Sattar

With command of the vocal techniques and musical heritage needed to excel in classical Iranian traditions, Sattar ranks among the country’s most respected pop vocalists. Before the upheavals of the late 1970s he had already become a favored performer for the Pahlavi Royal Family. Across a thirty-five-year career he has received numerous honors recognizing both his charity performances and his contributions to traditional and popular Persian music.

Born Abdolhassan Sattar Pour in Tehran in 1949, he first drew widespread attention at age twenty-two with the song “Khaneh Be Doush” (Vagabond), written for the television series Morad Barghi and featuring lyrics by Iraj Jannati Ataee and music by Babak Bayat. Although he began as a traditional singer in the early 1970s, his style gradually incorporated Middle Eastern pop elements by the decade’s end. Because Iranian classical music employs its own classification system, his voice does not map neatly onto standard Western ranges, yet it is frequently described as tenor-like.

Sattar departed Iran in 1978 and established his base in Los Angeles. By 2007 he had recorded more than 270 songs and issued thirty albums, several of them Bazm (shindig) projects originally captured live for Iranian national television before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. In his pop work he consistently incorporates Persian instruments, thematic material, and folk melodies, preserving a distinctly Iranian character. Since relocating he has released material through Caltex Records, Taraneh Records, and Avang Music while performing in twenty-three countries; his 2006 album Golbanoo appeared on the Taraneh label.

Among his widely recognized hits are “Gol e Pouneh” (Bee Balm Bud), “Bahar E Man Gozashteh Shayad” (My Blossom May Have Gone), “Shazdeh Khanoom” (Princess)—reportedly composed for the daughter of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi—“Shahr E Gham” (Town of Sorrow), “Hamsafar” (Fellow Traveler), and “Man Ro Natarsoon” (Do Not Frighten Me). Numerous artists have covered “Gol E Sangam.”

In September 2004 the International Further Studies Institute (IFSI) awarded him an Honorary Doctorate for his humanitarian efforts and his work in Persian music. In October 2005 he received two Golden Lioness Statuettes from The World Academy of Arts, Literature, and Media (WAALM) for his mastery of both traditional and pop styles; Sattar is also an Academy Award winner. ~ Pouya Partovi