Biography

Messaoud Bellemou (Arabic: مسعود بلمو‎) is an Algerian musician. Born in 1947 in Aïn Témouchent, he greatly influenced modern raï from its beginnings. Often nicknamed as the "father of modern raï", he first became known as a trumpeter, subsequently playing other instruments such as the saxophone, violin and accordion. He is the one who made the connection between the ancestral gasba (the flute) and the trumpet, thus modernizing the traditional raï. Messaoud Bellemou comes from a family of farmers.