ג'קי מקייטן

Jacky Mekaiten (also spelled McKayten) was an Israeli singer of Mizrahi music of Yemenite descent. He was born on August 7th, 1955, and due to a bout of polio at a young age, Mekaiten was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. In the late 1970s he began performing in clubs with the guitarist יהודה קיסר (Yehuda Caesar), who introduced him to Zohar Argov. Mekaiten wrote the Hebrew lyrics of "Elinor", a cover of the Greek song "Iparho", made famous by Stelios Kazantzidis. Argov's recording of Elinor became a hit in 1980 and Mekaiten recorded it as well on his debut album. In 1984 he appeared in the Israeli film "Kassah", performing his song "Mehantezet" from his 3rd album. In the late 1980s he became religious and stopped recording and performing as frequently. He died on March 6th, 2012 at the age of 56, as a result of pulmonary failure due to constant smoking.