He was born in a village near Swaida in southern Syria. In the mid 1920s he moved to Cairo, Egypt with his mother, brother and sister, Asmahan. During his late school years, Farid showed increasing interest in music and singing. He later had the chance to get in touch with some famous Arab composers like Riyad al-Sonbati and Farid Ghosn. He soon published his first self-composed songs which included "Ya Zahratan Fi Khayali" and "Ya Raitni Tayr". Farid also entered the world of cinema, he was the star of many Egyptian movies like "Intisar al-Shabab", "Gharam wa Intiqam" and "Lahn al-Kholoud". Farid died in Beirut, Lebanon in 1974.