Sheikh Hamada is an Algerian singer, a native of Blad Touahria near Mostaganem, he was born in 1889 and died April 9, 1968. He is one of the founders of the gasba music.
In fact, Sheikh Hamada’s voice will remain the eternal Bedouin voice. It is part of the musical ferment of the inter-war period (since the fate of Algeria was linked with France's which was recovering from the First World War.) This poet was engaged in the none modernization of the Traditional Bedouin, and he will always remain a major phenomenon in North African music.
During his lifetime, he alone revolutionized the bedouin and the musical traditions not only in North Africa but in modern music today. He succeeded in a magisterial way to brush-up urban poetry with his Hadri, Haouz and Aroub compositions.
He revised the gasba music which influenced the area of Dahra, thus providing a large influence to the chaâbi music repertoire which is one of the most popular musical genres in North Africa today. It is still used in traditional celebrations, with music resulting from the arabo-Andalusian culture, which comes under his Bedouin rule.
Many Europeans at the time, laughed openly (even today) at this music type because it was modal and not tonal, Béla Bartók was extremely touched by the artist on a two year trip to Algeria (1913–1915), which inspired several pieces.
He made his first recording in 1920, and continued to record in Algeria, Paris and Berlin, until his death.
This poet, musician and singer is also father of two sons killed during the colonial war of The Algerian National Liberation Front from 1954 to 1962.
He was also a mentor, his friend Hadj El Anka, was an Algerian artist who looked up to him, they met at outings with philosophical poets and musicians where they worked together on qaçayds (poems ). Sheikh Hamada is also a teacher for the younger generations. He welcomed into his house several artists like Maâzouz Bouadjadj, teaching, sometimes for hours, a tone, a stanza, the hidden meaning of a word, a verse, a qasida. He also promoted the music based on ancient Bedouin poetry and harmonic Arab-Jewish by bringing the countryside and the city together. It has broadened the movement throughout Algeria and across borders.