Musicians & Composers
The makers of humanity's soundtrack.
records written
Contemporary era
Humayun Ahmed
November 13, 1948 – July 19, 2012
Author, poet, dramatist and film director (1948–2012)
Modern era
Ismat Chughtai
August 21, 1911 – October 24, 1991
Indian writer (1911-1991)
Modern era
Rajinder Singh Bedi
September 1, 1915 – November 11, 1984
Indian author, director and screenwriter
Modern era
Ghulam Farid Sabri
1930 – April 5, 1994
Pakistani singer
Contemporary era
Maqbool Ahmed Sabri
October 12, 1945 – September 21, 2011
Major Qawwali singer, and a leading member of the Sabri Brothers
Contemporary era
Amjad Sabri
December 23, 1976 – June 22, 2016
Pakistani qawwal, naat khawan and a proponent of the Sufi Muslim tradition
Contemporary era
Attaullah Khan Esakhelvi
b. August 19, 1951
Pakistani musician
Modern era
Pathanay Khan
1926 – March 9, 2000
Pakistani singer (1926–2000)
Modern era
Alam Lohar
March 1, 1928 – July 3, 1979
Pakistani singer (1928-1979)
Contemporary era
Arif Lohar
b. April 18, 1966
Pakistani singer
Modern era
Tufail Niazi
1916 – September 21, 1990
Singer
Modern era
Inayat Hussain Bhatti
January 12, 1923 – May 31, 1999
Pakistani actor and singer
Modern era
Ahmed Rushdi
April 24, 1934 – April 11, 1983
Pakistani playback singer
Modern era
Masood Rana
June 9, 1938 – October 4, 1995
Pakistani singer (1938-1995)
Modern era
Mala Begum
November 9, 1942 – March 6, 1990
Pakistani singer
Contemporary era
Naheed Akhtar
b. 1966
Playback singer
Contemporary era
Mehnaz Begum
1950 – January 19, 2013
Pakistani singer
Contemporary era
Nayyara Noor
November 3, 1950 – August 20, 2022
Pakistani singer
Modern era
Malika Pukhraj
1912 – February 4, 2004
Pakistani singer
Modern era
Suraiya Multanikar
b. August 30, 1940
Pakistani singer
Modern era
Ustad Amanat Ali Khan
1922 – September 17, 1974
Pakistani singer
Contemporary era
Asad Amanat Ali Khan
September 25, 1955 – April 8, 2007
Pakistani singer
Modern era
Ustad Fateh Ali Khan
1935 – January 4, 2017
Pakistani singer (1935–2017)
Modern era
Bade Ghulam Ali Khan
April 2, 1902 – April 23, 1968
Indian singer (1902-1968)
Modern era
Alla Rakha
April 29, 1919 – February 3, 2000
Indian tabla player (1919–2000)
Contemporary era
Zakir Hussain (tabla maestro)
March 9, 1951 – December 15, 2024
Indian tabla player, musical producer, film actor, and composer (1951–2024)
Modern era
Bismillah Khan
March 21, 1916 – August 21, 2006
Indian shehnai player (1916–2006)
Modern era
Ali Akbar Khan
April 14, 1922 – June 18, 2009
Hindustani musician (1922–2009)
Modern era
Shivkumar Sharma
January 13, 1938 – May 10, 2022
Indian classical musician (1938–2022)
Modern era
Bhimsen Joshi
February 4, 1922 – January 24, 2011
Indian Hindustani classical vocalist (1922–2011)
Modern era
M. S. Subbulakshmi
September 16, 1916 – December 11, 2004
Indian Carnatic classical vocalist (1916–2004)
Contemporary era
Pankaj Udhas
May 17, 1951 – February 26, 2024
Indian singer
Modern era
Talat Mahmood
February 24, 1924 – May 9, 1998
Indian singer (1924–1998)
Modern era
Mukesh (singer)
July 22, 1923 – August 27, 1976
Indian playback singer (1923-1976)
Modern era
Manna Dey
May 1, 1919 – October 24, 2013
Indian playback singer, music director, musician and vocalist (1919–2013)
Modern era
Geeta Dutt
November 23, 1930 – July 20, 1972
Indian playback singer (1930–1972)
Modern era
Shamshad Begum
April 14, 1919 – April 23, 2013
Indian singer (1919-2013)
Modern era
Suraiya
June 15, 1929 – January 31, 2004
Indian actress and singer (1929-2004)
Modern era
K. L. Saigal
April 4, 1904 – January 18, 1947
Indian singer and actor (1904–1947)
Modern era
S. D. Burman
October 1, 1906 – October 31, 1975
Indian singer and composer (1906–1975)
Modern era
R. D. Burman
June 27, 1939 – January 4, 1994
Indian musician (1939–1994)
Modern era
Naushad
December 25, 1919 – May 5, 2006
Indian composer (1919–2006)
Modern era
Ilaiyaraaja
b. June 2, 1943
Indian film composer & singer
Contemporary era
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
June 4, 1946 – September 25, 2020
Indian playback singer (1946–2020)
Modern era
K. J. Yesudas
b. January 10, 1940
Indian playback singer and musician from Kerala.
Contemporary era
Runa Laila
b. November 17, 1952
Bangladeshi singer
Contemporary era
Aamir Zaki
April 8, 1968 – June 2, 2017
Pakistani musician (1968–2017)
Modern era
Waheed Murad
October 2, 1938 – November 23, 1983
Pakistani film actor, producer and script writer (1938–1983)
Contemporary era
Zeba
b. September 10, 1945
Pakistani actress
Contemporary era
Shabnam (actress)
b. August 17, 1946
Bangladeshi actress
Modern era
Sabiha Khanum
October 16, 1935 – June 13, 2020
Pakistani actress
Modern era
Nadeem Baig
b. July 19, 1941
Pakistani actor
Modern era
Sultan Rahi
June 24, 1938 – January 9, 1996
Pakistani actor (1938–1996)
Modern era
Mustafa Qureshi
b. May 11, 1938
Pakistani actor
Contemporary era
Anjuman (actress)
b. July 24, 1955
Pakistani actress
Contemporary era
Babra Sharif
b. December 10, 1954
Pakistani film actress
Contemporary era
Reema Khan
b. October 27, 1971
Pakistani actress and director
Contemporary era
Shaan Shahid
b. April 27, 1971
Pakistani actor, screenwriter and director
Modern era
Munawar Zarif
December 25, 1940 – April 29, 1976
Pakistani comedian and film actor (1940-1976)
Modern era
Rangeela (comedian)
January 1, 1937 – May 24, 2005
Pakistani actor