Early Years
Cheikh Mohamed El-Basri was born on 30 April 1933 in Blida. He entered the musical world in 1964 when he joined the artistic circle of Abderrahmane Benachour. In 1970, he enrolled at the Municipal Conservatory of Blida to deepen his musical training.
Teaching and Leadership
After Dahmane Ben Achour passed away in 1976, El-Basri stepped in to continue the work. He trained many students who later joined Blida’s major musical associations. These included El-Widadia, Nedjma, El-Fen wel-Adab, Riadh El-Andalous and El-Adabia. Through this work, he helped shape a new generation of musicians.
Artistic Work
El-Basri performed in many concerts throughout his career. He also released an audio cassette titled “Ana el warda el meskina.” His dedication to Andalusian music earned him deep respect from both musicians and audiences.
Final Days
He passed away on 13 April 2001, shortly after his return from the Holy Sites of Islam. His family and students shared emotional memories of his life.
Family and Legacy
His widow described the tribute as a noble initiative and felt he deserved the honor. His daughter Hassiba said he was a generous man who made great contributions to Andalusian music. His sister recalled that he also wrote poetry. His son Abdelhakim expressed pride in the recognition his father received and remembered his words about the difficulty of Andalusian music. Another son, Nacerddine, said his father was also his closest friend for 35 years and felt honored that the Minister of Culture attended the tribute.
Tribute Evening
The tribute event featured performances by Sid Ali Benguergoura from Blida and Rachid Toumi from Algiers. Sid Ali, son of El-Hadj Mohamed Benguergoura of the El-Widadia Association, continues his father’s musical legacy and now teaches at the same association.
Rachid Toumi represented Algeria during the Year of Algeria in France. He is a musician and singer with the Regional Andalusian Music Ensemble of Algiers under Mekdad Zerrouk. Trained by Cheikh Sid Ahmed Serri, he mastered melhoune poetry, the nouba tradition and the full range of Andalusian modes. Through his performances in France, Morocco and Algeria, he became one of the recognized figures of Maghrebi musical heritage.