Umm Kulthum

Umm Kulthum (Egyptian Arabic: أم كلثوم‎‎ ), born Fātimah Ibrāhīm as-Sayyid al-Biltāǧī (فاطمة إبراهيم السيد البلتاجي) on an uncertain date (December 31, 1898, or May 4, 1904 in El Senbellawein, Egypt) and who died February 3, 1975, was an internationally famous Egyptian singer, songwriter, and film actress active from the 1920s to the 1970s. She was given the honorific title Kawkab al-Sharq كوكب الشرق ("Planet of the East") in Arabic. Known for her extraordinary vocal ability and style, Umm Kulthum was one of the most influential Arab singers of the 20th century and is arguably the single most prominent Arab woman in Contemporary history.
== Links To Peel ==
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Peel reviewed two of her albums in 1969 in the underground magazine, International Times (IT 54, 1969-04-11 p.13), describing the tracks on the Twinkling Star album as "seven really incredible performances" and recommending the second LP, Light On The Desert, as "the one you MUST hear". He also characterized her sound as very moving and her voice as quite astonishing.
Peel certainly would have given airtime to her records in the 60s, but doesn't seem to play them much after that. After his death, it was confirmed that he kept the two albums he had reviewed for the International Times. (See Record Collection: U.)
== Shows Played ==
1969
* Unknown
== See Also ==
*Record Collection: U
*International Times: Perfumed Garden Column
== External Links ==
* Wikipedia
* Discogs
Category:Artists