Aawadh hg-Doukhi- عوض الدوخي

Awad Doukhi

Aawad Farhan Doukhi, born in 1932 in Sharq, Kuwait City, and died on December 17, 1979, was a former Kuwaiti singer. He was influenced by the music of Mohamed Abdel Wahab and Umm Kulthum.
He is Awad Farhan bin Muhammad bin Farhan Doukhi Al-Dosari. He had five brothers and three sisters. His father was married to four women. His half-brother from his mother’s side is the artist Dr. Youssef Al-Doukhi. His older brother is Abdul Latif Al-Doukhi, from whom he learned the basics of playing the oud. He also had brothers named Doukhi, Muhammad, and Khalifa.
Contents
1 Early Life and Education 2 His Singing Career 3 His Sayings 4 Books About Him 5 References Early Life and Education
His father died when he was five years old. He received his first lessons from Mulla Bilal and Mulla Zakaria, where he learned the basics of reading, writing, and the Holy Quran. After that, he moved to Al-Najah School, where his brother Youssef Al-Doukhi also studied. He was fond of reading from a young age and enjoyed buying history and heritage books. He acquired the works of the late Georgi Zaidan in 1943 when he was no older than 16 years old. Among the books he regularly read were “Islamic Civilization,” “History of Islam,” “One Thousand and One Nights,” and “Kalila and Dimna.” His love of reading accompanied him to Cairo, where he searched for old books and manuscripts in Cairo’s markets and basements, and collected a huge library estimated at twenty thousand books, in addition to approximately one thousand manuscripts. This library is still located in the Higher Institute of Musical Arts. At the beginning of his university studies, Doukhi obtained a diploma from the Higher Institute of Arabic Music in 1967 with distinction. Then, on January 16, 1975, he received his Master’s degree on the subject of “Kuwaiti Songs.” He subsequently submitted his doctoral dissertation in Music Education, specializing in Arabic music, on April 23, 1981. The dissertation, entitled “The Book of Songs by Al-Isfahani: Translation and Analysis,” was completed at the Faculty of Music Education at Helwan University in the Arab Republic of Egypt. After obtaining his doctorate and returning to his homeland, he was appointed Dean of the Higher Institute of Musical Arts. He then began participating in various fields of academic production, including publishing, manuscript editing, preparing radio and television programs and films, conducting analytical studies, organizing seminars, giving lectures, and engaging in media, cultural, and artistic discussions. His Singing Career
At the age of twelve, he developed a love for singing, performing songs by the singer Mohammed bin Faris and imitating the voices of Quran reciters such as the Iraqi Mohammed Abdul Wahab. When he was fourteen, he moved with his mother to Farij Al-Shuyoukh, where he met a member of the Al Khalifa family, Sultan Ahmed, who played the oud. They held musical sessions every Monday and jointly purchased an oud.
When he was fourteen, he traveled with Abdul Rahman bin Othman and worked as a cabin boy. His travels continued until 1948. The ship captain, Yusuf bin Yaqoub, asked him to travel with him as a sailor, but he told him that he was not a sailor but a singer and sang him the song “Ya Ghusain Al-Ban.”
He began his artistic career in 1941, working as a sea shanty singer on ships during the pearl diving season. He appeared on the radio in 1958, introduced by the artist Awda Al-Muhanna. His first song on Kuwait Radio was “Ya Man Hawah A’azzani wa Adhallani” on November 11, 1959. After recording the song, he was suspended from singing on the radio for three months by Saleh Abdul Malik Al-Saleh, but the decision was reversed after one day.
He sang many musical styles, such as traditional Gulf songs, sea shanties, love songs, Tanbura songs, and national songs. His first national song was “Al-Fajr Noor Ya Salam” in the 1960s, which was broadcast on the day of Kuwait’s independence declaration on June 19, 1961.
He sang a number of national songs, such as “Al-Fajr Noor Ya Salam” and “Wast Al-Quloob Ya Kuwaituna,” which were broadcast daily on the radio for four years at the request of Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, as well as “Abdi Bismik Ya Kuwait,” “Rayat Al-Farah,” “Aadat Al-Afrah,” and “Qasr.” Dasman,” and he sang a song about Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, “Abdullah Al-Salem, Our Emir.”
Some of his quotes:
“I hope that the voice of serious and committed Kuwaiti music reaches all places and regions to express Kuwait, its people, its land, and its history.”
“Perhaps those who follow the artistic movement will find that our authentic folk heritage plays a major role and is considered a fertile source that has been compiled by researchers through their studies and artistic experiences.”
“The cornerstone of any song, wherever it may be, is the lyrics. When the lyrics are strong and beautiful, the melody will be equally strong and interactive with the words, and there must be someone who appreciates beautiful lyrics.”
“The Arab musical theater needs vocal capabilities, modern lighting technology, a script capable of creating a musical work, and a composer capable of presenting the text in a comprehensive manner.”
“I am a product of my heritage; I studied, absorbed, and lived the heritage of Kuwait in the 1940s and 1950s.”
Written about him:
Awad Doukhi: A Kuwaiti lyre that will never fade.