Mohammed Rafi

Mohammed Rafi (born: Mohammed Rafi Sahab) was one of India's greatest playback singers. During his nearly five-decade-long career, he performed an estimated 26,000 songs and was heard in 76 films. Singing in all of India's national languages, Rafi was effective whether he was performing ghazals, qawwalis, or bhajans. In 1965, Rafi received the prestigious Padma Sri award from the Indian government.



A native of Kotla Sultansingh, a small village in Punjab, Rafi sang since earliest memory. Although his father, a village landlord, disapproved, he was aided by his brother, a barber, who strongly supported his vocalizing. Making his professional debut in the Shyam Sunder-directed 1941 film Gul Baloch and the Bombay film, Gaon Ki Gauri, the following year, Rafi rose to the upper echelon of Indian music. He worked with top-notch musical directors including Naushad, Sachin Dev Burman, Usha Khanna, and {O.P. Nayyar}. In the late '50s, Rafi became convinced that singing was a sin. Moving to London, he stayed away from music until his sons persuaded him to return to the recording studio.

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