Talal Maddah (5 August 1940 – 11 August 2000; Arabic: طلال مدَّاح) was a Saudi musician and composer. He was named Maddah after his mother's family. His fans called him "The Earth's Voice" (Arabic: صوت الارض), and he was also known as "The Golden Throat" (Arabic: الحنجرة الذهبية). He had a substantial influence over 20th century-Arabian culture. Talal Maddah began his career emulating Hijazi singers such as Hassan Jawa and Mohammed Ali Sindi. During his career, he participated in many festivals in Saudi Arabia between 1960 and 2000. He also participated in many festivals in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. Gradually, his music was introduced to the rest of the Arab world after his songs were played in Cairo. Egyptian composers like Mohammed Abdel Wahab, Mohammed Al Mogy and Baligh Hamdi began to write songs for him. In 1976, he had his first pan-Arab hit with "Muqadir". Over the course of his long career, Maddah collaborated with many composers, including Ibrahim Raafat, Gamal Salama, Tariq Abdul Hakim, Abu Bakr Salem Belfkih, Sami Ihsan and Mohammed Shafiq. He also discovered and trained fellow Khaliji singer Abadi al Johar.
Talal Maddah starred in a single movie, Fog Street (شارع الضباب), in 1965 with Lebanese singer Sabah. Maddah recorded about 66 official albums and 40 other albums. Maddah collapsed and died suddenly of a heart attack on Al Meftaha Stage (Arabic: مسرح المفتاحة) in front of his fans shortly after he performed an intro to one of his famous songs. The concert was aired live on Saudi National Television. Later on, the official Saudi news agency made a statement confirming his death and made a tribute to him and to his legacy. Maddah's funeral was held in the city of Jeddah. He is buried in the holy city of Makkah.
