LAHORE: Today marks the 27th death anniversary of the legendary Qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, whose profound musical legacy continues to resonate 27 years after his passing.
Born on October 13, 1948, in Faisalabad, Nusrat was the son of the esteemed musician and Qawwal, Fateh Ali Khan. He initially began his musical journey learning the tabla, before eventually mastering vocals.
Following his father’s death in 1964, Nusrat’s musical training was overseen by his paternal uncles, Mubarak Ali Khan and Salamat Ali Khan.
His big break came in the early 1980s when he was signed by Oriental Star Agencies in Birmingham, England.
Known as the Shahenshah-e-Qawwali (The King of Kings of Qawwali), Nusrat was celebrated for his extraordinary six-octave vocal range and the ability to perform with intense fervor for extended periods.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan played a pivotal role in extending the 600-year-old Qawwali tradition of his family and is credited with bringing Sufi music to international audiences.
His collaborations spanned continents and genres, including projects with Indian music composer A.R. Rahman and film lyricist Javed Akhtar, as well as with Peter Gabriel on the soundtrack of ‘The Last Temptation of Christ’ in 1985.
His recordings remain widely admired, bridging generational and geographical divides, and he holds a Guinness World Record for the most recorded output by a Qawwali artist with 125 albums as of 2001.
His untimely death from a sudden cardiac arrest on August 16, 1997, at the age of 48, left a void in the music world but his melodies continue to live on, cherished by fans around the globe.
