Aissa Merzougui, known as Aissa Djermouni, or Aïssa L'Jarmouni, born in 1886 in El Madfoun, in the commune of Oum El Bouaghi in Algeria and died in Aïn Béïda on December 16, 1946, was a chaoui singer and poet. He has recorded over 35 traditional Chaoui songs. In 1937, he was the first Muslim and African singer to perform at the Olympia. It is said that Aissa Djermouni, as illiterate as he was, found alone the words that made up his songs; same
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Aissa Merzougui, known as Aissa Djermouni, or Aïssa L'Jarmouni, born in 1886 in El Madfoun, in the commune of Oum El Bouaghi in Algeria and died in Aïn Béïda on December 16, 1946, was a chaoui singer and poet. He has recorded over 35 traditional Chaoui songs. In 1937, he was the first Muslim and African singer to perform at the Olympia. It is said that Aissa Djermouni, as illiterate as he was, found alone the words that made up his songs; same for the musical tunes that he hummed and that Med Ben Zine immediately performed with his "gasba" (nai-like flute). It was said that their genius was due to a blessing from Sheikh Zouaoui, a holy man that everyone respected for his devotion to God and his benefits for the destitute and the sick. On the day of his death, all of his home town's traders lowered their curtains and Hadj Mohamed Ben Zine broke his flute and swore not to play it ever again.
