Jagjit Singh

Jagjit Singh was born in the City of Ganganagar in Rajasthan, a western state of India on 8 Feb 1941. Being born in a very religious Sikh family; his father inspired him to sing the religious chants in ragas. But as Jagjit grew up he was more drawn towards modern music and his talents in ragas gave him a chance to master the art of ghazal singing. After receiving a B.A. Degree from D.A.V. College at the City of Jalandhar he came to Mumbai for a playback singing career and then the struggle began. He used to sing at different marriage parties and functions at that time. During this struggle to survive in such a vast city he met Chitra Singh, fell in love and married her.

Later, Jagjit Singh went through a painful time when he lost his only son, Vivek to a car accident. In one interview on a Canadian T.V. he mentioned that he could not have survived this pain if there was no music." `Jag` ne cheena mujhse mujhe jo bhi laga payara....sab `Jit` gaye mujhse main hardam hi hara", clearly shows the pain Jagjit Singh has encountered in his life.

He received his musical training from the honorable Ustad Jamal Khan, and gained early recognition from his recordings at HMV and EMI India. In 1976, he and his wife, Chitra Singh, released The Unforgettable Ghazal collection. This album set new sales records and has been followed by numerous ghazals as well as devotional/religious albums, all of which have become classics.

Jagjitji`s work has created a renewed interest in the art of Ghazal poetry and performance and has been heard in films and television releases. He has received several awards from both the music industry and from state governments, attesting to his popularity. In addition to cultivating his own successful career, Jagjitji has been involved in guiding many new talents such as Talat Aziz and Vinod Sehgal. He is also active in several philanthropic endeavors such as the Library at St.Mary`s, Bombay Hospital, CRY, and ALMA, an organization whose focus is to adopt students for further education and development.

Jagjit Singh currently resides in Bombay, but does tour every 3 years or so with a talented group of Musicians from India.