Harout Pamboukjian

Harout Pamboukjian (Armenian: Հարութ Փամբուկչյան; Western Armenian: Յարութ Փամպուքճեան; born July 1, 1950), known as Dzakh Harut (Ձախ Հարութ; Left Harout), is an Armenian pop singer living in Los Angeles. His Armenian dance, folk, and revolutionary and romantic songs make him a favorite among Armenians worldwide.

Early life

In his early teens, he took lessons in many musical instruments including the guitar, the bouzouki and saz (stringed instruments), the dhol (drums) and the piano, later forming a band called Erebouni. His interest in music was initially influenced by his mother, a singer. Erebouni went from village to village playing everything from Charles Aznavour to Deep Purple and Elvis, at weddings and universities. Due to restrictions under the Soviet Union, Harout and most of his family left Soviet Armenia in 1975. After a year in Lebanon, he went to Los Angeles and took up residence in Hollywood. He has one son, who was born in 1980.

Music career

Only two months after his arrival in Los Angeles, Harout put together a studio band and recorded his first album, "Our Eyir Astvats" (Where Were You, God?), in reference to the Armenian genocide[citation needed] at the Quad Teck studio.

That first album barely resembles the sound he has since become known for. Instead of the duduk or synths, there are clarinet, organ and a lot of bass. Only a few of the songs on the first are dance-oriented, differing from the material that later made him popular at weddings. This made him popular and branded him the nickname "The Armenian Wedding Singer".

Harout Pamboukjian with Ruben Hakhverdyan in Yerevan, 2012

Harout has interpreted songs composed by artists such as Ruben Hakhverdyan, Robert Amirkhanyan and Arthur Meschian. But it's the centuries-old folk tunes about protecting the soil and fighting in the highlands—"Antranik Pasha," "Sassouni Orore," "Msho Aghchig"—that appeal to his fans' nationalistic pride. He's most fond of Rouben Hakhverdian, including the 1996 almost all-acoustic "Yerke Nayev Aghotk Eh" (Songs Are Also Prayers). Harout has also covered favorites like "Nuné". He wrote a song called "Zokanch", about an old Soviet era warship.

A year after the 1988 Armenian earthquake, which killed 25,000 people and left many more homeless, hundreds of thousands of fans looking for some kind of temporary diversion from the devastation, packed the Hrazdan stadium and Karen Demirchyan Complex to hear 28 concerts by Harout.

In 2008, Harout appeared as children's music singer Bread Harrity on the sketch comedy show Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, performing a song about spaghetti and meatballs.

Pamboukjian has released over 20 albums. Some of his famous interpretations include "Asmar Aghchig" (Dark Skinned Girl), "Zokanch" (Mother-in-law), "Msho Aghchig" (Girl from Mush), "Msho Dashter" (Fields of Mush), "Hye Kacher" (Armenian Heroes), "50 Daree" (50 Years) and "Hey Jan Ghapama"