Farhad Mehrad (Persian: فرهاد مهراد‎), (January 20, 1944 – August 31, 2002) widely known in Iran as Farhad was an award winning Persian rock singer, songwriter, guitarist, pianist and icon.[verification needed] He rose to prominence among Iranian rock and folk musicians before the Iranian Revolution, but after the revolution he was banned from singing for several years. His first concert after the Iranian Revolution was held in 1993. To this day he is considered one of the most influential, revolutionary, gifted and respected Iranian artists of all time.[verification needed