Salim Nourallah - NOURALLAH

Salim Nourallah was never going to be a household name. Let’s face it. Are you even sure you know how to properly pronounce it? 

The son of a Syrian immigrant, born in Alton Illinois, Nourallah has forged a music career not only out of talent but out of sheer willpower.  As an 18 year old in El Paso, Texas, a “manifesto” he made for himself revealed a list of life goals.  At the top of the list was to always write and perform his own music. Next was to help others with their music through production. Salim has stayed true to the 18 year old’s vision, maintaining a thriving music production career while simultaneously building a massive back catalog of recordings. 

It all started in El Paso with his younger brother Faris. The two siblings spent over a decade playing in bands together. But like many more famous brother duos, Faris and Salim dramatically imploded after the release of the critically acclaimed 2001 release Nourallah Brothers (Western Vinyl). Salim’s solo career was launched in 2004 with his debut album, Polaroid. Rolling Stone gushed at the time, "discovering a singer-songwriter who can stop time is rare, but Salim Nourallah is such a find..."

Nourallah went on to rack up eight best producer awards from the Dallas Observer. The Observer used to be the Dallas equivalent of Britain's highly influential NME. He won best album and best song ("The World is Full of People Who Want to Hurt You") when his second record, Beautiful Noise, was released in 2006. Popmatters called it, “A marvelous artistic and human statement." Nourallah was also signed by the chic German label Tapete Records and began the 1st of multiple tours abroad.  

Salim's recording studio, Pleasantry Lane, became the hub of a scrappy Dallas indie music scene. Some of Salim's favorite productions from that time were The Cut-Off's Packaged Up for Beginners and Buttercup'sWeather is Here. In 2014 Salim produced one of the Old 97’s most critically acclaimed and commercially successful records, Most Messed Up. He also produced a slew of other acts ranging from NYC’s Damnwells to DFW's very own Deathray Davies.

As the years rolled on Nourallah continued to prolifically release his own music. He formed The Travoltas with Dallas music legend Paul Slavens, teamed up with songwriter friends Alex Dezen and Billy Harvey to create the "supergroup" NHD, and also established The Disappearing Act (a recording project with a childhood friend). Nourallah's ninth solo album, A Nuclear Winter, was released in 2023 to more stellar reviews. "By far the best Dallas release of the year, this may well be one of the best records all year by any artist, in or out of the state." (Texas Music). 

Yes, Salim Nourallah is no household name, but we’re willing to wager that if you walked up to a random person in East Dallas there’s a pretty good chance they might’ve heard of him. They might even get his name right!