Zohar Argov (1958 - 1987) was a popular Israeli Middle Eastern style singer.

The most serious disadvantage that Argov met in his rise to stardom was his Yemenite background, which was considered inferior to the dominant European Jewish culture that dominated Israel since the settlement of the state. His singing abilities were developed by his early participation in the song and chant of Yemenite religious communities.

Most of the Argov family was in one way or another wrecked by poverty following its immigration to Israel. Both his father and grandfather died of alcoholism when he was young, and he and his brothers and sisters were raised by their mother.

Argov was the first singer to achieve commercial and country-wide success with Middle Eastern (mizrahi) style music. The radio friendly music of the time pandered either to Zionist songwriters or shadowers of Western pop, both of which were influenced by 1960s American counterculture and dress. Mizrahi music was a deep backlash against integration of Yemenite, Moroccan, and other Oriental Jews, in that it rejected the often politicized bent of Ashkenazi (European Jewish) artists, and instead focused either on religious themes, or far more often on personal ones. Though Argov's music was largely suppressed by radio as primitive Oriental crooning (he neither wrote or played an instrument), the impoverished Oriental street embraced his music and created an underground hero in him. This despite the fact that none of his music ever moved from either religious or personal/love subject matter.

Argov's debut album Elinor (1981) featured the title track, "Sod Hamazalot" ("Secret of the Charms"), and "Mah Lakh Yaldah" ("What to You, Girl"), the last a tribute to his daughter. It is often dificult to find information on either him or his music, either in Hebrew or otherwise, because most of his popularity continues to be held among the working class, rather than the publishing media in Israel. What is beyond doubt is that throughout the 1980s Argov fell into addiction to a number of abusive drugs, among them heroin, and lived the life of a social outcast simultaneous to his massive success as an artist. Numerous legends surround his addictive rampages, which dragged members of his family with him.

Unfortunately, Argov, whose criminal record stretched back to his teens and who served a year in prison, committed suicide in a jail cell after an arrest for rape. Heroin was a contributing factor in his death.

King or Con?

Though after his death Argov was judged by many to have been little more than a social degenerate who got lucky, he has continued to retain his undisputed status as "HaMelekh" (the King) of Mizrahi music. The parallels between him and Elvis Presley are obvious, although while Presley's music has long been accepted as part of American culture, Argov has been rejected by most sectors of Israeli media. Such songs of his as "HaPerakh BeGani" (Flower in My Garden),"Mah Lakh Yaldah",and "Ba'avar Hayu Zmanim" (There Were Times), are considered today classics by most music observers in Israel as integral to the national culture. However disdain for the Oriental music genre as a whole has created an image of Argov's music as little more than a cliched culture of love songs, while non-Oriental artists like Aviv Gefen, the Banai Family, and Meir Ariel deal with more serious subject matter. This rift is only part of a larger one that still separates Ashkenazim and Sephardim in Israel today, over half a century since Oriental Jews first immigrated to the state in great numbers.

External Links

• Official Website (in Hebrew)
• Zohar Argov's Albums