Zion Golan
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| Zion Golan | ||
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 Album cover of Irham ya Rabi (2004)
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| Background information | ||
| Origin | Ashkelon, Israel | |
| Genre(s) | Mizrahi | |
Zion Golan (Hebrew: ציון גולן), is an Israeli singer of Yemeni origin.
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[edit] Background
He is considered a living legend when it comes to authentic Yemenite Jewish music. Everybody that has tried to enter his territory could not last for more than a year. In the genre of Mizrahi music, the hierarchy changes daily but when it comes to Yemenite music, Zion Golan has remained on top throughout his career. Most of his songs are sung in Yemeni Arabic and is understood by all Yemenis. Many songs are from Yemen and are also sung by contempoary Yemeni singers. The Hebrew songs are sung in the ancient Yemeni dialect of Hebrew
[edit] Personal life
Golan was born to Yemeni immigrants to Israel in Ashkelon, Israel. A modern Orthodox Yemenite Jew, Golan currently lives with his wife and three children (two girls, one boy) in the Ahuzat Etrog neighborhood of Merkaz Shapira, Israel.
[edit] Worldwide reach
Though contact with Israel is banned in Yemen, his records have managed to reach the Yemeni public via the underground, selling around 2,000 records per album release. In fact, according to an interview in Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, Golan was set to give a performance in Yemen a couple of years ago and visas were to be issued by the Jordanian embassy in Tel-Aviv but the concert was cancelled because of fears of Golan's family. Most of his early work is credited to the tunes written to psalms by Rabbi Shalom Shabazi in Yemen and according to some, these tunes have even been embraced into Yemeni culture without reference to Rabbi Shalom Shabazi.
[edit] Discography
- l'Ahoi Banei Teimon, 1992 (Hebrew: לאחי בני תימן, To my Yemeni brothers)
- Salem Salem, 1995 (Hebrew: סלאם סלאם)
- Abba Shalom Shabazi, 2000 (Hebrew: אבא שלום שבזי)
- m'Teiman l'Yisrael, 2001 (Hebrew: מתימן לישראל, From Yemen to Israel)
- Eshorer Shir, 2001? (Hebrew: אשורר שיר)
- Arahem ya Rabi, 2004 (Hebrew: ארחם יא רבי)
- Mahrozot Niflaot v'Duetim, 2005 (Hebrew: מחרוזות נפלאות ודואטים)
