Ahmad Zahir

Ahmad Zahir (Pashto/Dari: ; 14 June 1946 – 14 June 1979) was an Afghan singer, songwriter and composer.

Dubbed the "Elvis of Afghanistan", he is widely considered the all-time greatest singer of Afghanistan.

The majority of his songs were sung in Dari, and he also sang many songs in Pashto, as well as a few in Russian, Urdu and English.

Ahmad Zahir was born on 14 June 1946 (Jauza 24, 1325 of the Jalali calendar) in Kabul, Afghanistan to an ethnic Pashtun family.

He was a speaker of the parliament and an influential figure in King Zahir Shah's era who helped write the 1964 Constitution of Afghanistan.

Zahir had an older sister, Zahira Zahir, who would later be known as the hairdresser of U.S. President Ronald Reagan and others.

Zahir attended Habibia High School in Kabul and formed "the amateur band of Habibia High School" including Omar Sultan on guitar, Farid Zaland on congas, and Akbar Nayab on piano.

Zahir played the accordion and sang.

They played locally during celebratory occasions like Nowruz, Eid ul-Fitr, and Afghan Independence Day.

Zahir gained considerable popularity in Kabul as a talented singer with a soulful voice.

His baritone chest voice and evocative singing gave him the title of "Bulbul-e- Habibya", "the Nightingale of Habibia".

He attended and graduated from Daru' l-Malimeen ("Teachers' College") in Kabul, and studied for two years in India to get a degree as an English instructor.

After his return from India, Zahir got a job as a journalist for The Kabul Times, but soon began work on his first album.

He worked closely with Afghan composers Nainawaz and Taranasaz.

His first recorded song, "Gar Kuni Yak Nizara", was his own composition, blending Indian raga with western pop rhythms.

Zahir worked with mentors such as Ismail Azami (saxophonist), Nangalai (trumpeter), Abdullah Etemadi (drummer), and other musicians including Salim Sarmast, Nainawaz, Taranasaz and Mashour Jamal.

He recorded over 22 albums in the 1970s.

His songs were noted for their mellifluous tone, poetic style, compelling depth, and passionate emotional evocation.

Zahir was on the scene of Afghan music for only 10 years at the most; yet, managed to record more than 30 albums.

This was and is unique in any music industry around the world.

All of these albums were successful and widely accepted (to this date) by everyone.

The musicians managed to complete these recordings almost 40 years ago with almost no technology of today's world, and all was done in live recordings.

His father, Abdul Zahir, was a royal court doctor who served as minister of health and Prime Minister of Afghanistan between 1971 and 1972.

Some sources date the song and the album "Lylee" on which it appeared to 1971, which would make Morgan's version a cover, and some (mostly based on a previous version of this article) date it to 1977, reversing the relationship.

A controversy regarding the relation between his song "Tanha Shodam Tanha" and Claude Morgan's song "El Bimbo" (1974) exists.

Because of his musical family background, Zahir helped to establish music as a more respected profession which in turn led to the founding of The Kabul Music School in 1974.

Following the Saur Revolution, Zahir criticized the leaders of the new communist regime in three songs in resistance to their oppression, modelling himself after one of his heroes, John Lennon, who used rock music for anti-war resistance in the west.

Of all the Afghan musicians, the person most closely associated with creating the distinct Afghan sound of music is Ahmad Zahir.

After the great Afghan singer Sarban, Zahir played the most vital role in the development of the Afghan musical style.

Highly educated, well-travelled, and an extraordinarily gifted musician, Zahir had an overwhelming passion for music and arts since his early childhood.

He learned to play various musical instruments including the harmonium, guitar, and accordion (his favourite instrument) by the time he was 16 years old.

His privileged and affluent background (his father, Abdul Zahir, was an ambassador, a minister, and later the Prime Minister of Afghanistan) gave him the opportunity to travel and become exposed to the burgeoning musical revolution of the 60s and 70s occurring in the United States, Europe, and India.

He was an avid listener of all genres of music and he incorporated elements of western (pop, rock, jazz), Indian, Middle Eastern (Arabic, Iranian), European (French and Italian belle chanson, Spanish Flamenco), and Afghan Folk in his songs.

Although the distinct Afghan sound (as opposed to the Indian classical, folkloric Afghan music, and western music) was created by the Persian singer Sarban in partnership with the legendary composer Salim Sarmast, Zahir was the one who popularized the sound and took it to the masses.

Sarban's songs such as Ahesta Bero, Khorsheede Man, Ay Sarban, Mushjke Taza Mebartad, Dar Daaman-e-Sahra, are considered the pearls of Afghan Persian music.

However, the sombre poetry, complex music & numerous other subtleties of these songs could be appreciated only by a minority of highly educated and erudite Afghans.

Born in Kabul, Zahir recorded at least 14 studio albums before his abrupt death on his 33rd birthday in 1979.

His music blended folk music, Persian literature, Indian classical music and Western pop and rock styles.

Among Afghans, he is considered an icon of Afghan music and is widely regarded as the single greatest musician of all time, posthumously reclaiming immortal fame due to his contributions and influence on music in Afghanistan.

He has also become an icon of peacetime pre-war Afghanistan.