Mahmoud Ahmed
Encyclopedia
Mahmoud Ahmed (Amharic
: መሀሙድ አህመድ) is an Ethiopia
n singer of Gurage
ancestry.
, Mahmoud shined shoes
in that city before becoming a handyman at the Arizona Club, where he first sang professionally in the early 1960s. He sang for the Imperial Body Guard Band until 1974, and recorded with other bands for the Amha
and Kaifa
record labels throughout the 1970s. He opened his own music store in Addis Ababa's Piazza district during the 1980s while he continued his singing career.
In addition to the Imperial Body Guard Band, Mahmoud has sung with the Ibex Band, the Venus Band, the Walias Band, the Idan Raichel Project, and the Roha Band over the course of his career. Since the late 1990s he has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in Europe
and the Americas
since Buda Musique
launched the Ethiopiques
series on compact disc
, leading to new recordings and tours in Europe and the United States
with Boston
's Either/Orchestra
& Badume's Band.
In 2007 he won a BBC World Music Award.
Amharic language
Amharic is a Semitic language spoken in Ethiopia. It is the second most-spoken Semitic language in the world, after Arabic, and the official working language of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Thus, it has official status and is used nationwide. Amharic is also the official or working...
: መሀሙድ አህመድ) is an Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
n singer of Gurage
Gurage
Gurage is an ethnic group in Ethiopia. According to the 2007 national census, its population is 1,867,377 people , of whom 792,659 are urban dwellers. This is 2.53% of the total population of Ethiopia, or 7.52% of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region...
ancestry.
Biography
Born in Addis AbabaAddis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
, Mahmoud shined shoes
Shoeshiner
Shoeshiner or boot polisher is a profession in which a person polishes shoes with shoe polish. They are often known as shoeshine boys because the job is traditionally that of a male child. In the leather fetish communities, they are often called bootblacks...
in that city before becoming a handyman at the Arizona Club, where he first sang professionally in the early 1960s. He sang for the Imperial Body Guard Band until 1974, and recorded with other bands for the Amha
Amha Records
Amha Records was an Ethiopian record label founded by Amha Ashèté. The company released 103 singles and 12 albums between 1969 and 1975.Prominent singers and musicians who recorded for the label included Alemayehu Eshete, Mahmoud Ahmed, Mulatu Astatke and Tilahun Gessesse.-Resource:* Falceto,...
and Kaifa
Kaifa Records
Kaifa Records was an Ethiopian record label which released 53 records between 1973 and 1977. Ali Abdella Kaifa, better known as Ali Tango, managed the company.Singers who recorded for Kaifa included Alemayehu Eshete, Bezunesh Bekele and Mahmoud Ahmed....
record labels throughout the 1970s. He opened his own music store in Addis Ababa's Piazza district during the 1980s while he continued his singing career.
In addition to the Imperial Body Guard Band, Mahmoud has sung with the Ibex Band, the Venus Band, the Walias Band, the Idan Raichel Project, and the Roha Band over the course of his career. Since the late 1990s he has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
since Buda Musique
Buda Musique
Buda Musique is a French Record label specializng in world music, who are especially known for their Ethiopiques series of albums.They have released over 400 albums in their 18 year history....
launched the Ethiopiques
Ethiopiques
Ethiopiques is a series of compact discs featuring Ethiopian and Eritrean singers and musicians. Many of the Ethiopiques CDs compile various singles and albums that Amha Records, Kaifa Records, and Philips-Ethiopia released during the 1960s and 1970s in Ethiopia...
series on compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
, leading to new recordings and tours in Europe and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
's Either/Orchestra
Either/Orchestra
The Either/Orchestra is a jazz group formed by Russ Gershon in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, in 1985. E/O is configured as a "small big band", with three saxes, two trumpets and one or two trombones...
& Badume's Band.
In 2007 he won a BBC World Music Award.
Selected discography
- Soul of Addis (1997, Earthworks/Stern's Africa STEW35CD)
- Slow Collections (1998, Sounds of Abyssinia SAC-022)
- Live In Paris (1998, Long Distance 302671)
- EthiopiquesEthiopiquesEthiopiques is a series of compact discs featuring Ethiopian and Eritrean singers and musicians. Many of the Ethiopiques CDs compile various singles and albums that Amha Records, Kaifa Records, and Philips-Ethiopia released during the 1960s and 1970s in Ethiopia...
Volume 6—Almaz 1973 (1999, Buda Musique 829792 (originally released 1973)) - Ethiopiques Volume 7—Erè Mèla Mèla 1975 (2000, Buda Musique 829802; originally released 1975 and rereleased on Crammed DiscsCrammed DiscsCrammed Discs is an independent record label whose output blends world music, rock, pop, and electronica. Based in Brussels, Belgium, Crammed was founded in 1980 by Marc Hollander of Aksak Maboul and has since released over 300 albums and 250 singles, working with artists from all over the world...
in 1986) - Yitbarek (2003, Yene Production 77414, rereleased by Nahom Records in 2007)
- Tizita Vol. 1 (The Best of...) (2003, AIT Records AIT-10304)
- Tizita Vol. 2 (The Best of...) (2003, AIT Records AIT-10305)
- Ethiopiques Volume 19—Alèmeyé (2005, Buda Musique 860106)
- Ethiogroove: Mahmoud Ahmed & Either/OrchestraEither/OrchestraThe Either/Orchestra is a jazz group formed by Russ Gershon in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, in 1985. E/O is configured as a "small big band", with three saxes, two trumpets and one or two trombones...
(2007, EthioSonic DVD)