Ardent music lovers are commemorating legendary Qawwali singer Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan on his 66th birthday today and have shared his evergreen music on social media platforms. “The King of Qawwali” was born on October 13, 1948 in Faisalabad.
The legendary singer was not only popular in Pakistan, but also in the rest of the world. He sang predominantly in the Islamic devotional style known as Qawwali.
Nusrat Fateh Ali's songs are still alive among his fans and also youngsters, and have defined the art-form of Qawwali for the generations to come.
He had performed around Europe, India, Japan, USA and had also collaborated on several songs with Western musicians including the renowned Peter Gabriel and lead singer of Pearl Jam Eddie Vedder.
Most of his songs, including Allah Hoo Allah Hoo, Yeh Jo Halka Halka Suroor Hai, and Haq Ali (his first song), continue to be re-sung countless times over, though his style has never been matched.
Nusrat Fateh Ali holds the Guinness world record for producing the largest recorded output by a Qawwali artist — a total of 125 albums as of 2001.
With his stunning voice, Nusrat Fateh Ali's first public performance was as the lead vocalist in a Qawwali party at a studio recording broadcast as part of an annual music festival organised by Radio Pakistan, known as Jashn-e-Baharan.
Though he hailed from the Sufi community, his music transcends all sectarian differences in a country that has never been able to leave them behind. He passed away at the age of 48 on August 16,1997, having become one of the world's most outstanding vocalists.
