Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
(1948-1997)

Died aged c. 49

Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan PP (Punjabi: نصرت فتح علی خان; born Pervez Fateh Ali Khan; 13 October 1948 – 16 August 1997) was a Pakistani singer, songwriter, and music director. He was primarily a singer of qawwali — a form of Sufi devotional music. Sometimes called the "Shahenshah-e-Qawwali" (the King of Kings of Qawwali), he is considered by The New York Times to be the greatest qawwali singer of his generation. He was described as the fourth greatest singer of all time by LA Weekly in 2016. He was known for his vocal abilities and could perform at a high level of intensity for several hours. Khan is widely credited with introducing qawwali music to international audiences. Born in Lyallpur (Faisalabad), Khan had his first public performance at the age of 15, at his father's chelum. He became the head of the family qawwali party in 1971, and brought his unique style of sargam, khayal, and rhythm to his family's legacy. He was signed by Oriental Star Agencies, Birmingham, England, in the early 1980s. Khan went on to release movie scores and albums in Europe, India, Japan, Pakistan, and the U.S. He engaged in collaborations and experiments with Western artists, becoming a well-known world music artist. He toured extensively, performing in over 40 countries. In addition to popularising qawwali music, he also had a large impact on contemporary South Asian popular music, including Pakistani pop, Indian pop, and Bollywood music.

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