Today, August 28 marks the 104th birth anniversary of legendary star Mohamed Fawzi, who passed away on October 20, 1966.
Born in 1919, Fawzi was one of the finest Egyptian singers who graced the stage. He made his acting debut in the 1944 film "The Executioner’s Sword" and recorded his first song "Sodfa" featured in the 1946 film "Ashab El Saada (Happiness Owners).
Apart from being a singer, Fawzi was also an actor, screenwriter, director, producer, and composer.
Throughout his career, Fawzi starred in 32 films, most of which contained some form of musical performance.
He was known for his collaborations with Mohamed Abdel Motteleb and Mahmoud El Sherief. The trio cooperated and composed music for many theatrical sketches.
After the revolution, Fawzi wrote a number of patriotic songs such as “Balady Habibty” as well as presented children’s songs like “Mama Zamanha Gaya” and “Zahab El Lail”, and religious songs like “Ya Tawab Ya Ghafoor.”
He also composed the music for "Kassaman", the Algerian national anthem, with lyrics by “poet of the Algerian Revolution” Moufdi Zakaria.
In 1957, Fawzi founded the vinyl record factory, which has almost wiped out all his savings. However, he was capable of carrying on his cinematic career, for he continued to sing and participate in public concerts and national projects.