Midwest Mahjar: The Recorded Sounds of the Arabic-Speaking Diaspora in the United States at 78 RPM

  From Mahjar to Mahrajan to Mainstream:  Nick Anthony's Journey from Lead Singer to Solo Artist Nick Anthony c. 1962. The Salt Lake City Tribune, 7 September 1962. Courtesy of Newspapers.com Ever since we came across his image and name in an advertisement for a Gala Hafla in a 1957 Caravan newspaper, we’ve been intrigued by the story of Nick Anthony . In the era of hair grease, pompadour hairstyles, and the popularization of rock music, Nick Anthony or Nick Anthony and the Starfires started their career as the "American entertainment" at Arab American haflat and mahrajanat.  An important feature of the hafla and mahrajan emerged in the 1950s as the U.S.-born children and grandchildren of Arabic-speaking immigrants attended cultural celebrations and events with their elders but spoke and understood less and less Arabic. Organizers of hafla and mahrajan began dividing the entertainment between acts who sang in Arabic and those that performed in English. These single-day a...

  Petrophon Records: A Rare Arab American Record Label Releases Patriotic Songs at World War II's Beginning Petrophon Record featuring Najeeba Morad on vocals and Petro Trabulsi leading the orchestra in his own composition. Courtesy of Richard M. Breaux collection. https://youtu.be/MDhAPoCpLNg   Until a few years ago, we had never heard of Petrophon Records, nor had we seen their label. A Grand Rapids, Michigan record collector listed two or three 78 rpm records featuring Najeeba Morad on the popular auction site eBay in 2021. These records were not pressed on the well-known Morad Records, later operated by Najeeba and her family, these were both on Petrophon Records.  Najeeba Morad Karam, 1944. Courtesy of  Ad-Deleel. LOC. Close examination of these two discs reveals that Petro Trabulsy or Peter Trabulsi and his Arabian Orchestra backed Najeeba Morad on these sides. Petro Trabulsy was the “Petro” from which Petrophon derived. The label also notes that Petro compos...

  One of America’s First Child Music Groups: The Zamelkani Trio/Corey Trio Richard, Robert, & George Zamelkani performed as the Zamelkani Trio. They later became the Corey Trio.  Caravan 21 September 1961. Courtesy of Newspapers.com We have highlighted the lives, music, and careers of numerous Arab American music pioneers but few fit in the category of the musicians featured in this blog post. As someone who attempted to gather a group of my own friends aged 10 and under into a band when I was six or seven, after I received a partial drum set from my parents as a Christmas gift, I was riveted to come across the Zamelkani Trio . The group of Arab American children stood as trailblazers on the American music scene. For one, when they started performing in May 1955, the three brothers George, Robert, and Richard Zamelkani were 7, 4, and 2 1/2. Their ages made them one of the youngest singing groups in any language   in the United States. To be sure, Frankie Lymon, of Fr...