Background and career
George Wassouf (Arabic: جورج وسوف; born 23 December 1961) is a Syrian singer. In a career spanning more than four decades, he has released more than 30 albums, with a significantly large audience of fans throughout the Arab world. Dubbed Sultan El-Tarab (Arabic: سلطان الطرب), he is one of the most successful Arab singers selling over 60 million records worldwide.
Wassouf was born in Kafroun, Syria to a Greek Orthodox Christian family. Wassouf started singing at the age of 9 in his hometown Kafroun. He was discovered by his first manager and producer George Yazbeck at a wedding party that Wassouf was performing at, aged 12 years old. At the age of 16, he was called Sultan El-Tarab (The Sultan of Music) by the Lebanese journalist George Ibrahim El Khoury, a magazine director, with his classic song "el-Hawa Sultan". At age 19, he appeared on the 1980 Lebanese show Studio El Fan as Sultan of Tarab. Wassouf also holds Lebanese citizenship. Wassouf preferred not to shoot music videos for his songs saying: "I don't feel I can act... I really can't... I only find myself when I'm on the stage... singing, but the video clip forces me to act".
George Wassouf married his first wife, Shalimar, at the age of 21. They had three children: Wadih, Hatem and George Jr. The couple separated after 28 years of marriage in 2009. On January 6, 2023, their eldest son Wadih died due to complications from a gastric bypass surgery. In 2014, he married Qatar rally champion Nada Zeidan, his second wife. They divorced in 2016. Their daughter, Oyoon, was born in October 2015. Wassouf was a prominent supporter of President Bashar al-Assad's government throughout the Syrian Civil War. In 2008, he was arrested in Sweden for possession of cocaine.
1983: Ouwidni Salmtek Byied Allah 1984: El Hawa Sultan 1992: Rouh El Rouh 1993: She' Ghareeb 1995: Kalam El Nass 1997: Leil Al Ashiqeen 1998: Lissa El Dounya Bi Khair 1999: Tabeeb Garrah 2000: Dol Mush Habayib 2001: Zaman El Ajayib 2002: Inta Gherhom 2003: Salaf Wi Deine 2004: Etakhart Kteer 2006: Heya El Ayam 2008: Kalamak Ya Habibi 2009: Allah Kareem, Shoukran 2012: Best of Wassouf 2015: Shtaanelak
Sings Oum Kolthoum Vol. 1, 1983. Sings Oum Kolthoum Vol. 2, 1995. Sings Oum Kolthoum Vol. 3, 1997. Sings Abdel Halim Hafez, 1998. Sings Warda, 1999
"Ahla Ayam El Omr", 1995. "Amri Lellah", 1995. "Mahlak Tmahal Ya Malak", 1995. "Rahal El Batal", 2000. "Ferhat Rejouak Ya Loubnan", 2010. "Dawarat El Ayam", 2010. "Aady Ya Donia", 2011. "Biyehsedouni", 2011. "Seket El Kalam", 2013 "Bisaalouni Aleik", 2013. "Ya Oumi", 2013. "Zekrayat", 2013. "Shouq El Omr", 2013. "Tarakni Ghab", 2014. "Bandahlak", 2017. "Malikat Gamal El Rouh", 2018 "Hal El Garih", 2019. "Sahi El Leil", 2020. "Byetkallem Aalaya", 2022. "Noss Omry", 2023.
