Faiz Mohammad Baloch
Faiz Mohammad Faizok (1901 – 6 May 1982) Balochi: فیز محمد فیزوک), was a Balochi folk musician and folk singer.[1]
Faiz Mohammad Baloch فیز محمد فیزوک | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1901[1] Qasr-e Qand, Sistan and Baluchestan, Iran |
| Died | 1982 (aged 81–82)[2] Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan |
| Genres | Folk, Balochi |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, instrumentalist |
| Instruments | Lute, harp |
Well known for his unique style of body language and barefooted dancing with his songs. His contribution to Balochi music is greatly admired by most Baloch people. He introduced the traditional music style of Balochi folk songs all over Pakistan after migrating to Karachi, Pakistan.[1]
Early life
He was born into an Iranian-Baloch family in Qasr-e Qand, Iran, a region in Nikshahr township in 1901 in the Iranian part of Balochistan, called Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran.[1] First his father introduced him to Baloch musical instruments and taught him to sing.[1] Then Master Mallarami formally taught him how to sing and he learned lute and harp from the musician Allahdad. Master Allahdad belonged to the Lashar region in Nikshar township. Faiz decided to move, with his wife and children, to the newly created country Pakistan at the time of independence of Pakistan in 1947. At that time, he was already 46 years old.[1]
In Pakistan, Master Khayr Mohamamd taught him Sindhi music. Although Faiz Baloch had lived his early life in Karachi where he had initially settled in Lyari Town area of Karachi that had a significant Balochi-speaking population. Initially he worked as a labourer during the day and he would entertain the local people with his singing in the evening at street corners and at local wedding events. His singing first became popular among the Baluchi-speaking people of Karachi. In the 1950s, Faiz started to record his songs at Radio Pakistan, Karachi and continued to record his songs in the 1960s also, yet mainstream popularity still eluded him until he got a chance to perform on television.[1]
He later moved on to Quetta, Balochistan where the establishment of the first Pakistani television station (PTV, Quetta) in 1974 compelled him to move there from Karachi. Faiz's performances included barefooted dancing while singing. So radio broadcasts of his music and singing could not capture the full potential of his performances. Most of his songs and music were upbeat. At Quetta, he then lived most of his remaining life and served the cause of Balochi folk music.[1]
Musical career
He composed poems and songs in his mother tongue, Balochi. His works consist of hundreds of songs. He toured and performed in South Korea, Russia, Indonesia, France, United States, Al Jazeera, Lebanon and Spain.[2]
His most popular songs are:
Awards and recognition
- Pride of Performance Award by the President of Pakistan in 1979.[5]
Death and legacy
He died in 1982 at Quetta, Balochistan, when he was over 80 years old.[2] His death was a great loss for Balochi music. Nowadays Balochi Academy at Quetta handles all Balochi literature and Balochi music records. He has a son named Taj Mohammad Tajal Baloch who works as a Banjo player at PTV, Quetta broadcast centre.
References
- Nadeem F. Paracha (15 May 2014). "12 songs from Pakistan's mountains, deserts, shrines and streets (includes Faiz Mohammad Baloch's profile)". Pakistan: Dawn. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- Qawwali music portal (includes Faiz Mohammad Baloch profile) on thewire.co.uk website published June 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2018
- Faiz Mohammad Baloch's Laila O' Laila song on YouTube Retrieved 1 July 2018
- Faiz Mohammad Baloch's Muscat e Mehruk song on wichaar.com website Retrieved 1 July 2018
- Faiz Baloch remembered Pakistan Observer (newspaper), Published 7 May 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2018