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 of the first banjo musicians in Algerian orchestras. During the 1950s, he worked with the Kabyle radio orchestra under the direction of Nourdine Meziane. He works in particular Chérifa, Djida, Djamila, Rabah Taleb, Abdiche Belaïd, Akli Yahyaten, Arab Ouzelague. Cheikh Namous is considered a pioneer of chaâbi music, thanks to his mastery of the banjo and his impact on this musical genre.

After Algeria's independence, he continued to work with performers of the genre, such as El Hachemi Guerouabi, Boudjemaâ El Ankis, Amar Ezzahi and Dahmane El Harrachi. He also founded a music school where he trained several generations of musicians and was considered the dean of Algerian musicians. His nickname Namous (“mosquito”) was given to him because of his boundless activity and his speed in his musical playing.

Namous is the father of 14 children. He died at the age of 101, at his home in the popular district of Diar Djemaâ, in El Harrach (Algiers), on the night of Monday to Tuesday of January 19, 2021.