Rachid Nouni (Arabic: رشيد نوني), born on May 5, 1943, in Blida, Algeria, and passed away on March 2, 1999, was an Algerian chaâbi performer.
Deeply drawn to Oriental music, he began in the 1950s by humming the melodies of Mohammed Abdel Wahab. A lover of the guesba flute and admirer of Cheikh Bouras, he joined the Union Artistique Populaire, a chaâbi music group, during the first years after Algeria’s independence. There, he performed as a terrar (chorus singer) and drabki (percussionist) under the direction of Mohamed Bouzerar.
The group included Settouf, Tass, Mrizek, Semmad, Hadj Benchoubane (in charge of Bouzerar’s theater section), and Ali Métidji, the orchestra conductor. The troupe remained highly active. With the help of Hadj Mohamed Saoudi, a pastry chef from Rue Baj, Rachid Nouni refined his mandole playing skills.
A finance employee at the Crédit Populaire Algérien by profession, Rachid Nouni possessed a velvety voice with smooth, drawn-out tones. For him, chaâbi was never a job it was an art. Describing himself modestly as a “local singer,” he recorded five audio cassettes in 1993. He also had a great appreciation for Verlaine’s poetry and jazz music.