Salem Abdul Karem was born in Baghdad, Iraq in 1953. Because of family circumstances, it was not until 1973 that he was able to begin his studies at the Iraqi Institute for Musical Studies. He also studied mathematics at the same time at Baghdad University. In 1976 he joined the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra, and in 1978 he gave his first oud recital in Ankara, Turkey. He has continued to give recitals, both in Iraq and abroad, and has also published a book on playing the oud.

There is an excellent website dedicated to Salem Abdul Karem's life and work, where you can listen to samples of his music and find out more about him.