LEGENDS...........................................

Lataaji n Rafi sahab.has diff views bout the royality....

Lataji had view that singer shud always be payed for his/her singing....
whereas Rafi saab had sung many songs for Rs 1 only....
due to this matter...........
these both singers didnt sing any duet song for three yrs...in decade of sixties..

Really Dolly....? quite interesting to know... Rafi sahab sang for Re. 1 only/- .. Thats really great.....
He was a true legend.............

Rafi Sahab received the National Rajat Kamal Award from President Sanjiva Reddy for his song 'Kya Hua Tera Vaada' in the film 'Hum Kissise Kum Nahin' in 1977.

Rafi Sahab was honored by the Indian Government in 1965 with the prestigious PadmaShree Award
by President Zaakir Hussain.

Another ONe.....

Mohammed Rafi
The one singer in the Hindi film industry who has been imitated the most is Mohammed Rafi. But his caliber was such that none of his imitators could match up to him. His voice was so versatile that it suited any mood ranging from the boisterous to the melancholic.
Rafi was born on December 24, 1924 in a small village near Amritsar and later shifted to Lahore. He was first trained in music by Ghulam Ali Khan and he recorded his first song in 1944 for a Punjabi film Gul Baloch with music director Shyam Sunder. Not many people know that had acted in couple of films, Laila Majnu (1945) and Jugnu (1947). Rafi made his mark with Tera Khilona Toota Balak in Anmol Ghari (1946).

Soon, he was spotted by composer Feroze Nizami who gave Rafi his first major hit Yaha badla wafa ka in the movie Amar Raj. K L Saigal and Pandit Paulsikar had no words for Rafi's praise. When Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated, Rafi sang a song Suno suno ae duniya walon, Bapu ki yeh amar kahani written by Rajinder Krishan and music by Hunslal Bhagatram, which touched everyone and was a great hit.

Whenever there used be a fusion of Naushad's music, Shakeel Badayuni's lyrics and Rafi's voice, that number would become a super-duper hit. These three were quite a team then. Their songs were being heard in all corners of the streets. In fact, those songs are equally melodious now. Although Rafi worked with different music directors, the one who recognised and exploited his immense talent was Naushad. His first song for Naushad was Hindustan ke hum hain Hindustan hai hamara in the film Pehle Aap.

The duo went on to bring out hits in films such as Baiju Bawra and Mere Mehboob, to name a few. Rafi’s other fruitful partnership was with S D Burman for whom he delivered hits in movies such as Kagaz Ke Phool, Guide, Tere Ghar Ke Samne and Pyaasa. During the 1960s, Rafi began singing for Shammi Kapoor, rendering hits such as Kashmir Ki Kali, Brahmachari and Teesri Manzil. Some of his memorable songs were Baharon phool barsao for Rajendra Kumar and Pukarta chala hoon main for Biswajeet. Rafi also sang duets with Lata Mangeshkar, most of which were hits, including Dheere dheere chal, Tasveer teri dil mein and Tujhe jeevan ki dor se.

In his life time, Mohd Rafi has sung more than 26,000 superhit songs. Rafi won a host of awards including the National Rajat Kamal Award from President Sanjiva Reddy for his song Kya hua tera vaada in the film Hum Kissise Kum Nahin, the Filmfare Award for the song Chahoonga mein tujhe lekin from Dosti, and the Padmashri award.

His last song was Tu kahin aas paas hai dost for Laxmikant Pyarelal in the film Aas Paas. He passed away on July 31, 1980. His immortality is vouched for by the fact that even almost two decades after his death, his popularity remains intact.

very inspiring to know all these.

tell me how you all are so well informed about this topic.
..................

Ghulam Ali, the singing sensation has enthralled audiences all over the world for almost four decades now.His "Chupke Chupke Raat Din Aasoon Bahana Yaad Hai...." whose words still haunt. And the man behind that voice still stays as elusive as he ever was.His background as a Thumri singer makes him an exceptional ghazal singer. Ghulam Ali can easily be termed as the most versatile ghazal singer ever.

Ghulam Ali was born in 1940, at village Kaleke, district Sialkot, which is now a part of Pakistan in 1940 . He belongs to a musical family, his father was vocalist and sarangi player Ghulam Ali got his initial musical training from his father.His father would teach him by keeping small green leaves over the harmonium keys and marking them with a ballpoint pen.

Ghulam Ali encountered Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan , an unparalleled legend of classical music fro the first time , when he was a 15-year-old boy. Ustad Khan had come to Kabul. Ghulam Ali's father requested the Ustad to take his son as a disciple. But the maestro insisted that since he was hardly in town, regular training wouldn't be possible. But after repeated requests from Ghulam Ali's father, Khan Saheb asked the young Ghulam Ali to sing something. It wasn't easy to sing before him. He mustered the courage to sing the thumri, Saiyyan Bolo Tanik Mose Rahiyo Na Jaye... After he finished, Ustad Saheb hugged him and made him his disciple.

Bade Ghulam Ali Khan had three brothers, Barqat Ali Khan, Mubarak Ali Khan and Amanat Ali Khan, all of whom were renowned classical musicians. The young Ghulam Ali was placed under their supervision as they lived in Lahore. It was under Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan that he learnt to recognise ragas and other basics. With time,his inclination towards ghazal, thumri, dadra grew, and he decided to take them up professionally. All these great teachers of classical music taught him finer details of classical music, making him one of the best classical singers of all times. And his solid foundation in pure classical music, raagas, thumaris is very apparent in all his singing, making is style unique and inimitable.

For the singer, 1960 was a turning point in his career. That year, he attended the biggest-ever musical event in Pakistan called Kul Pakistan Music Conference, in which maestros from across the world participated. Personalities such as Gopi Krishna and Girija Devi had come from India. He got to sing for 12 minutes, a rare chance for someone who was relatively unknown. He was the youngest there. As he sang, the demand for more poured in. The next day,he hit the headlines of the most prestigious newspaper of Lahore called Imroz.The rest, as they say, is history.

Also he came under the association of a master poet whom he has called Sufi Sahab. He guided Ghulam Ali to enter into the realm of the heart and aesthetics of ghazals. Sufi Sahab taught him how to recite the shers effectively without distorting the beauty of the poetry. He told him where to stop and where to stress so that the words remained crystal clear.

The hallmark of Ghulam Ali's style is his mastery over Classical Music and perfect understanding of the ghazal. He fuses them perfectly to bring this complex amalgam within the easy reach of all. The result -- timeless compositions like Hungama kyon hai barpa,Dil mein ek lahar si uthi hai abhi, Mehfil mein baar baar usi par nazar gayeen, Kal Chaudavin ki raat thi, to name only a few. His incomparable rendition of the ghazals through his pioneering style, coupled with his impeccable voice, carries even the most disinterested listener to a height where sheer ecstasy reigns supreme.

Ghulam Ali has a heavy, baritone voice, and while rendering ghazals he creates very subtle vibrations in his voice which he uses very beautifully, to convey a whole range of emotions through it. He could make it sound hopelessly romantic, he can make it sound melancholy, he can make it sound anything that he wants almost effortlessly.

It's his classical style of singing combined with soul and emotion of the ghazal without compromising clarity of reciting the words makes Ghulam Ali so unique. Many music critics and experts unanimously agree that Ghulam Ali’s compositions are very tough, and it's next to impossible to imitate them.

Ghulam Ali is equally sensitive about the rhythm and technical virtuosity of the ghazals. He recites each word very clearly, making sure that the meaning of the ghazal is conveyed effectively. He can make 15 plus minute long ghazal sound equally beautiful as Mehdi Hassan.Along with Mehdi Hassan, he has played a pioneering role in reviving the Ghazal in the 1970's. He can deservedly be called one of the most influential amabassadors from across the border, who, when he sang Faasle aise bhi honge, yeh kabhi socha na tha brought ghazal from both the countries closer to one another. Listeners are always left breathtaken and spellbound as Ghulam Ali unlocks the eternity of emotions that run through his exquisite rendering of the ghazal.

Despite of his classical based ghazals, he is very popular among critics as well as music lovers giving him rare adulation in various countries besides his own. Due to this very reason many music labels such as HMV Saregama, Music India, Polydor, Venus, Tips, T-Series, Navras Sony across the globe have produced numerous compilations of his ghazals.

Again, owing to his immense popularity, some of his ghazals have been used in the Indian hindi movies. His popular ghazal "Chupke chupke raat din.." has been used in the movie Nikaah featuring Raj Babbar and Salma Aghaa. Moreover, many of the hindi film songs have been "inspired" from some of his ghazals. "Thodi si jo pi li hain, chori to nahi ki hain" from Namak Halal (Ghazal - Hungama hain kyon barpa) as you would recognize, is one them.

Ghulam Ali produces only a few albums a year , concentrating more on his live concerts.For his live concerts, usually the accompanying musical instruments are harmonium and tabla. The musical instruments such as sarod, sitar, santoor often complement him, but it is his voice which rules, and not the instruments.

Nice information again!! i love ghazals by Ghulam Ali n Jagjit Singh !!