What was the impact of the discovery of oil in the Arabian Gulf?
J.B: Oil discoveries happened in the early 20th century throughout the Gulf states. These discoveries transformed the economies and the cultures of the Gulf. Before the discovery of oil, most of the new arrivals in the Gulf came from the neighborhood, from India, Iran, and East African countries. After the discovery of oil, people came from all over the world, from Europe, from North and South America, from elsewhere, as workers, as advisors for oil companies, as builders of secondary industries, construction, and the economy overall. They brought with them their culture, and you can even hear that in the music. When you hear the electric guitar, and a western melody on a Gulf album, you know that’s the sound of oil. If not for the discovery of oil, there would probably be no band in Kuwait called Miami. B.E: What is khaliji? J.B: Khaliji music means “Gulf music,” and that is a new expression used to describe all the musical sounds from all the Arabian Gulf countries. If you had talked
