Remembering Afghanistan's Elvis

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Ahmad Zahir with his dark shock of hair, sultry voice and overwhelming stage presence more than earned the nickname "The Afghan Elvis" but he was so much more. He remains Afghanistan’s most beloved musician even though he died at the age of 33 after a short, dazzling career. Ahmad Zahir was killed in a mysterious car crash in the terrible year of 1979, when violence and mayhem were sweeping the country following Soviet invasion. The aching love songs of Ahmad Zahir are the mix tape for generations of exiles and Afghans who stayed on through the Taliban era and beyond, binding together millions of people despite their differences. His grave remains a site of pilgrimage and has been rebuilt since the Taliban blew it up, intending to blast away pop music for ever. To hear Ahmad Zahir on his legendary live performances on Radio Kabul or on any of his 22 albums is to understand an Afghanistan beyond its politics. He fused Western musical styles with Indian classical forms and the tender poetry of the ancient Persian classics like Rumi, Hafiz, Maulana Jami and the Afghan poet Khalilullah Khalili…whilst also belting out Elvis’s 'It’s Now or Never' or playing around with other Western pop hits like 'Que Sera, Sera'. Monica Whitlock hears a new generation of musicians interpret some Ahmad Zahir classics and explores the life and lasting impact of the "Afghan Elvis". (Photo: Ahmad Zahir, Afghanistan's king of pop 1946-1979, featured in Zhvandun magazine 1980. Credit: LIbrary of Congress/World Digital Library)