Description
A celebrity of enduring popularity almost three decades after his death, Ahmad Zahir is considered as a legend and an icon of Afghan music. Born on June 14, 1946, he was the son of late Dr. Abdul Zahir (born 1910, in Laghman), who was an influential Afghan politician and a one time Afghan Prime Minister (1971-1972) during the reign of King Zahir Shah.
Ahmad Zahir attended Habibia High School in the early 1960s and his interest in music developed during this period where he often sang in his school concerts, accompanied by his band that was made up of mainly his friends and classmates: Nabil Miskinyar on drums, Omar Sultan on guitar, Farid Zaland on congas and Kabir Howaida on piano, as well as other talented musicians who would accompany him from time to time. He himself would mainly play the accordion as he sang. In one particular concert, during his school days, he sang so beautifully that his schoolmates declared him “Bulbul-e Habibia”. The band, which later became known as the Amateur Band of Habibia High School, gained popularity with their performances in local concerts during celebratory occasions such as Nouroz, Eid, and Afghan Independence Day.
After his graduation from high school he attended and graduated from Darul Malimeen (Teachers’ College) in Kabul. He continued his higher education for two more years in India to get his degree as an English instructor. But his true calling, of course, was to sing. With the approval and encouragement of his family he was able to pursue his true love of music. Rising from the acclaim of the band, Ahmad Zahir branched onto his solo career. Carrying his musical instincts to new heights, he began composing songs based on well-recognized Dari poems. The meaning and depth of his songs quickly garnered him national attention as did the tenor voice that was complementary to a wide range of musical notes. His first recorded song, gar kuni yak nizara, was also his own composition, sung in the pilo raga, which he had not been taught by anyone at that time. With this song he proved his God-given talent and true genius, at an early age, which the Almighty blessed him with. He continued composing and recording his future songs such as azeezam ba yaadat, ahista-ahista, akhir ay darya, hama yaranam, agar sabza boodam, guftam ke mekhwaham tura, shabe ze shabha, parween-e man and many more.
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Entertainment
Music
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Date (
Barbud Music
