Ashur Bet Sargis

Ashur Bet Sargis[lower-alpha 1] (Syriac: ܐܫܘܪ ܒܝܬ ܣܪܓܝܤ‎; born July 2, 1949) is an Assyrian singer, composer, guitarist and activist. He became famous in the Assyrian communities worldwide for his nationalistic songs in the 1970s. His career peaked, and became prominent, in the 1990s with five albums released within that decade. His songs usually tend to be sentimental ballads and anthems, although he has made a number of folk dance music as well. To the contrast of his Assyrian peers in music, Sargis's music is slow and mellow. He is also known for incorporating Greek instruments such as the tambouras into his music.

Ashur Bet Sargis
Background information
Born (1949-07-02) July 2, 1949
Baghdad, Iraq
GenresAssyrian music, folk, soft rock
Occupation(s)Composer, singer, songwriter, political activist
Years active1960s–present

Early career in Iraq

Ashur Bet Sargis was born in Baghdad, Iraq to an Assyrian family who were originally from Habbaniyah. He started playing organ as a teenager at the local Assyrian church. He later began composing nationalistic songs under the influence of established Assyrian musicians such as Evin Aghassi and King Biba, as well as western artists. As Sargis recalls of his early days in the biography written for his album Everything So Far:[1]

Music was being redefined out in the rest of the world, and stars like Elvis, Paul Anka, and of course The Beatles were shining all over the place. I wanted to be a part of this transformation, and offer its fruition to my people.

Rise to fame

Shortly after the Ba'ath-led revolution of 1968, Sargis fled the unstable political situation in Iraq in 1969, ending up in Chicago, United States. A year later he formed his first band, "East Bird Band", which released its first recording in 1972. He relocated to Los Angeles in 1973 and in 1975 released his first LP Ashur Sargis Sings for Ancient Assyria which contained nationalistic songs like "Roosh Jwanqa" and "Bet Nahren Atrewa", written by the late Ben Malko, [2]as well as several other songs that have since become staples of his catalogue and concerts.[1]

In 1976, Sargis became the first Assyrian artist to tour overseas when he and his band played three sold-out shows in Australia. Soon afterwards he would travel to Iran, which at that time had the second largest population of Assyrians in the Middle East, and had long been a large producer of Assyrian music on the record labels that flourished in Tehran in the days before the Islamic Revolution. After two weeks of performances there, he returned to Los Angeles to record his third album, Sing Me a Lullaby. He followed it with Dance of Victory in 1984.

Later years

Sargis is known for his staunch support for Zowaa and has composed several songs for the party.[3] He also returned to Northern Iraq many times where he gave many concerts during Kha b-Nisan, prior to the Iraq War. He is often featured at Zowaa-sponsored festivals in the Nineveh Plains and the Dohuk Governorate. Sargis currently resides in Los Angeles, California.

Discography
  • 1972 – Bet Nahren ("Mesopotamia")
  • 1975 – Ancient Assyria
  • 1979 – Sing Me a Lullaby
  • 1984 – Dance of Victory
  • 1990 – Winter Wind
  • 1992 – The Mighty Assyrians
  • 1995 – Mirror of Deception
  • 1996 – From a Distant World
  • 1998 – Immortal Memories
  • 2003 – Everything So Far
  • 2008 – Dashta D'Nineveh ("Nineveh Plains")
  • 2016 – Nishmi ("My Breath")

Notes
  1. Sometimes referred to as Ashur Sargis, without the family name affix "bêṯ".
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References
  1. "Ashur Bet Sargis". Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  2. https://web.archive.org/web/20100112030058/http://www.assyrianlyrics.com/lyrics/39
  3. الحركة الديمقراطية الآشورية تحتفل بالذكرى الـ 28 لتأسيسها Archived 29 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine, ADM
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