Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan — an internationally renowned singer, qawwal, and music composer – Part I on November 12, 2018It was in 1940s and 1950s that Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan and Ustad Fateh Ali Khan was a popular duo in qawwali singing. Ustad Fateh Ali Khan used to lead his family’s qawwali party. They were generally known as Fateh Ali Khan, Mubarak Ali Khan and Party. Mubarak Ali Khan always accompanied as a singer […]
Munir Hussain — a tuneful singer on November 11, 2018It is very difficult to spot tuneful singers. In my music journey one such singers I came across was Munir Hussain, a dark complexioned, short man with a beautiful voice that had a little tremor in it like that by Talat Mahmud in India. Both were termed as singers of blue mood, meaning thereby that […]
Nayyara Noor — a haunting, tuneful and sweet voice on November 9, 2018I have known Nayyara Noor since the time she started singing for Pakistan Television. We sang our first song together for Pakistan Television Corporation’s music programme ‘Sangat’ hosted by me and produced by talented music producer Rafiq Ahmad Warraich. It was the year 1973. The lyrics of the song were “Dil Bhi Hai Tera Mehrban” […]
GM Durrani — a runaway singer from Peshawar in the colonial era on July 17, 2018About music scene of 1940s and 1950s, it is a general view that after KL Saigal and before Muhammad Rafi eras, Ghulam Mustafa Durrani (GM Durrani) was the very popular singer of Indian film industry. I was born after KL Saigal era. I grew up when Muhammad Rafi was in the making. So I am […]
‘Dooja Paasa’ — an astute observer of Punjab’s cleric culture on April 21, 2018Title: Dooja Paasa Writer: Anjum Qureshi Publishers: Sanjh Publications, Lahore Pages: 128, Price: Rs. 250/- (BOX) Dedicated to her children Ahmad and Ali and her mother and father, Anjum Qureshi’s new Punjabi poetry book, ‘Dooja Paasa’ (The Other Side), is worth a read. A beautiful brown and tea coloured title cover that comes with an […]
Legendary music composer Ustad Nazar-e-Hussain passes away on January 23, 2018Hearing the news of Ustad Nazar-e-Hussain’s demise from Asghar Zaidi, the veteran broadcaster of Radio Pakistan, Lahore, left me in deep shock on Sunday. I call Ustad Nazar-e-Hussain a great music composer because he was very unique in making his music compositions. He was facing respiratory problems for some time now with a lung infection […]
Ashiq Hussain composed music for eight odd films, still left forgotten by film industry on January 22, 2018Hearing of the sad demise of music composer Master Ashiq Hussain made me reach to a resolve that I should find out more about his work as a melody maker of the 1950s and 1960s. All of us woke up to the news that he was no more, when a private TV channel telecast his […]
Annual conference brings together veteran and budding musicians on November 29, 2017The credit for holding the All Pakistan Music Conference (APMC) successfully from November 21 to November 25 at the Open Air Theatre of Bagh-e-Jinnah, Lahore goes to APMC Secretary General Ghazala Irfan. Seeing her untiring efforts and taking her team along with her for the noble cause can easily be termed as the outcome of […]
Allah Ditta Lonay Wala — a prolific folk singer on October 16, 2017Allah Ditta Loney Wala was born in a village Loney Wala near Chiniot in Punjab in 1957. His father’s name was Mian Santa Khan who had three sons, Santa being the eldest. Allah Ditta’s father wanted Allah Ditta to become a doctor and serve the community of the village and heighten the name of their […]
Attaullah Khan Esakhelvi the legendary folk singer of Pakistan on October 11, 2017Attaullah Khan Esakhelvi is a popular folk singer of Pakistan. He is fondly known as Lala (elder brother) among his friends. He ran away from home to pursue his love for singing as he was not allowed to sing in Isakhel by his family. He hails from a famous Niazi tribe. He disclosed this information […]