Shlomo Artzi

Shlomo Artzi's Ahavtihem CD cover Shlomo Artzi (Hebrew: שלמה ארצי ) is a famous Israeli singer and composer. He was born in kibbutz Aloney Aba, Israel , on November 26 , 1948 . He spent his childhood in Ramat Israel and, when he was 8 years old, his family moved to northern Tel-Aviv . Artzi's schoolmates thought he would become an actor, more than a musician. However, at the age of 12 he started playing the guitar and singing in a boy-scouts group. During his military service, Shlomo Artzi sang for the successful Army Group, to later record a single. Surprisingly, he won the first prize in a song contest with his song Pitom Achshav, Pitom Hayom (Suddenly Now, Suddenly Today), also known as Ahavtiha (I loved her). After the Army, he worked hard to become a well-known musician and sang everywhere he could. In 1975 he was selected to represent Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest . The selected song was At Ve'Ani (You and Me), composed by legendary Israeli singer and songwriter Ehud Manor . To catch the moment, Artzi recorded a whole new record in less than 2 weeks. However, At Ve'Ani didn't win the contest, and the album was a big disappointment. In 1976 Shlomo Artzi recorded a selection of his best songs from the period 1970-1973. He recorded He Lost His Way , a sort of last good-bye to the business. Nevertheless, the album was a big success and opened a new door to Artzi's career. In 1979 he recorded Drachim (Ways), with a fresher style. His 1981 LP Chatzot (Midnight) was the second part of Drachim . In 1980 Artzi started his own radio show on Israel's Army Radio, Galey Tsahal . In this show, he talks about the week's headlines and tells interesting stories he had heared or seen during the week. Od Lo Shabat (It isn't Saturday yet) is still broadcasted every Friday at 13:10 local time. His records Tirkod (Dance, in 1984), "Layla Lo Shaket" (Restless Night, in 1986), and Chom Yuli August (July August Heat, in 1988), are milestones of Israeli songwriting in the eighties. In 1995 the best Israeli musicians recorded together a CD in the memory of Yitzhak Rabin . Shlomo Artzi played two songs during the memorial service, which later became anthems of those days -- Haish Hahu (That Man) and Uf Gozal (Fly Little One). In 1996 he recorded with singer Rita a CD called Shnayim (Two), which has sold 160,000 copies. Containing his best love songs, Artzi released Ahavtihem (I Have Loved Them). His last album Tzima'on (Thirst), released in 2002, sold 150,000 and remains one of Israel's biggest bestsellers.¹