Mohammad Firoozi
Vocals, Zarb, Daf

Mohammad was born in Borazjan, an Iranian village on the Persian Gulf.  At the age of 7 he began singing azzaan (Muslim call to prayer) in the village mosque.  As a teen, he was influenced by Western rock’n’roll and fronted the Lost Cats rock band in Shiraz at age 14.  He emigrated to the U.S. in 1974 to attend Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas, where he was the champion of the swim team.  After college, Mohammad moved to Austin and pursued a career as a singer and percussionist in various groups, developing his own vocal style, based in part on flamenco, Arabic and Persian styles, particularly the Persian Gulf folk style known as bandari.  Mohammad tours extensively with Atash, Teye and Viva Flamenco and Vengo, and has performed onstage with greats such as Vigen, Strunz and Farah, and the Gypsy Kings.