Odiljon Yusupov

Odiljon Yusupov was an Uzbek singer and musician, a performer of katta ashula and maqom, and People's Hafiz of Uzbekistan. He was born on 19 May 1928 in the village of Khojaobod in the Baliqchi district of the Andijan region and died on 4 September 1993 in Tashkent.

He learned katta ashula and maqom from teachers including Mo'min qori, H. Fozilov, M. Nishonov, Mamatkhoja eshon, Saidali qori, Shokir qori and Jo'rakhon Yusupov, and later performed alongside them. He sang ghazals by Navoi, Fuzuli, Babur, Mashrab, Yassawi, Muqimi, Furqat, Makhtumkuli, Hazini and Habibi, and played the doira, dutar, ghijjak, tar and tanbur.

From 1950 to 1955 he was a singer at the people's theatre of the Norin district. From 1956 he led the amateur ensemble Zilol in the Baliqchi district (later given the title of a folk ethnographic ensemble) and the same year founded the ensemble Tarona there, which also received the folk ensemble title. In 1972 he took part in the Uzbek Television programme «Marhabo, talantlar», and in 1981 he graduated from the Namangan cultural-educational technical school.

In 1985 he toured Europe with his student Nabijon Saidnazarov, performing at a festival in Italy, France and Switzerland. In 1990 he founded a school of katta ashula performance in Baliqchi. His students include the Vahobov brothers, A. Shokirov, M. Rahmatullayev and his own sons Abduvahob, Abdusattor and Zokirjon Odilov.

His performances are kept in the Golden Fund of the National Television and Radio Company of Uzbekistan; the video films «Ochun», «Odil hofiz» and «Meros» survive. He was given the title People's Hafiz of Uzbekistan. Songs known from his repertoire include «Jononim mening», «Sarafroz etgali keldik», «Aylansin ko'ngling», «Qoyilman» and «Dugohi Husayniy», and the katta ashula pieces «Bo'lib dilbar» and «Ey sanam».