Omme Kolsoum’s position in Egyptian life and music is without parallel. No artist has achieved more popularity, exerted more influence or given more back to the community that nurtured her.

She was born in either 1904 or 1905 in rural Egypt. Her father a Qur’an reader, taught her the skills of reading, memorising, clear enunciation and timing before she was five years old. In addition, she was exposed to both local musicians and the early gramophone records of Egyptian and Syrian music. These very genuine and richly varied performances brought shape to her life while she was still a child and nurtured her innate skill as a singer.

While she was still in her teens, Omme Kolsoum’s family sent her to Cairo for voice training. During 1926, she was approached by the Gramophone Company’s (EMI’s) agent in Cairo, a Mr. Vogel, to make records.

That her fame was already considerable is evident from a letter sent to Vogel by an enthusiastic record shop owner in Haifa immediately following the announcement of her first recordings;

"We need hardly conceal from you the fact that when we learnt of the engagement of Omme Kolsoum thanks to your invaluable efforts, we entertained very great and very high hopes of the future and thanked God that we finally secured an artist to be proud of." T.S. Boutagy, Haifa, Palestine. (June 1926)

Her success was immediate. The original records, issued on a handsome red and gold label, and listed in a special illustrated supplement, cost more than the average record, and despite protests by record dealers and pleas for a lower price, the public bought Omme Kolsoum’s records in large quantities. The Gramophone Company were paying her 20 pounds per song – a huge sum of money at that time – because they had faith in her ability to conquer a market that was heavily competitive. German-owned Odeon, Polyphon and Homokord, French owned Pathe, English owned Columbia and the local Baidaphon label were all engaged in trying to capture the Egyptian and Syrian markets for themselves.

Having Omme Kolsoum assured success, and Odeon, an aggressive and successful company, attempted to coax her away from the Gramophone Company. She did in fact, cut some records for them in 1926, but quickly returned to the Gramophone Company for the rest of her pre-war career. Odeon, by recording a large quantity of songs by her in 1926, and judiciously issuing them slowly, were able to provide competition to the Gramophone Company for the next three years.

These company tactics mattered little to the public, who continued to buy her records no matter what label they appear on.

In March 1927, following the first issues of the competitive Odeon recordings, and probably as a direct result of them, Omme Kolsoum and the Gramophone Company signed a contract that assured her £1600 per annum. By the terms of this new contract, her records were also leased to the Victor company in North America who issued six of her 1926 recordings in a special supplement – "New Victor Arabian Records" – for the Egyptian immigrant population in the United States.

Generally pleased with the situation, Mr. Vogel wrote to the Gramophone Company in March 1927;

"Since the release of the Omme Kolsoum records you will have noted an increase in the sales of Arabic Records". As a result, a further recording session was organised. This time, it would be made with the then new and exciting "Western Electric Process"; a technical innovation that assured far greater fidelity and was, in it’s day, as innovative as the Compact Disc.

Omme Kolsoum’s artistry remained unaffected by all the activity that surrounded her. Her agenda was tuned to producing the best possible performance. As a result, she gained a reputation for being "difficult", but this was a perception of engineers and businessmen rather than fellow artists.

Egyptian society during this period was vibrant, cultured and rich one that quickly and enthusiastically absorbed every new technology. By 1034 sound films and radio were part of the fabric of the Cairien life. Omme Kolsoum’s popularity assured her a place in both.

The development of radio in Egypt was fostered by the government, who saw it as culturally important to promote traditional music. Omme Kolsoum broadcast regularly on the first Thursday of every month and "Omee Kolsoum night" became a national institution; Theatres would relay the broadcast to packed houses. Family and friends would gather around a radio. Cafés and shops would fill with silent, attentive listeners. The volume of traffic actually dropped considerably during the broadcast. Omme Kolsoum secured a long-term contract with Egyptian radio in 1934 that also placed her on the board of advisors. Using this position, she was able to lobby for technical improvements to the studio equipment and also to promote rising young artists working within the traditional framework.

Her film career commenced in 1935 with the movie "Widad" and she appeared in numerous films over the next few years, adding lustre to a career already without parallel in Egyptian culture.

In 1937 Omme Kolsoum arranged for her monthly radio concerts to be broadcast live from a concert hall. This greatly affected the emotional content of the broadcast, as she performed live in front of an enthusiastic audience, creating a level of intimacy and excitement that brought a deeper sense of involvement to her audience.

Throughout the 1940’s and 1950’s her recordings, broadcasts and concerts continued to dominate the Egyptian music scene. A 1952 catalogue provides evidence that most of her early recordings were still available, some 26 years after they were first issued.

When television was introduced in 1960 Omme Kolsoum made the leap to the new medium with customary and expected success. her televised concerts were as popular as her radio broadcasts had been, and assured the fledgling Egyptian television industry it’s place within society.

Her death in 1975, after a long and painful illness, caused deep sadness and mourning. She had been a national icon for almost 50 years, and her legacy, in terms not only in music but also of the practical help and support she gave to Egyptian cultural life, remains unsurpassed.

Paul Vernon, June 1995

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