November 26, 1949
Israeli folk rock singer-songwriter and composer Shlomo Artzi is born on Moshav Alonei Abba, southeast of Haifa. In the course of his career, he sells more than 1.5 million albums, making him one of Israel’s most successful male singers.
Artzi spends most of his childhood in Tel Aviv. His father, Yitzhak, who served in the Knesset from 1984 to 1988, and his mother were Holocaust survivors. Artzi addresses “second generation” issues in his later songs, especially “In Germany Before the War” and “Like a Large Yard.”
He begins his musical career as a teenager by teaming up with female artist Ricki Gal to form the duo Tsemed Sinai (Sinai Pair). While serving in the IDF, Artzi is part of the Naval Entertainment Group and is its lead singer. After completing his army service, Artzi wins the 1970 Israel Song Festival and is voted Singer of the Year in 1972, the first of 10 times he wins that honor. On Israel’s 60th anniversary in 2008, Israel Television names him “The Singer of the 60 Years.”
In addition to his contributions to music and culture, Artzi gives his time freely to peripheral geographic areas of Israel. Artzi and his wife found a nonprofit organization that, among other projects, provides scholarships for students in Tel Aviv.
