Issam Rajji (born 1945, Kfarshima

Kfarshima

Kfarshima is a town in the Baabda District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate, southeast of Beirut. Kfarshima is the birthplace of the composer and musician, Philemon Wehbi and the singers Melhem Barakat and Majida El Roumi. Also the Birthplace of the Philosopher Shibli Shmayyel...

, Lebanon

Lebanon

Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...

) was a Lebanese singer and song writer most prominent from 1970s and 80s period.

Best known for his songs Lagetek (When I Met You...), and “Yawmain wa Shahrain” (Two Days and Two Months), Rajji’s special deep vocals also earned him roles in Lebanon’s top musicals and plays in the 1970s and 1980s with the Rahbani brothers, Sabah, Shoushou and Nabih Aboulhosn.

Raised in the Mount Lebanon

Mount Lebanon

Mount Lebanon , as a geographic designation, is a Lebanese mountain range, averaging above 2,200 meters in height and receiving a substantial amount of precipitation, including snow, which averages around four meters deep. It extends across the whole country along about , parallel to the...

 village of Kfarshima, Rajji shot to stardom with “Hizzi ya Nawaem” (Nawaem Shake your Waist), which was written by Farid al-Atrash

Farid al-Atrash

Farid al-Atrash, or in French spelling Farid El-Atrache, was a Syrian-Egyptian composer, singer, virtuoso oud player, and actor. Having immigrated to Egypt in childhood, Farid embarked on a highly successful career spanning more than four decades — recording 500 songs and starring in 31 movies...

 and became an instant hit in the Arab world. He also successfully revived the classic song “ya Salat Zein” (Oh,Beautiful Prayer).

Rajji was also an accomplished composer, and besides writing a great deal of his own music, he also wrote for
Sabah (singer)

Sabah (singer)

Sabah , Wadi Chahrour, Lebanon is a Lebanese singer and actress.She has released over 50 albums and has acted in 98 movies, as well as 20 stage plays...

• “Laylitna Saidi” (Happy is our Night)
• “ya Nas Dinyi Doulab” (Oh People, Life is like a Wheel) -

Samir Yazbek

• “al-Oyoun Assoud” (Black Eyes)
• “Dakhlak Berdan” (I Feel Cold).

He worked with a majority of the Arab world’s top music composers such as Philemon Wehbeh and Melhem Barakat

Melhem Barakat

Melhem Barakat , also known as Melhim Barakat, is a Lebanese singer and song-writer. He is nicknamed by his fans as Abou Majd. Melhem Barakat started his career back in the 1960s, Barakat has arguebly established a genre of his own in both the way he sings and composes, which makes him one of the...

. One of his latest collaborations was with choreographer Caracalla for the musical “Belaylet Amar” (Moon Nights), which was performed at the Casino Du Liban and Baalbeck.

According to thisiscyberia.com, when once asked about how he felt about dying, Rajji replied, “I hate death because it would separate me from the people I love.”

Rajji went to Jordan

Jordan

Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...

 for a while during the Lebanese civil war

Lebanese Civil War

The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...

 and married a Jordanian woman Nawal Elias and had three children with her Layal,Rami and Sariya. He and his family also lived in Oman

Oman

Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...

 for a long period of time but then returned permantly to Lebanon in 1993 after the civil war.

He died in 2001 of a stroke after having a brain seizure.

His song Laguitik (When I met you...) was one of the earliest hits for Lebanese singer Diana Haddad

Diana Haddad

Diana Joseph Fouad Haddad is a Lebanese singer and television personality with Emirati citizenship. Mainly known as Diana Haddad, she is one of the most popular and successful singers in the Arab World and has been so since the late 1990s...

 in 1996. It would also be featured on the Soundtrack of the Brazilian novela O Clone

O Clone

O Clone is a Brazilian TV Series/Telenovela that ran on the Rede Globo Network from October 1, 2001 to June 14, 2002, airing 221 episodes.-Plot:...

 in 2001 but covered by a Syrian-Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

ian singer called Tony Mouzayek.