Any tear of sadness"), and Maw'ood ("Destined").

During his career, he was very popular and always performed in sold-out arenas and stadiums. Despite his popularity, he rarely released a studio album since he worked purely as a live singer. He also played many different instruments, including the oboe, drums, piano, oud, clarinet and guitar. He was involved in all aspects of the composition of his songs. Halim introduced many new instruments to the Arab world. He was known for his deep passion in his songs and his unique voice.

Halim performed in almost every country in the Arab world as well as outside the Arab world, including several concerts in Europe. Moreover, he sang uplifting patriotic songs for not only his native Egypt whom he dedicated the supermajority of his patriotic songs, but also there are some few songs dedicated to other countries in the Arab world such as Lebanon, Syria, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco during their revolutions and wars. He used to encourage and help many young artists and actors to pursue successful careers. His entire catalogue was acquired by the Mazzika group in the early 2010s after the sale and break-up of EMI.

At the age of 11, Abdel Halim contracted schistosomiasis—a common parasitic waterborne disease those days—and was afflicted by it for most of his career. Despite this, he remained positive and continued composing and performing his songs.

Although Abdel Halim never married, it was rumoured that he was secretly married to actress Soad Hosni for six years. This has never been proven to date. People who were close to both singers denied this rumor.

In 1969, Halim built a hospital in Egypt. He treated the poor, the rich, and presidents equally in the Arab World.

Abdel Halim established strong friendships with many contemporary presidents and kings of the Eastern world, including Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt, and King Hassan II of Morocco. He also had very close friendships with most Egyptian poets.