Sherali Jo'rayev

Sherali Jo'rayev, born Shermat, was born in 1947 in the Asaka district of the Andijan region (then called the Lenin district). His birthday is officially taken to be 12 April, although some sources note that the date is approximate. He studied acting at the Tashkent Theatre and Art Institute (now the State Institute of Arts and Culture of Uzbekistan) and graduated in 1971.

He began on stage in the early 1970s with the Shodlik song and dance ensemble. From 1979 to 1986 he was a soloist of the Andijan regional philharmonic, from 1986 to 1996 of the Uzbek State Philharmonic, then worked with the Uzbeknavo variety association, and from 2017 with the state institution Uzbekconcert.

He composed the music for most of his songs and wrote the words for some of them. His repertoire drew on the poems of classical authors such as Alisher Navoiy, Babur, Mashrab, Jami and Rumi, and of modern poets such as Erkin Vohidov and Abdulla Oripov. His best-known songs include “Birinchi muhabbatim”, “Inson qasidasi”, “Karvon”, “Oshiqlar sardori” and “O'zbegim”. He performed some six hundred songs in all, and released albums including “Karvon” (1986) and “Kuy sehri” (1987).

He received the title Honoured Artist of the Uzbek SSR in 1981 and People's Artist of the Uzbek SSR in 1987, and the Alisher Navoiy State Prize in 1991. In 1989 he played the lead role in the musical film “Sherali va Oybarchin” and took part in writing its screenplay. From 1990 to 1995 he was a deputy of the Supreme Council. In 1998 he published the book “Bola — yerning sultoni” (“The Child, Sultan of the Earth”).

For many years his work was kept off state television; after 2016 the restriction was lifted and he returned to the screen and to large stages. In 2018 he received the Order “Fidokorona xizmatlari uchun” and the title People's Artist of Tajikistan, and in 2022, on his 75th birthday, the Order “El-yurt hurmati”.

In 2023 his collection of poems “Bir qo'shiq kuylayki…” appeared and he became a member of the Writers' Union of Uzbekistan. Sherali Jo'rayev died in Tashkent on 4 September 2023 after a long illness; the funeral prayer was held at the Ko'kcha mosque. In February 2024 the President proposed naming an art school in Andijan after him and erecting his bust there.