http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61302&variant=artist-playlists&rws=%2Fmohammed-rafi%2Fplaylists.rssBy some estimates, Mohammed Rafi has sung upwards of 26,000 songs, surpassed only by the great Lata Mangeshkar, with whom he shared the world record for many years. Born on December 24, 1924, in what is now Pakistani Punjab, legend has it that the young Rafi was entranced by a local fakir, or holy man, and learned to sing at his knee against his father's wishes. It is known that by the age of seven, Rafi was learning Hindustani classical music with Ustad Bade Gulam Ali Khan and Vahida Khan. When he was 17, he sang his first playback song in the Punjabi film <i>Gul Baloch</i> and moved to Bombay not long after to try his hand in Hindi films. Rafi was illiterate and had to memorize the lyrics to a song before he could record it. It is said, however, that he remembered a melody after hearing it only once and could immediately suggest improvements. While Rafi's early years were scrappy as he vied for attention with singers and actors like Hemant Kumar, Mukesh, Talat Mahmoud, and Manna Dey, he quickly rose to the top of the heap, rivaled only by Kishore Kumar. Movies such as <i>Baiju Bawra</i> and <i>Dulari</i> were watershed events for Rafi, and they initiated the long and fruitful partnerships he enjoyed with composers like Naushad. Unlike Kishore Kumar, Rafi rarely appeared in films himself. He was the voice for all of the cinema greats, including Shammi Kapoor and Sunil Dutt, and he is revered to this day as a singer of uncommon depth and ability. Rafi died in 1980 of a heart attack. - Sarah BardeenBollywooden720Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:14:04 -0800 http://static.realone.com/rotw/images/logo_rhapsody_113x22.gif http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61302&variant=artist-playlists&rws=%2Fmohammed-rafi%2Fplaylists.rss By some estimates, Mohammed Rafi has sung upwards of 26,000 songs, surpassed only by the great Lata Mangeshkar, with whom he shared the world record for many years. Born on December 24, 1924, in what is now Pakistani Punjab, legend has it that the young Rafi was entranced by a local fakir, or holy man, and learned to sing at his knee against his father's wishes. It is known that by the age of seven, Rafi was learning Hindustani classical music with Ustad Bade Gulam Ali Khan and Vahida Khan. When he was 17, he sang his first playback song in the Punjabi film <i>Gul Baloch</i> and moved to Bombay not long after to try his hand in Hindi films. Rafi was illiterate and had to memorize the lyrics to a song before he could record it. It is said, however, that he remembered a melody after hearing it only once and could immediately suggest improvements. While Rafi's early years were scrappy as he vied for attention with singers and actors like Hemant Kumar, Mukesh, Talat Mahmoud, and Manna Dey, he quickly rose to the top of the heap, rivaled only by Kishore Kumar. Movies such as <i>Baiju Bawra</i> and <i>Dulari</i> were watershed events for Rafi, and they initiated the long and fruitful partnerships he enjoyed with composers like Naushad. Unlike Kishore Kumar, Rafi rarely appeared in films himself. He was the voice for all of the cinema greats, including Shammi Kapoor and Sunil Dutt, and he is revered to this day as a singer of uncommon depth and ability. Rafi died in 1980 of a heart attack. - Sarah Bardeen http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.28283469&variant=play&rws=%2Fmohammed-rafi%2Fplaylists.rss World/Reggae Sun, 24 May 2009 09:01:11 -0700 Playlists Featuring Mohammed Rafi on Rhapsody Online 28283469 ply.28283469 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.28283469&variant=play&rws=%2Fmohammed-rafi%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.26759933&variant=play&rws=%2Fmohammed-rafi%2Fplaylists.rss World/Reggae Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:36:54 -0700 Playlists Featuring Mohammed Rafi on Rhapsody Online 26759933 ply.26759933 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.26759933&variant=play&rws=%2Fmohammed-rafi%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.15347589&variant=play&rws=%2Fmohammed-rafi%2Fplaylists.rss World/Reggae Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:54:17 -0800 Playlists Featuring Mohammed Rafi on Rhapsody Online 15347589 ply.15347589 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.15347589&variant=play&rws=%2Fmohammed-rafi%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.13411006&variant=play&rws=%2Fmohammed-rafi%2Fplaylists.rss World/Reggae Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:12:29 -0800 Playlists Featuring Mohammed Rafi on Rhapsody Online 13411006 ply.13411006 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.13411006&variant=play&rws=%2Fmohammed-rafi%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.12653596&variant=play&rws=%2Fmohammed-rafi%2Fplaylists.rss World/Reggae Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:51:51 -0800 Playlists Featuring Mohammed Rafi on Rhapsody Online 12653596 ply.12653596 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.12653596&variant=play&rws=%2Fmohammed-rafi%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.12002260&variant=play&rws=%2Fmohammed-rafi%2Fplaylists.rss World/Reggae Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:42:30 -0700 Playlists Featuring Mohammed Rafi on Rhapsody Online 12002260 ply.12002260 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.12002260&variant=play&rws=%2Fmohammed-rafi%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.11133516&variant=play&rws=%2Fmohammed-rafi%2Fplaylists.rss Rock/Pop Tue, 9 Jun 2009 09:31:42 -0700 Playlists Featuring Mohammed Rafi on Rhapsody Online 11133516 ply.11133516 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.11133516&variant=play&rws=%2Fmohammed-rafi%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.9245952&variant=play&rws=%2Fmohammed-rafi%2Fplaylists.rss World/Reggae Tue, 27 Jan 2009 13:21:16 -0800 Playlists Featuring Mohammed Rafi on Rhapsody Online 9245952 ply.9245952 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.9245952&variant=play&rws=%2Fmohammed-rafi%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.9245953&variant=play&rws=%2Fmohammed-rafi%2Fplaylists.rss World/Reggae Sat, 4 Nov 2006 00:48:40 -0800 Playlists Featuring Mohammed Rafi on Rhapsody Online 9245953 ply.9245953 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.9245953&variant=play&rws=%2Fmohammed-rafi%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.8642570&variant=play&rws=%2Fmohammed-rafi%2Fplaylists.rss World/Reggae Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:08:58 -0800 Playlists Featuring Mohammed Rafi on Rhapsody Online 8642570 ply.8642570 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.8642570&variant=play&rws=%2Fmohammed-rafi%2Fplaylists.rss