Yousif Hatem - Uncovering Life Fragments of an Elusive and Exclusive Alamphon Records' Singer
Yousif Hatem - Uncovering Life Fragments of an Elusive and Exclusive Alamphon Records' Singer Yousif Hatem as seen on an Alamphon Records sleeve. Courtesy of Richard M. Breaux collection. Some of the most elusive Arab American musicians are those who recorded at one time or another for Farid Alam Al-Din’s Alamphon Records. Started in Manhattan’s Little Syria, but mostly associated with either its 208 State Street, 123 Court Street, or 182 Atlantic Avenue addresses in Brooklyn, New York, Alamphon Records tend to be not very sought after by collectors. The label itself turns up frequently and collectors consider them to be relatively common, as 78 rpm labels go. Previously, we’ve explored the stories of some of Alamphon’s most well-known artists including Amer & Sana Kadaj , Elie Baida , Toufic Barham , and George Berbari ; however, several other Alamphon musicians remain virtually unknown outside certain record specialists – George Farah, Mahgoub Elsayed, Salem Amran, and Wafa ...