Mehdi Hassan
| Mehdi Hassan Khan (singer) | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Mehdi Hassan Khan |
| Also known as | Khan Sahab King of Ghazal Shahenshah-e-Ghazal |
| Born | 18 July 1927 Luna, Rajasthan, British India |
| Died | 13, June 2012 (aged 84) Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1957–1999 (retired) |
| Website | mehdihassan |
| Pride of Performance Award Recipient | |
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| Date | 1985 |
| Country | Islamic Republic of Pakistan |
| Presented by | Islamic Republic of Pakistan |
| Official website | www |
| Hilal-i-Imtiaz Award Recipient | |
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| Date | 2010 |
| Country | Islamic Republic of Pakistan |
| Presented by | Islamic Republic of Pakistan |
| Official website | www |
| Nishan-e-Imtiaz Award Recipient | |
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| Date | 2012 |
| Country | Islamic Republic of Pakistan |
| Presented by | Islamic Republic of Pakistan |
| Official website | www |
Mehdi Hassan Khan (Urdu: مہدی حسن ; 18 July 1927 – 13 June 2012) was a Pakistani ghazal singer and playback singer for Lollywood. One of the greatest and most influential figures in the history of ghazal singing, he is famously known as the "King of Ghazal" or the "Shahanshah-e-Ghazal". Known for his "haunting" baritone voice, Mehdi Hassan is credited with bringing ghazal singing to a worldwide audience. Born to a musical family, he influenced generations of singers from diverse genres, from Jagjit Singh to Sonu Nigam. He earned numerous awards and accolades in his career and remained a leading singer of film industry along with the other contemporary playback singer Ahmed Rushdi.
Mehdi Hassan was born on 18 July 1927 in a village called Luna, Rajasthan in Jhunjhunu district in British India into a family of traditional musicians. He claims to be the 16th generation of hereditary musicians hailing from the Kalawant clan of musicians. Mehdi Hassan had his musical grooming from his father Ustad Azeem Khan and uncle Ustad Ismail Khan who were both traditional Dhrupad singers. Hassan started to perform at a young age and the first concert of dhrupad and kheyal with his elder brother is reported to have been held in Fazilka Bungla, near present DC House (1935) of Undivided Punjab.
In 1947, India became independent and its partition took place, creating a new, Muslim-majority country, Pakistan. The 20-year-old Hassan and his family migrated to Pakistan, carrying little with them by way of material goods. They suffered severe financial hardships in their new country. Mehdi initially started working in Chichawatni, in a bicycle shop Mughal Cycle House. He later became a car and diesel tractor mechanic. Despite the financial hardships, he kept up the routine of his singing practice on a daily basis.
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