Sherali Jo‘rayev

Sherali Joʻrayev
Born	April 12, 1947 Asaka, Uzbek SSR, USSR
Genres	Traditional Uzbek music
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, poet, and actor
Years active	1976-present

Sherali Joʻrayev (Russified form Sherali Djurayev) (Uzbek: Sherali Joʻrayev, Шерали Жўраев) is a Turkish/Uzbek singer, songwriter, poet, and actor. He has been an influential figure in Uzbek cultural life for almost four decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1980s and 1990s.

Joʻrayev's lyrics have incorporated a variety of political, social, philosophical, and literary influences. Some of his lyrics have become part of everyday Uzbek vocabulary. While Joʻrayev usually writes both the music and lyrics to his songs, he has also used lines from the poems of Ali-Shir Nava'i, Babur, Jami, and Rumi in his songs.

In 1988, Joʻrayev wrote a book entitled Bola dunyoni tebratar (The Child is the Master of Earth). He wrote the screenplay and played the leading role in the 1989 film Sherali va Oybarchin (Sherali and Oybarchin). He was a member of the Supreme Soviet of Uzbekistan from 1990 to 1995.

Since 2002 government authorities have banned Joʻrayev's appearance on Uzbek television and radio stations. He has fallen out of favor with the Uzbek government for his critical remarks about the difficult economic situation in the country. The singer now avoids talking about the ban in public. He occasionally performs in other countries to popular acclaim.

Joʻrayev has won dozens of awards and nominations, including the title People's Artist of the Uzbek SSR (1987). In 1991, he received the Alisher Navoiy State Prize.

Life

Sherali Jorayev was born in 1947 in Asaka, then the Uzbek SSR. His exact birthday is unknown. He symbolically chose April 12 to be his birthday. Jorayev has stated that reason he chose this day is because on this day he entered inside of Kaaba. Jorayev graduated from the Tashkent Theater and Arts Institute in 1972. He has two sons and three daughters. Two of his sons, Shoh Jahon Jorayev and Zohir Shoh Jorayev, are also singers.

Professional career

From 1972 until 1979, Joʻrayev worked at the Shodlik Song and Dance Ensemble. From 1979 to 1986, he worked at the Andijan Province Philharmonic. From 1986 to 1996, he worked at the Uzbek State Philharmonic. Joʻrayev was a member of the Parliament of Uzbekistan from 1990 to 1995.

	"Karvon" Sample of "Karvon" ("Caravan"). "Karvon", recorded in 1985, is one of Joʻrayev's most famous songs.
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Throughout his long career, Joʻrayev has written and recorded hundreds of songs. His most famous songs include "Bahor ayyomi" ("Springtime") (lyrics taken from a Babur poem), "Birinchi muhabbatim" ("My First Love") (lyrics taken from an Abdulla Oripov poem ), "Inson qasidasi" ("The Ode to Man") (lyrics taken from an Erkin Vohidov poem), "Karvon" ("Caravan"), "Meni kutgil" ("Wait for Me") (lyrics taken from a Konstantin Simonov poem), "Oshiqlar sardori" ("The Leader of Lovers") (lyrics taken from a Rasul Gamzatov poem), "Oʻzbegim" ("My Uzbek People") (lyrics taken from an Erkin Vohidov poem), "Oʻxshamas" ("Peerless") (lyrics taken from an Ali-Shir Nava'i poem), and many others.

Joʻrayev's song Oʻzbegim was featured on the 2005 album Rough Guide to the Music of Central Asia which was released by World Music Network. In honor of Queen Elizabeth II's 78th birthday, British Ambassador Craig Murray welcomed more than a thousand guests to his residence in Tashkent on April 23, 2004. The celebrations featured Sherali Joʻrayev, Sevara Nazarkhan, and the Chamber Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Neimer. At the same time the British Embassy arranged a tour of Uzbekistan by Scotland's Battlefield Band, with whom Joʻrayev performed at the residency before a large and influential audience.

Joʻrayev's lyrics have incorporated a variety of political, social, philosophical, and literary influences. Some of his lyrics have become part of everyday Uzbek vocabulary. He is often invited to other countries, including Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Russia. While Joʻrayev usually writes both the music and lyrics to his songs, he has also used lines from the poems of Ali-Shir Nava'i, Babur, Jami, and Rumi in his songs. In 2008, Joʻrayev organized gatherings at his home to celebrate the works of Rumi.^[1]

In 1988, Joʻrayev wrote a book entitled Bola dunyoni tebratar (The Child is the Master of Earth).^[2] Joʻrayev wrote the screenplay and played the leading role in the 1989 film Sherali va Oybarchin (Sherali and Oybarchin).

Censorship

Since 2002 Uzbek government authorities have banned Joʻrayev's appearance on Uzbek television and radio stations because of his "alleged political unreliability".^[3] He has fallen out of favor with the Uzbek government for his critical remarks about the difficult economic situation in the country.^[4][5] The singer now avoids talking about the ban in public.^[6]

Awards

Joʻrayev has won dozens of awards and nominations, including the title People's Artist of the Uzbek SSR (1987).^[7] In 1991, he received the Alisher Navoiy State Prize.

References

1. "Sherali Joʻrayev gives a concert". RFE/RL's Uzbek Service (in Uzbek). 30 December 2008. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
2. "The Child is the Master of Earth". Biblus Bibliographical Catalogue (in Russian). Retrieved 30 January 2012.
3. "The art of propaganda". EurasiaNet. 7 October 2009. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
4. "Uzbekistan: National singer Sherali Joʻrayev is sixty. His concerts — banned by authorities". Ferghana News (in Russian). 26 April 2007. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
5. Tashpulatova, Feruza (28 November 2007). "People's Artist of Uzbekistan Sherali Joʻrayev upset by rumors about his kinship with a young singer". Ferghana News (in Russian). Retrieved 29 January 2012.
6. "Sherali Joʻrayev wants his sons to follow their own paths". BBC's Uzbek Service (in Uzbek). 25 August 2009. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
7. "Joʻrayev Sherali". Oʻzbekiston milliy ensiklopediyasi (in Uzbek). Toshkent: Oʻzbekiston milliy ensiklopediyasi. 2005.

External links

• Lyrics to Sherali Joʻrayev songs (Uzbek)