Wafic's
Biography
Wafic on Wafic Khalil
I was born in Lebanon to a mother with a beautiful voice and a poet father (founder of the Poetry group “Hassoun el-Ghareed”) in a family that would include an oldest daughter and a middle son. My father had a small butcher shop to support his family –and his poetry- and a restaurant where my mother was the only cook and the customers came for a chance to have homemade meals.
My family led a pretty regular life prior to the beginning of the Lebanese civil war. Our father had a lot of friends that visited the house. A combination of poets, singers and people in the arts filled the evenings with singing and Zajal.
My poet father was elected president of the Poets Guild and most poets of that era used to come by the restaurant to recite their new poems and get his opinion on their new work. Since I was the youngest of the family, I spent my free time working as an extra dishwasher in the family restaurant and sometimes as a busboy/waiter as needed. I loved and cherished meeting different people and listening to poets, new poems and the discussions that followed.
My childhood was filled with singing, writing, performing plays at school and with the neighborhood kids. I had a pet named Sami. Sami was actually a sheep that I decided to rescue from the “butcher’s hands”, so I made him my pet. He followed me everywhere without a leash, ate ice cream, and chewed gum. People used to point at him, which made me proud to be the kid who ‘tamed’ a sheep. I took care of him until he was stolen at the beginning of the civil war. I think the neighbors were bothered by his bleat (cry) every time I left him, so they arranged for the sheep to be ‘stolen’.
The civil war in Lebanon began when I was pretty young. I was constantly living in fear. I grew up with the sounds of shells exploding nearby and constantly feared big, fat, bearded militia men storming our shop anytime asking for extortion money. For the most part, despite the war, I had a wonderful childhood.
Soon after, my brother came to visit from the United States where he went to study because of the civil war. Israel had just invaded Lebanon (for the second time) and the war was intensifying. My parents decided it was best for me to continue my studies in the States. I applied for a student visa and was accepted at a college in Andover, Massachusetts. Now I would study English and be able to artistically express myself in Arabic, French and English, or so I thought.
Lawrence, Massachusetts -my home for the next seven years - was voted the worst city in the U.S. that year. It was at the very bottom of the list.
I loved that city. I saw nothing but beauty in every corner. I remember going by a new bridge that was built few months prior to my coming to the U.S., and I immediately recognized it as one of the locations I saw in a dream that I had as a child in Lebanon. I remembered that dream vividly the following day. I did not know where that bridge was located (I had not yet visited the U.S.) and years later there it was, newly built, and I was staring at it. I was happy with this new chapter of my life and the bridge solidified the feeling that I was in the right place.
I got involved with local organizations that celebrated the history of Lawrence as an immigrant city. I did a few lectures –with my broken English– about poetry in Lebanon, and I translated a few poems. I talked about Khalil Gibran and was proud of him being of Lebanese descent. I entered poetry contests and got rejected every time. I quickly realized I still had a long road to travel if I were ever to write poetry in English. I was shy and ashamed of speaking with an accent, so I chose computer science major because it did not require a lot of English. Short of one semester in graduating with a degree in Computer Science, I decided to follow my heart and major in Filmmaking. I applied to Massachusetts College of the Arts and got accepted in the film department. I accepted myself as someone who speaks with an accent. I became more confident. I became the president of Student Government. I met an eclectic mix of people and made great friends. We had lots of discussions about art, I learned how to tap dance, I painted, and took glass blowing. College was a blast. I started a weekly Arabic show, Mishwar, at a local radio station. I even formed a church choir that brought me friendships that continue to this day.
Seven years after I left Lebanon, my mother was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a form of cancer in bone marrow.
I called the hospital in Lebanon where she was spending her last days as I would learn later on and got to talk to her. The war was severe and different factions were shelling each other for weeks. Phone lines were cut off, I picked up the phone in the U.S., asked the AT&T operator to try and call the hospital. The operator informed me that she was not able to connect to Lebanon for a week due to heavy fighting. I asked her to try one more time. The phone rang inside the hospital.
Years later, dad told me that a nurse was running through the hallways yelling about the miracle of a call that came through from the U.S. while they could not reach the neighbors up the street.
When I placed the call I did not know that my mother had been unresponsive for several days. When my seemingly unconscious mother was told “your son, Wafic, is on the line”, she immediately awakened. Her voice sounded like her normal voice, just softer. I promised to come see her at Christmas when I wasn’t so busy and it might be safer to travel to Lebanon. Afterwards my dad took the receiver. I told him that mom sounded great. He did not say a word. I hung up and went to bed. I woke up in the morning and went to work at a pizza shop at a nearby beach. A little while later, my brother called. Mom had left us. She died six months after she got diagnosed.
I never got to say goodbye but at least I had heard her voice one last time. Many years later and I still miss her very much.
A new chapter in my life began when I moved to California. I enrolled in the Master’s program at California Institute of the Arts and got accepted. I wanted to move to California to be close to the film industry. Once I got situated at CalArts, I became president of Student Government; it was a great way to meet people. I took an acting class, and when the teacher offered to help me get rid of my accent, I realized how much I appreciated my “unique” way of speaking English.
By now, I had an accent infused with a mix of New England, California, French and Lebanese pronunciation. It was my calling card, a conversation starter. I politely refused her offer. I made a feature film for my thesis. I performed at the World Music Day and I was more drawn to music.
Back in the days in Massachusetts, I sang in a band called Alwan to pay for my college tuition. Recalling those times inspired me to give singing a serious look by professionally recording a Christmas album. I had been writing lyrics and composing music since I was a kid. It was time to let the world hear it. During this time, I recorded a song about Lebanon that was never released [hear the song.] I produced a tape cassette of six songs, Jayee Papa Noel, and collaborated with a friend from school, Eric Geoffery, and also Peter Stuber, a long-time friend and musician. It did well regionally and the modest success encouraged me to do more.
After graduating with a Master’s degree in Fine Arts and while trying to break into the “business’, I decided to be practical and get a side job. I tried out a number of short-term jobs. I delivered pizza and got to know L.A. streets and short cuts in the process (that was prior to GPS), sold products by phone, and established an online business via Ebay. But the arts were my passion. I decided to combine community service and my film career. I became the director of St. Jude Choir in West Covina, California. and also set out to finish my first feature film. I formed a production company and made a documentary about 9/11 all the while yearning to sing again. The No More Pita Bread -9/11 documentary played a week in Los Angeles and got me some media attention.
That long-sought goal fulfilled, I decided it was time to visit Lebanon after 23 years of absence. I rekindled my love for this beautiful little country on the Mediterranean Sea. The civil war had ended and the country was being rebuilt. I left it a child at heart and came back to it a man; who was still a child at heart. I did a couple of radio and print interviews and came back to the U.S.
For the Christmas season of 2007, my production company released the CD Talj el Milad. It contained eight new Christmas songs and two New Year’s songs. I set out to promote it directly to the people. I sold it in churches and grocery stores throughout the U.S. and Canada and on the internet. It sold out on Amazon the first year. I started getting letters encouraging me to do more music and publish more songs.
For the Christmas season of 2008, I followed my first CD with a second one titled, Jayee Papa Noel. It was a combination of six re-mastered songs from the original tape cassette and four new Christmas songs with one Epiphany song. In 2009, my song Jayee La’ena was nominated for best Christmas Song at the Just Plain Folks Awards in Nashville, Tennessee. I visited Lebanon that year to attend the wedding of my niece. That celebration brought the family together at the same time in the same place for the first time in 28 years. I stayed to celebrate Christmas and New Year’s with family and friends. I played two concerts and made numerous TV and radio appearances and print interviews. The song Ya Yasoo’ made the number one most requested song at one of the radio stations. My Epiphany song Daem Daem was played at one of the top shows on radio making it the first song to be played on a non religious morning drive hit show in the Middle East.
I came back to the U.S. and moved to Pasadena, California. It is a city of the arts with appreciations and support for the artists. Needless to say I am in my element. I wrote a humorous article for Thanksgiving and did Christmas shows. I am currently working on a TV pilot for a variety show to be shopped in the Middle East. Two regular concerts showcasing my own songs (original music and lyrics) are in the works.
See the Events box for up to date information.
And as for the future? I will soon be in pre-production of an Easter CD plus shows. I'm also in the process of writing my latest movie (co-written with Peter Stuber) tentatively titled "Money." Moreover, an Arabic pop music album is due to be released in the spring of 2013.
I am grateful for every moment I spend reading your comments on my Facebook page, or an email from a friend or a fan, and for being inspired by a view, a comment or a gesture of support I encounter in my daily life.
And as always, life flows on. Don’t let love fade from your heart no matter how tough it gets. I love you all.
Wafic Khalil is a Lebanese-American filmmaker/singer/songwriter currently living in the Greater Los Angeles area.
Now writing, recording and filming as an independent artist, Wafic is enjoying the liberty of going solo. Without the restrictions that come with labels, studios and big business, he's finding the time and creativity to meet the needs and desires of his fans. In fact, his future album, an Easter songs collection, came to light as a direct result of the prodding from long-time fans and family members.
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