El Hadj Mahfoud (Arabic: الحاج المحفوظ) was born on March 3, 1903, in Blida, Algeria. He became an important artist in Algerian classical music and remained active until the early 1970s. He passed away on July 22, 1979.
In 1936, El Hadj Mahfoud Mahieddine joined El Ouidadia, which Si Mahieddine Lekhal led at the time. This step marked the beginning of his long artistic journey.
Later, in 1944, he started giving live concerts on Radio Algiers. The Fekhardji brothers directed the orchestra, and their collaboration helped him gain more recognition.
For many years afterwards, he performed at family gatherings and religious events. However, in 1954, he chose to stop all artistic activity.
After Algeria gained independence in 1962, he returned to the stage and performed again on the RTA (Radiodiffusion-Télévision Algérienne). He continued until 1970, when he decided to retire for good.
In 1953, El Hadj Mahfoud Mahieddine married the famous Algerian painter Baya, whose work later became known around the world.