Abu Bakr Salem, one of the most popular singers of the Gulf who synthesised Yemen's rich musical traditions, died in Saudi Arabia after leaving an indelible mark on music in the Arab world, AFP reported Monday (December 11th).
Salem, who held Yemeni and Saudi nationalities, died at the age of 78 of a long illness Sunday in a Riyadh hospital, his son Aseel Abu Bakr said on social media.
Salem was mourned in Yemen, both by the Houthis and the government of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, and in Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis mourned "one of the rare Arab artists to combine song, composition, musical arrangement and poetry", the militia’s media reported.
Hadi’s government called him "a giant of Yemeni, Gulf and Arab music".
Dubbed by music critics as the "father of Khaleeji (Gulf) music" and considered one of the most popular singers in the region, Salem had a rich repertoire ranging from romantic ballads, folk music to patriotic songs.
He began his career in 1956 in southern Yemen, where he created songs fusing traditional sounds from Aden with those of Hadramaut and later Sanaa.
Salem's patriotic odes to Yemen celebrated landmarks in the country's history -- from the abolition of the monarchy in the north in 1962 to the independence of the south in 1967, and finally the unification of Yemen in 1990.
His repertoire also includes songs paying tribute to Saudi Arabia, where he is very popular and which granted him citizenship.
Generations of Arab singers from the Gulf to Lebanon and Syria and even Morocco have sang his songs.
Salem gave numerous concerts across Gulf countries in the 1990s and the early 2000s at the height of his career, drawing adoring crowds each time.
