Walter Micallef (born 24 October 1955) is a leading Maltese singer songwriter, born in the central Maltese town of Birkirkara. He has composed well over a hundred songs, nearly all in Maltese. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 771 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1181 × 918 pixel, file size: 567 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Walter Micallef I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... October 24 is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 68 days remaining. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Birkirkara (or BKara) is a city of 21,775 inhabitants (as of November 2005) in central Malta. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Malta_(bordered). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The term singer-songwriter refers to performers who both write and sing their own material. ... the very definition of a guitarist is cody allen and taylor hines because of there un ending guitar skills and awsomnes. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... In music a singer or vocalist is a type of musician who sings, i. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Birkirkara (or BKara) is a city of 21,775 inhabitants (as of November 2005) in central Malta. ...

Childhood

He spent his childhood in Birkirkara, Malta's largest town, at a time when his family home was requisitioned by the state to make way for a public convenience. Like other Maltese boys of the age, he revelled in driving around the island and on visiting the neighbouring islands of Gozo and Comino. Two of his earlier songs, still unreleased, are Ġewwa Marsalforn (In Marsalforn) and Erġajt Sejjer Marsalforn (Going back to Marsalforn). They are both played on the reggae beat and have only been performed in Valletta in 2004 and in Xewkija Gozo in 2005. It is thought that they may feature in his forthcoming third album, expected to be released in 2009. Birkirkara (or BKara) is a city of 21,775 inhabitants (as of November 2005) in central Malta. ... Gozo is an island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea, second in size to the island of Malta. ... Comino is an island of the Maltese archipelago between island of Malta and island of Gozo in the Mediterranean Sea. ... Marsalforn is a village on the north west coast of Gozo, the second largest island of the Maltese archipelago. ... Marsalforn is a village on the north west coast of Gozo, the second largest island of the Maltese archipelago. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Gozo is an island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea, second in size to the island of Malta. ...

Musical Influences

He has cited the Italian Giorgio Gaber, Gino Paoli and American Jim Croce and James Taylor as his major musical influences, although at times he has also played Cat Stevens songs. Critics, however, believe that Micallef has also the fiery Bruce Cockburn spirit in him and the Lou Reed cynicism in his lyrics. Lil Malta may after all be his equal to Reed's Last Great American Whale. Giorgio Gaber (1939-2003) was an Italian actor, composer, and musician. ... Gino Paoli (born 23 September 1934) is an Italian singer-songwriter. ... James Joseph Croce (January 10, 1943 – September 20, 1973), popularly known as Jim Croce (pronounced CROW-chee), was an American singer-songwriter. ... James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, born in Belmont, Massachusetts. ... Yusuf Islam [2] (born Steven Demetre Georgiou on 21 July 1948 in London) performed as Cat Stevens from 1966 to 1978. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Lewis Allan Lou Reed[1] (born March 2, 1942 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American rock singer-songwriter and guitarist. ...

Micallef has maintained that as a Maltese counterpart he mentions Manwel Mifsud, unfortunately barely known in the musical field. Graziana Axisa has played as a supporting act in a major Marsascala concert in 2006. Axisa has also sung Micallef's song Għaċ-Ċkejkna in the 2005 Għanja Tal-Poplu festival, placing a creditable second. ° Marsaskala or Marsascala or Wied il-Għajn . ...

Artistic works in Maltese are minimal since there is no national strategy to assist or promote perfomers singing in their mother tongue. European Union funds are hard to acquire considering that Maltese is an official EU language, and not a minority one. Micallef has lamented about this shortcoming many times [1].

Musical Career

Micallef has won the major artistic awards that Maltese singing provides. He has won the Għanja tal-Poplu festival [2], founded by the Youth Travel Circle in 1973, several times. In 1979 he won with Ġuvni (Young Man), followed with success in 1992 with Iż-Żmien (Time) and in 1994 with In-Nofsinhar (The South). He has also won best lyrics in 1994 with Le (No), in 1999 with Sieħbi fil-Cupboard tal-Kċina (My friend in the Cupboard), in 2005 with Għaċ-Ċkejkna (For the Little One) and in 2006 with Lil Malta (A Song for Malta).

Writing in Malta Today on 23 March 2001, critic Miriam Dunn remarks that "listening to the intelligent usage he makes of the Maltese language in his work, it is difficult to imagine that some years back, Walter made a conscious decision to switch his songwriting from the English language".

Although he had been around since 1973, it was in February 2003 that he released his first album, entitled M'Jien Xejn (I am Nothing)[3]. Already considered as a classic release, it contains fifteen tracks written between 1981 and 2001. Awwissu (August) remains his most popular track from this album, and has even been used, albeit to his surprise, as an advert for an air-conditioning brand on Maltese television. He has lamented that his lyrics have, at times, had a lukewarm reception by the Maltese public, perhaps due to the islanders' inbred conservative upbringing and years of political polarisation.

With Maltese society opening up to self-appraisal and criticism, he has been embraced by a growing band of devotees who follow him to all his venues. He has given memorable concerts at The Labyrinth in Valletta, The Beachclub in Marsascala, The George in Bugibba and Marsalforn Sajf in Gozo. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... ° Marsaskala or Marsascala or Wied il-Għajn . ... Buġibba is a small town situated adjacent to Qawra and forming part of the local council of St. ... Marsalforn is a village on the north west coast of Gozo, the second largest island of the Maltese archipelago. ... Gozo is an island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea, second in size to the island of Malta. ...

On the 18 March 2004 he launched his Walter Micallef u l-Ħbieb band, including Etnika's double bassist Oliver DeGabriele, as Malta's representative in the UNESCO Suisse charity event One World Beat [4]. This was followed by four concerts in July 2004 at St. James Cavalier Arts Centre in Valletta, featuring his current sextet. There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

He has also made appearances on German television stations ZDF and Bayerisches Fernsehen and on several regional French stations. He is regularly played on Maltese radio stations and on ethnic Maltese radio programmes in Australia. Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (Second German Television), ZDF, is a public service German television channel based in Mainz. ...

Micallef was shortlisted for Best Male Artist in 2004 for the Malta Music Awards, and has continued to win acclaim and awards for his prowess in writing Maltese lyrics complimented by original melodies. He was awarded the Julian Manduca Cultural Award [5] in July 2006 at Gianpula in Rabat for his proactive environmental songs, aimed at raising social consciousness on these issues. Julian Manduca (born on the 2 July 1958) was one of the foremost environmentalists in Malta. ... Mausoleum of Mohammed V through mosque ruins NASA image of Rabat Rabat (Arabic الرباط, transliterated ar-Rabāṭ or ar-Ribāṭ), population 1. ...

Walter Micallef u l-Ħbieb 'Live at the Powerhouse', Floriana 23 March 2007 Photo Credit: Michael Caruana

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On the 23rd of March 2007 he released his second album, Ħamsin [6](Fifty) in front of a packed house at the Powerhouse Theatre [7],Valletta Waterfront in Floriana. His modern folk [8] sextet includes WOMAD performer Renzo Spiteri on percussion, Eric Wadge on bass, Pawlu Camilleri l-Bibi on harmonica, Albert Garzia[9] on accordeon and piano and Jes Psaila on acoustic, semi-acoustic and electric guitars. Ħamsin includes twelve tracks, with thematic content ranging from romantic songs such as Wara l-Ħajt (Behind the Wall) and Min Hi? (Who is She?) to pro-environmental songs like L-Aħħar Sekondi (The Final Seconds) and Lil Malta (A Song for Malta). The musical arrangements are by Renzo Spiteri. Lil Malta is fast becoming Malta's environmental battlecry against building speculation in an erstwhile over-built island state. The Valletta Waterfront, in Valletta, Malta, is Grand Master Pintos baroque Wharf built in the 18th Century, currently being used as bars and restaurants after a recent thorough restoration process. ... Floriana is a town in Malta, just outside the capital city Valletta. ... World of Music, Arts and Dance (WOMAD) is a festival started in England in 1982. ... Renzo Spiteri is a leading European multi-percussionist. ... Pawlu Camilleri is one of Maltas leading harmonica musicians. ... Renzo Spiteri is a leading European multi-percussionist. ...

On the 6th May 2007 the album was on top of the D'Amato Music Best 20 Malta hit parade.

Unlike many Maltese musicians, Walter Micallef does not have his hotel spot as an entertainer. He is after all, a performer and as such the requests he acedes to are those pertaining to his vast repertoire. He prefers to play live and avoids playback. He is also currently rehearsing on performing some of his Maltese songs with a classic quintet featuring guitar, bassoon, flute, clarinet and oboe.

Trivia

Micallef's favourite holiday spots are the Greek island of Paros, where he enjoys camping, Thailand including Phuket and Koh Samui and Playa del Carmen in Mexico. The 1996 song Awwissu (August), that speaks of an idyllic beach with powder sand under palm trees graced by a sexy babe, was actually written in Mexico and the blue lagoon referred to in the song has nothing to do with the one on Comino in Malta. Paros, or Paro (Greek: Πάρος), is an island of Greece in the Aegean Sea, one of the largest of the group of the Cyclades. ... Phuket (Thai ภูเก็ต) is one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. ... Na Thon viewed from the mountain jungle Ko Samui (or Koh Samui, Thai เกาะสมุย) is an island off the east coast of the Kra Isthmus in Thailand, close to the mainland Surat Thani town. ... View from the Ferry Docks Church in Playa del Carmen Playa del Carmen is a city on the coast of the Caribbean Sea in the north east of the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico, located at 20. ... Comino is an island of the Maltese archipelago between island of Malta and island of Gozo in the Mediterranean Sea. ...

His favourite food is Thai stir-fry, although Walter is an expert in frying lampuki (dorado) fish soaked in flour and egg and parsley.

He comes from a creative family. His sister is the noted Maltese ceramist Sina Farrugia Micallef. Her favourite medium of expression is clay, and she has exhibited her works all over Europe and the United States.

His maternal grandfather, Manwel Borġ Tat-Twajjeb, was a traditional folk guitarist, who used to play in social events such as christenings and weddings. Manwel's daughter Ċetta Borġ was also drawn into folksinging in the Fifties, following the tradition in summertime at the seaside hamlet of Baħar Ic-Cagħaq. She was also noted for singing l-għanja tal-banju, the washerwoman's singing. Both were from Birkirkara. Birkirkara (or BKara) is a city of 21,775 inhabitants (as of November 2005) in central Malta. ...

Micallef is not a fan of the Eurovision, although he has chuckles in seeing the serious preparation and fuss taken for such a trivial festival. He envies, however, the fiscal amount voted as support for a competitive Maltese entry. The term Eurovision has several meanings: technically, the Eurovision Network created by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). ...

Songs

• Willie (1970)
• Żgħira
• Ma tħobbnix
• Simpatija u Ħniena
• Ħmistax
• Ġewwa Marsalforn
• Inħobbok
• 5 t'Ottubru 1977 (1977)
• Ħrafa u Ereżija (1978)
• Ġuvni (1979)
• Ġebla Niexfa
• L-istorja ta' Dej
• Mqar
• Il-party
• Inċedi
• Inħobbok (oħra)
• Ma Temminnix (1980)
• In-Nofsinhar (1981)
• Lil Dil-Povra Kreatura (1982)
• M'Jien Xejn (1988)
• L-Aħħar Sekondi
• Iż-Żmien (1993)
• Le (1994)
• Tihom Widen (1995)
• Awwissu (1996)
• Blues (1997)
• L-F.M.
• Dan l-Aħħar (1998)
• Kif Deherli Jien
• Gianni (1999)
• Sieħbi fil-Cupboard tal-Kċina
• San Blas waqt il-Programm (2000)
• Elfejn u Għoxrin (2001)
• Il-Kejl
• Wara l-Ħajt (2002)
• Nemmen
• Il-Fjamma
• Ċanfira
• Ħażin (2004)
• Tard wisq
• Qiegħ il-flixkun
• Ħelu u tal-Ġenn (2005)
• Min Hi?
• Għaċ-Ċkejkna
• Pino
• 'Il Fuq
• Lil Malta (2006)
• Ir-Rebbiegħa (2007)

1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... For the song by the Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean [1]. // Coated in ice, power and telephone lines sag and often break, resulting in power outages. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini era. ...

References

• Words with Meaning, Malta Today, 23 March 2001.
• The Chords of Justice, Times of Malta, 18 Jan 2003.
• The Third Degree with Walter Micallef, Malta Today, 16 Feb 2003.
• One World Beat preview, Times of Malta, 13 March 2004.
• Up Close to Walter Micallef, St. James Cavalier Concerts preview, Times of Malta, 3 July 2004.
• Fading Notes, The Malta Independent, 22 August 2005.
• Kull Buffura Riħ, 23 Marzu 2007.
• Music Matters, The Malta Independent, 1 April 2007.
• Everyday songs, The Malta Independent, 21 April 2007.

External links

• Official website
• Renzo Spiteri official website