The circumstances Cheikha Rimitti grew up, recall the hard lives of many jazz and blues musicians. She was born in 1923 as El Saadi Ghizania in northwestern Algeria, and already lost both parents at a young age. As a child, she worked on the land and they therefore remained illiterate all her life. Through a group of traveling artists she rolled in her career as a singer. She was one of the founders
… of the rai and sang in Oran cafés on subjects that were taboo in conservative Algeria. In 1952 she recorded her first album. Partly because of the controversial nature of her repertoire Rimitti moved in 1978 to France. In the nineties gave her career a boost at the age of 70. With the help of producer Houari Talbi trickled also influences from rock, blues and ambient by its characteristic sound. In 2006 died 'la mamie du rai', two days after her last performance.more
