Kourosh Yaghmaei

Kourosh Yaghmaei
کورش یغمایی
Yaghmaei in the 1970s
Yaghmaei in the 1970s
Background information
Also known asThe Godfather of Iranian psychedelic rock, The king of rock
Born (1946-12-03) 3 December 1946 (age 77)
Central District, Shahrud, Semnan, Imperial State of Iran
OriginTehran
Genres
Occupations
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • composer
  • record producer
Instruments
Years active1973–present
LabelsNow-Again, Stones Throw, Caltex
Member ofThe Raptures
Websitekourosh-yaghmaei.com

Kourosh Yaghmaei (Persian: کورش یغمایی; also spelled as Kourosh Yaghmaee; born 3 December 1946) is an Iranian singer-songwriter, composer and record producer, who started his career in the early 1970s. Regarded as one of the greatest Persian psychedelic rock musicians in the history of Iranian rock music, he is known as "the Godfather of Iranian psychedelic rock",[1][2] as well as "the king of rock".[3]

Born in 1946 in Shahrud to Zoroastrian parents, Yaghmaei later grew up in Tehran. Most of his songs combine classical Persian poetry with more contemptary works, often incorporating his own lyrics. Musically, Yaghmai is recognized as being an early cross-pollinator for Persian traditional music and the western psychedelic rock of the era, with artists Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd often listed as specific influences.[4] He began his solo career in 1973 with his first single "Gol-e Yakh" ("Ice Flower"), a track selling more than 5 million copies in the domestic market.[5] This single was followed by the eponymous Gol-e Yakh (1973), which included the song. Much of Yaghmaei's work is well known by the Iranian diaspora, with singles "Gol-e Yakh", "Havar Havar" ("Shout Shout"), "Khaar" ("Thistle"), "Leila", "Paiz" ("Autumn"), "Reyhan" being particularly beloved. In 2011, his first compilation album, Back From the Brink: Pre-Revolution Psychedelic Rock From Iran: 1973-1979, was released by Now-Again Records to international recognition. Vogue has described Yaghmei as "psyche singer, stylish, moustached and funky".[6] Following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Yaghmaei's work was banned from the country's airways, markets and homes, and his name from the press.

  1. ^ Keshavarz 2011, p. 39.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference NA-Godfather was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Breyley & Fatemi 2015, p. 135.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Nilufar was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Breyley & Fatemi 2015, p. 129.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Vogue-Olivier Lamm was invoked but never defined (see the help page).