Hany Shaker, famed Egyptian musician, composer and singer turns 63 Monday and to celebrate his birthday, the StepFeed staff decided to compile a list of a few things you might not know about the star.
1. His first public appearance was with Abdel Halim Hafez
He sang alongside Abdel Halim Hafez 's choral group Sora.
2. He played a young Sayed Darwish
After appearing with Halim's Sora, Shaker went on to portray the "Father of Egyptian Music," Sayed Darwish .
3. He became a musical sensation in Lebanon after his performance in 1974
At the young age of 22, Shaker was invited to perform in Lebanon in 1974 and due to the overwhelming success of the concert, Shaker has since become a Lebanese favorite.
4. He started playing the piano at the age of 7
Shaker showed interest in music at the tender of age of 7 and when his mother saw how much passion he had for music, she became his agent and supervised all his professional training. He also loves to play other musical instruments including the guitar and the keyboards.
5. He had a daughter that passed away
Shaker's daughter, Dina, was diagnosed with late stage stomach cancer. Though multiple trips were made by the family to several European countries in desperate attempts to save Dina's life, she passed away on June 22, 2011.
6. Shaker found solace in music following Dina's death
With a painful loss of his child, Shaker was only able to mourn through music. He wrote, composed and sang "Saab Jiddan" (It's Very Tough), about Dina.
7. He's one of the richest Arab celebrities
After recording over 460 songs, 29 albums and three successful Egyptian film, Shaker's net worth is estimated to be $50 million, beating Amr Diab's $41 million.
8. Shaker is the chairman of the Egyptian Musicians' Syndicate
Shaker was voted as Chairman of the Musicians' Syndicate in August and has big plans to provide more opportunities to upcoming artists, according to Al Bawaba .
9. He received an Honorary Award on Morocco's Youth Day
Youth Day in Morocco is held annually on Aug. 21 and it marks the birthday of Kind Mohammed VI. In this year's celebrations, which was held at the king's palace in Tangier, Shaker received an honorary award, the Commander Medal, for his lifelong work that continues to inspire young musicians from around the region.