1924-1980

Mohammed Rafi was born at Kotla Sultan Singh (or Kotla Sultanpur), a town near Amritsar in undivided Punjab.His father was Hajji Ali Mohammad, and he had five older brothers. Rafi, whose pet name was Pheeko, started singing by imitating chants of a fakir in his village. In 1935-36, Rafi's father shifted to Lahore, and the rest of the family followed later. Rafi's family managed a men's salon in Lahore's Noor Mohalla. His elder brother-in-law Mohammed Hameed was aware of Rafi's love for music and encouraged it. Rafi learnt Hindustani classical music from Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan, Pandit Jiwanlal Matto and Firoze Nizami.


Mohammed Rafi was an Indian playback singer.He was one of the greatest Indian playback singers in Bollywood. Rafi still remains popular in India and in many other parts of the world with people of Indian origin. His voice is referred to as "the voice of god".

Rafi Saab, is indeed the best singer of all times. Today, 27 years after his death, he lives on eternally. His songs today are just as popular as they were during his lifetime.