Ghulam Mustafa Khan-Biography, Careers, Awards

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Biography

Ghulam Mustafa Khan was a highly acclaimed Hindustani classical singer. He was the guru to some of Bollywood’s most popular singers. There are very few popular singers who have not studied under him.

He played a key role in helping to keep the tradition of Hindustani classical singing alive and encouraging newer generations to continue learning it.

Born on March 3 1931 in Badayun, Uttar Pradesh, he received training in music from Nissar Hussain Khan specifically the Rampur-Sahaswan Gharana aged just five. He was vigorously trained in the discipline of Indian classical music and gave his first performance with his father at eight years old.

Career

Since the 1950s he taught music and performed as well. He was initially hesitant to sing for films as he wanted to preserve the sanctity of the art of his gharana. However, he decided to foray into it and the first film song he did was a Marathi song called Chand Pretticha.

He began doing backing vocals for Marathi and Gujarati movies in 1957. He began with "Bhuvan Shome" by Mrinal Sen then sang "Sajanaa kahe nahi aaye..." for "Badnaam Basti" under the direction of Vijay Raghav Rao, the same music director. In addition to performing as a playback vocalist, he portrayed Baiju Bawra in the German documentary "Rain Maker," which was filmed in Jaipur. He has provided the voice of the subject of over 70 Documentary films produced by Films Division, numerous of which have won national and international awards. He has given performances all around the world, including in India.

He has taught some of the biggest music stars of India His students include Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, A.R. Rahman,  Shaan and Sonu Nigam.

A.R.Rahman shared the stage with his guru during a Coke Studio performance.

Awards

In 1991, he received the Padma Shri, and in 2006, he was bestowed with the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian honor. The Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the highest honor bestowed upon working artists in India, was conferred to him in 2003 by the National Academy for Music, Dance, and Drama of India.

Death

Ghulam Mustafa Khan breathed his last on 17 January 2021. He was 89 years old, having lived a long and rich life and leaving behind a powerful musical legacy.

Check Out The Profiles of Some Other Indian Classical Musicians

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