Zohar Argov was a popular Israeli singer and a distinctive voice in the Mizrahi

Mizrahi music

Mizrahi music refers to the music integration that combines elements from Europe, the West, and Middle Eastern/North African countries transported to Israel by migrating Jews. It is usually sung in Hebrew, literary Hebrew and Arabic slang...

 music scene.

Background

The most serious hurdle on the way to stardom was Argov's socioeconomic background. He was born in Rishon LeZion, and grew up in a poor family, the eldest of ten children. In those years, singers often began their careers by serving as entertainment for military troops, but Argov did not serve in the army. His remarkable singing abilities were cultivated at home, through his participation from early childhood in the singing and chanting of the religious Yemenite community.

Musical career

Argov's debut album Eleanor (1981) featured the title track, "Sod HaMazalot" ("The Zodiac Secret"), and "Mah Lakh Yaldah" ("What's With You Girl"), a tribute to his ex-wife, Bracha, who remained the love of his life.

His career was dotted with creative and personal lapses that were caused by his heroin addiction, which eventually led to his death at the age of 32. His musical achievements overshadowed his personal problems. His ability to sing heartbreaking versions of his songs in live performances, even when under the influence of drugs, allowed a blind eye to be turned to his addictive rampages, which ended up destroying his personal relationships.

Popularity and musical style

Argov was among the first singers to achieve commercial and country-wide success in the sphere of Middle Eastern-Mediterranean/oriental (Mizrahi) style music. This was despite the fact that his music was not mainstream at the time, and radio stations gave predominance to pop music from overseas. Some believe that the great popularity of Argov and other Mizrahi singers of his time, among them Avihu Medina

Avihu Medina

Avihu Medina is an Israeli composer, arranger, songwriter, and singer of Mediterranean Israeli music.-Biography:Medina is the third son of Aaron and Leah Medina. His mother's family immigrated in 1906 and she was born in Jerusalem, and his father immigrated to Israel from Yemen in 1939 when it was...

, Haim Moshe

Haim Moshe

Haim Moshe born 1956)is an Israeli singer whose musical style has crossed over from Yemenite and Mediterranean "ethnic" music to include mainstream Israeli and western pop elements. He has helped Mizrahi music achieve wide popularityboth in Israel...

 and Margalit Tzan'ani

Margalit Tzan'ani

Margalit Tzan'ani , also known as Margol, is an Israeli singer and television personality. Tzan'ani is famous for her repertoire of Israeli oriental music style with soul influences, as well as jazz, blues, rock, pop and Arab music.-Biography :...

, was a response to the widespread feeling among Mizrahi Jews

Mizrahi Jews

Mizrahi Jews or Mizrahiyim, , also referred to as Adot HaMizrach are Jews descended from the Jewish communities of the Middle East, North Africa and the Caucasus...

 in Israel that they were being discriminated against by the Ashkenazi hegemony.

The themes of Argov's songs were similar to those of American country music: love, heartache, disappointments, joy, addiction. He is considered a prodigy by many in the music business. Arranger and conductor Nancy Brandes, who musically directed many of his recordings, described him as a musical genius: He could make perfect recordings in one take, and when asked to do another take, was able to sing a totally different version just as perfectly. Argov had a remarkable talent for improvisation that respected the spirit of the song while allowing him to leave his personal mark.

Death

Argov committed suicide in his jail cell following an arrest on rape charges. He died at dawn, a few hours after his appearance on a popular Israeli television talk show, where he discussed his life and drug problems. On the show he stated that he was being treated for his addiction. Argov had one son, Gili.

Legacy

After his death Argov has continued to retain his undisputed status as "HaMelekh" (the King) of Mizrahi music . In recent years his important contribution to Israeli culture has been widely acknowledged. A mainstream label, Hed Artzi

Hed Artzi

Hed Arzi Music , is an Israeli music company that is involved with producing music, importing albums from abroad, and distributing Israeli and international music...

, released a double album of his music, "Zohar Argov: The Best." Argov was the subject of a play mounted at the Cameri Theater

Cameri Theater

The Cameri Theater , established in 1944 in Tel Aviv, is one of the leading theaters in Israel, and is housed at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center....

 in Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...

, and a feature film on his life, named "Zohar," has enjoyed commercial success.

His songs, among them "HaPerakh BeGani" ("The Flower in My Garden"), "Mah Lakh Yaldah" ("What's With You Girl"), "Ba'avar Hayu Zmanim" ("In The Past There Were Times") and "Badad" ("Alone"), are now considered Israeli classics and an integral part of national culture. Proposals to name streets after him in Rishon Lezion and Tel Aviv were discussed in 2007, amid controversy over the balance between his criminal and artistic reputations.

In 2005, he was voted the 60th-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet

Ynet

Ynet is the most popular Israeli news and general content website. It is owned by the same conglomerate that operates Yediot Ahronot, the country's secondleading daily newspaper...

to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest Israelis.