Life
Talal Maddah (1360–1421 AH/1940–2000 CE) was a Saudi singer and composer born in Makkah as Talal bin Abdulshaikh Al-Jabiri; he took the name Maddah from his aunt's husband, Ali Al-Maddah, who raised him after his parents died. He was called 'the Voice of the Earth' and 'the Lyre of the East'. [1]
His career began in 1379 AH/1959 CE at nineteen; he added a string to the oud and was the first Saudi artist registered by the French society of authors and composers. [1]
Career
He appeared at the start of television broadcasting in the mid-1960s and performed in Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, London and Washington. He worked with composers such as Siraj Omar and poets including Badr bin Abdulmohsen and Ibrahim Khafaji, sang in the Janadriyah festival operetta for eleven years, and composed and sang 'Watani Al-Habib'. [1]
King Fahd bin Abdulaziz awarded him the Order of Merit, second class, and in 1440 AH/2019 CE the Al-Muftaha theatre at the King Fahd Cultural Centre in Abha was named after him. [1]