Today Marks Omar Khorshid 43rd Birth Anniv.

Today (April 9) is the anniversary of the death of the legendary star Omar Khorshid, also known as Egypt's Electric Guitar Giant. 

Khorshid was an iconic musician in the entertainment industry who was born on June 21, 1945 and passed away in 1981. 

He was known not only for his exceptional talent as a musician but also as a prolific actor, music director, and conductor. 

Born to an acclaimed cinematographer father, Ahmed Khorshid, who had several connections to Egypt's celebrity scene, and a socialite mother, Khorshid's legacy lives on in the world of music and entertainment.

His siblings, including the iconic actress and performer Sherihan, would also follow in the family’s artistic footsteps.

Throughout his career, he had many hit records, performed concerts at famous venues like Royal Albert Hall in London, and had many songs in the Cairo Opera House.

At a young age, Khorshid discovered his passion for music, learning the violin, piano, and classic guitar, eventually reaching the instrument that would turn him into a household name: the electric guitar. A budding instrument and predominantly Western in use, Khorshid’s mastery of the electric guitar was no easy feat.

Khorshid’s electric guitar performances were unlike anything Egypt’s music scene had heard before.

The late musician, who was Egypt’s first-ever electric guitarist, fused the instrument’s Western style of sound with the oriental music of Egypt, ushering in an era of funk-rock that symbolized Egypt’s 1970s.

He shot to fame with his success with Les Petits Chats (The Small Cats), a band that played music influenced by Western sounds.

From then till now, Khorshid became the main event of Egypt’s hippest nightclubs, enchanting crowds with his surf-rock riff mixed with finger-picking skills expected from an oud player.

Khorshid’s new wave of music had eventually grabbed the attention of Egypt’s musical titans: Abdel Halim Hafez, Mohamed Abdel Wahab, and Umm Kalthoum – legends who would invite the young blood to perform with them in concerts.

He is well-known for his extensive theoretical knowledge, fusion of Western and Eastern music and incorporation of modern instruments like the electric guitar, keyboard, and synthesizer.