Biography
Hakim was born in Maghagha, a small town in Al Minya, Egypt. Hakim grew up with the sound of working-class tradition of Sha'abi; the root of southern Egyptian. He became influenced by the great Sha'bi singer Ahmed Adaweyah and began practicing Mawals, the vocal improvisations which begin a traditional Sha'bi song. At fourteen years old he formed a band and started performing at parties and school functions with the accompaniment of a tabla, duff, and an accordion, playing covers of classic Sha'bi hits by Ahmed Adaweya, Mohamed El Ezabi, and Abdel Ghani Al Sayed. Soon the band was a hit and expanded by adding keyboards and drums and performing all over the Minya province.
His father, the mayor of Maghagha, wished that he would get a higher degree, and although Hakim loved singing, and wanted it to be his career, he bowed to his father’s wishes and attended the Al-Azhar University in Cairo, graduating in 1983 with a degree in communications. But while in the capital, he kept up his musical interests, meeting new people at the cafes on Mohammed Ali Street, including the accordionist Ibrahim El Fayoumi, who became like a god father to him.
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