Alim Qasimov - Azerbaijani Mugam Singer - part 1 (2006)

Alim Gasimov's (1957) career as a mugam singer nearly ended at age 14. He'll never forget the humiliation he felt while competing in a local music contest; when he started singing what he figured was mugam, the audience started laughing at him. Alim stepped down from the stage with tears in his eyes. Fortunately, he didn't give up on mugam.

Twenty-eight years later, in 1999, Alim won the prestigious UNESCO Music Prize, one of the highest international accolades that a musician can hope for. Previous laureates have included Dmitri Shostakovich, Leonard Bernstein, Ravi Shankar and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCXNNFzKUAE