From Opera to Orientalism:
The Untold Story of Mohammed El-Bakkar
In this video essay I produced for my YouTube channel, I tell the story of Mohammed El-Bakker, a prolific but little-known Lebanese musician who went from singing opera and starring in movies in Egypt to helping kickstart a wave of belly dance records in New York City in the 1950s. Along the way, I also touch on the history of Arab immigration to the United States, the birth of the Middle Eastern night club, and the unexpected intersection of jazz and Islam among African Americans.
