Cheikh Namous

Cheikh Namous, also known by his birth name Mohamed Rechidi, is an Algerian musician, born in May 1920 in the Casbah of Algiers and died in January 2021. He is considered one of the first banjo performers in Algeria and has collaborated with figures of chaâbi music, such as Hadj El Anka, Dahmane El Harrachi. Cheikh Namous, born Mohamed Rechidi, was born in May 1920 in the Casbah of Algiers, into a family from Afir, Talarous village (near Dellys in the wilaya of Boumerdès). At the age of 12, he purchased his first guembri and demonstrated an early interest in music. After receiving his school certificate in 1933, he worked in various jobs, but his passion for music was always present. He began playing the mandola before becoming a virtuoso on the banjo, his instrument of choice. In the 1930s, he joined the orchestra led by Abderrahmane Sridek, then the orchestra of Hadj El Anka, where he was one of the first to introduce the banjo into the orchestra in 1941. He is known for being one ...