Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

Mohammed Rafi

Role / Field:

A legendary Indian playback singer renowned for his unmatched vocal versatility and range.

Born:

1924-12-24

Died:

1980-07-31

Century / Era:

1924s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

Mohammed Rafi (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980) was an Indian playback singer. He is considered to have been one of the greatest and most influential singers of India. Rafi was notable for his versatility and range of voice; his songs varied from fast, peppy numbers to patriotic songs, sad numbers to highly romantic songs, qawwalis to ghazals and bhajans to classical songs. He was known for his ability to mould his voice to the persona and style of the actor lip-syncing the song on screen in the movie.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He received six Filmfare Awards and one National Film Award in India. In 1967, the Government of India honored him with the fourth highest civilian award, the Padma Shri. In 2001, Rafi was honoured with the "Best Singer of the Millennium" title by Hero Honda and Stardust magazine. In 2013, Rafi was voted for the Greatest Voice in Hindi Cinema in a CNN-IBN poll. He recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and in many Indian languages as well as some foreign languages, though primarily in Urdu and Punjabi, over which he had a strong command.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

He recorded as many as 7,000 songs throughout his career, spanning several Indian languages such as Konkani, Assamese, Bhojpuri, Odia, Bengali...

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• 1924 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1924
• December 24 (12-24) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on December 24
• 1980 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1980
• July 31 (07-31) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on July 31

Frequently Asked Questions about Mohammed Rafi