Daily Times

The music maestro and Qawwali king Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is being remembered by millions of fans worldwide on his 75th birth anniversary.

He gave a new voice to the music industry and left behind a rich legacy. He was born in Faisalabad in a family of qawwals on Oct 13, 1948.

Ustad Nusrat Fatah Ali Khan was the first musician to blend eastern and western musical styles together and it is still in practice even after many decades.

Be it qawwali or song, ghazal or classical singing, the king of qawwali was proficient in every genre of music. It is to his credit that he introduced the qawwali traditions to international level.

He also made a place in Guinness Book of World Record for the largest recorded output by a qawwali artist, a total of 125 albums.

‘Dum mast Qalandar’, ‘Wohi khuda hai’, ‘Kisy da yar na bichry’, ‘Tumhy dillagi bhool jani pary ge’, ‘Jany kb hon gy km’, ‘Tera inam Pakistan’ are some of the maestro’s notable works.

He was also awarded the Pride of Performance award for his contribution to the promotion of music.

Nusrat Fatah Ali Khan also received the UNESCO Music Prize and Legends award at the UK Asian Music Awards in 2005.

He passed away in London on Aug 16, 1997 but he is still alive in the hearts of millions of his fans around the world.