Kourosh Yaghmaei
Kourosh Yaghmaei (born 3 December 1946) is an Iranian former singer-songwriter, composer, record producer and guitarist. Regarded as one of the greatest psychedelic rock musicians in the history of Iranian rock music, he is referred to as "the Godfather of Iranian psychedelic rock", as well as the "King of Rock".
Born in 1946 in Shahrud, Yaghmaei was raised in Tehran. Most of his songs combine classical Persian poetry with more contemporary works, often incorporating his own lyrics. Musically, Yaghmaei is recognized as being an early cross-pollinator for Persian traditional music and the western psychedelic rock of the era, with artists Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd often listed as specific influences. He began his solo career in 1973 with his first single "Gol-e Yakh" ("Ice Flower"), a track selling more than 5 million copies in the domestic market. This was followed by the album Gol-e Yakh (1973), which included the song of that name.
Much of Yaghmaei's work is well known by the Iranian diaspora, with singles "Gol-e Yakh", "Havar Havar" ("Shout Shout"), "Khaar" ("Thistle"), "Leila", "Paiz" ("Autumn"), "Reyhan" being particularly popular. In 2011, his first compilation album, Back from the Brink: Pre-Revolution Psychedelic Rock from Iran: 1973–1979, was released by Now-Again Records to international recognition. Vogue has described Yaghmaei as "a psyched singer, stylish, moustached and funky".
Following the Iranian Revolution in 1979, Yaghmaei’s music became banned from the country's airways, markets and homes, and his name from the press. In the early 1990s, Yaghmaei got permission from the Iranian government to release albums under some restrictions, such as Arayesh-e Khorshid. However, the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance denied to release the album Malek Jamshid in 2016 and instead it was released Now-Again Records in U.S. but it was banned in Iran. In December 2025, Yaghmaei announced his retirement from his fifty-two year long musical career.
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