Rahim Alhaj

• Genre: Middle East

About

A displaced Iraqi who fled the country in 1991 after being imprisoned, Rahim AlHaj knows more than his fair share about that country's troubles. But AlHaj has always been a musician first and foremost. He became a professional musician at the age of 14, studied with Munir Bashir, and quickly took up the oud again after making his way to New Mexico in 2000. AlHaj was honored with a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional World Album in 2008.

- Sarah Bardeen