Israel Mourns Shoshana Damari – the First Lady of Israeli Song, who Died Today at the Age of 83.
Shoshana Damari (1923 – 14 February 2006) was an Israeli singer.
Damari was born in Dhamar and migrated from Yemen to the British Mandate of Palestine with her parents in 1924. At a very young age she performed with her mother, and when she was 14 she had her first songs broadcast on the radio. She studied singing and acting.
Her alto voice was distinctive because of her Yemenite pronunciation of some Hebrew letters. She was very well known especially in the period before and after the founding of the State of Israel. She is considered by many as the “Queen of Israeli song”.
Her first record was released in 1948 and her best known song Kalaniyot (Anemones) dates from that period. She was also known for her popularity amongst Israeli soldiers, for whom she frequently performed over several decades.
Damari sang a duet with Boaz Sharabi in the mid-1980s which restored a temporarily flagging career. She was awarded the Israeli Prize in 1988 for her contributions to vocal music.
In 2005, aged 82, she recorded two tracks for the Mimaamakim album by Idan Raichel’s Project and participated in some of their live performances.
On February 14, 2006 She died in Tel Aviv after a short illness.
Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoshana_Damari” .
