Mogadishu (SONNA) On November 25, 2021 as word spread on Thursday morning that one of Somalia’s best-known guitar players Moheidn Sheikh Mumin known to his fans as Jim, had passed away in Mogadishu.
Within hours of his death, fans and friends talked of his contribution and the tributes started flowing the announcement had thousands of responses from people paying their respects to the musician on social media.
The Late musician Jim Sheikh Mumin, it had been a long musical journey, beginning in 1963 and encompassing different music genres.
Musician Moheidin Sheikh Mumin, who died at the age of 81, was a former member of Onkod Ban. He was a superb guitarist and renowned music composer in Somalia. According to a rare interviews conducted by Omar Serbia- a journalist, Jim Sheikh Mumin was born in 1940 at Bula Burte District of Hiran Region.
His career spanned more than five decades. For 81 year-old Jim Sheikh Mumin, it had been a long musical journey, beginning in 1963 and encompassing different music genres from love songs to patriotic songs that resonates glory, beauty and heritage.
Jimmy style as his fans call him, was an exceptional guitarist and music composer. He is celebrated as the man with the talking guitar, his guitar playing style was unique something only exceptional musicians can do. His touch on the fretboard was just surreal, where his fingers would glide rather than hammer the strings.
You couldn’t miss his fantastic guitar solos if you were familiar with Jim Sheikh Mumim’s music. Such musicians are not created merely through practice or dedication, but somehow through natural born talent or a higher divine power. Musicians say that though he didn’t speak much, he displayed a great sense of humor. Clearly, he was someone who enjoyed his music. His guitar riffs were simply fantastic!
In the 1980s, Jim took that charisma beyond Onkod Band to Waberi Band and the National Theater, where he worked with the national music iconic of Somalia, such as, Hassan Aden Samatar and Mohamed Suleiman. There he composed the music of many songs that are considered today the gem of Somali music. Among the popular songs composed by Jimi are Dawooy by Samatar, Mataankeygii by Kinsi and Xarago and a long list of now popular songs. The songs that he composed were masterpieces that revealed insights into his skillful use of techniques and styles.
Over the past few years, he was living in Mogadishu where his health deteriorated considerably due to old age. In 2020 Jim Sheikh Mumin received a lifetime achievement award at a special event in honor of his music legacy hosted by ASTAAN Television. That was his last public appearance, that stage presence will be missed. The legacy and the sound of Jim’s guitar will continue in his compositions and the future generations will continue to listen to and be inspired.
He would be fondly remembered by us for his towering accomplishments. Everyone is in mourning because the Somali music has not just lost an icon; we have lost a special guy.
GOD bless the incredibly talented and irreplaceable Jim Sheihk Munin
Writer by:- Hussein Jaabir
