Singers

Rafi’s best songs by Kalyanji-Anandji

Thumbnail image for Rafi’s best songs by Kalyanji-Anandji June 30, 2024

Continuing the series on Rafi with a tribute to Kalyanji (30 June 1928-24 August 2000) and Anandji (2 March 1933-) on Kalyanji’s 96th birth anniversary. When you think of Kalyanji-Anandji’s main playback singers, Mukesh comes to mind first. They seemed to be made for each other, and there is already a post on KA-Mukesh combination […]

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Best songs of 1941: Wrap Up 1

Thumbnail image for Best songs of 1941: Wrap Up 1 May 27, 2024

And the SOY Award for the Best Male Singer goes to? In KL Saigal’s active years, the Best Male Singer was generally a one-horse race. He has sung great songs in 1941, too, in the film Lagan. Yet he is not a runaway winner. Nay, I would say with Doctor (1941) in which Pankaj Mullick […]

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Rafi’s Centenary Special: 35 songs from 35 years (1946-1980)

Rafi March 19, 2024

Guest article by Sivanandam Palamadai as a tribute to Rafi with 35 songs in 35 years (1946-1980) in the continuing series of articles on Rafi’s centenary (24th December 1924-31st July 1980) (Songs Of Yore is celebrating 2024 as the centenary year of Mohammad Rafi. I heralded the year with his solos from A to Z. […]

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Mohammad Rafi from A to Z

Mohammad Rafi January 1, 2024

Wishing the readers and their friends and families a very Happy New Year with Rafi’s centenary year celebrations (b. 24 December 1924, d. 31.7.1980) Mohammad Rafi is the undisputed most versatile playback singer of Hindi films. You think of genres – bhajan, qawwali, romantic, patriotic, ghazal – he could do all. There was another unique […]

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SN Tripathi Part 5 (post-50s): His best songs by other female playback singers

SN Tripathi with Geeta Dutt and Shamshad begum October 19, 2023

Concluding the series on SN Tripathi with his best songs for ‘other’ female playback singers It is time to conclude the series on SN Tripathi after a comprehensive coverage of his multi-faceted talent in the Vintage Era (1949 and earlier) in Part 1 as a singer, actor, music director and dialogue and story writer; Part […]

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Best songs of 1942: Wrap Up 2

Thumbnail image for Best songs of 1942: Wrap Up 2 October 8, 2023

And the SOY ward for the Best Female Singer goes to? In my overview post of the best songs of 1942, I had mentioned that the ratio between male solos and female solos in the songs in which singers were credited was 1:2.55 in the year as a whole. I had included 84 songs in […]

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SN Tripathi Part 4 (post 50s): His best songs for Lata Mangeshkar

SN Tripathi-Lata Mangeshkar September 28, 2023

Continuing the series on SN Tripathi with a tribute to Lata Mangeshkar on her 94th birth anniversary (28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) It is matter of satisfaction that after a reader noted the omission of SN Tripathi, I have been able to cover him in some detail, though late. I have already posted […]

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Vasant Desai Part 3 (post-50s): His best songs for Lata Mangeshkar

Vasant Desai-Lata Mangeshkar September 28, 2022

Continuing the series on Vasant Desai, his best songs for Lata Mangeshkar as a tribute to her on her 93rd birthday (28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) Lata Mangeshkar would have been 93 today. This is her first birthday after she left this mortal world and this calls for a tribute to her. Coincidentally […]

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Rafi’s songs with some unrecognised composers

Rafi July 31, 2022

Guest article by Sivanandam Palamadai as a tribute to Rafi on his 42nd Remembrance Day (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980) (Rafi was the most dominant male playback singer of the Golden Era of film music. Yet he remained an unassuming, simple-hearted person with malice to none. The stories of his kindness and support […]

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Duets (+) of Mukesh: With Male Singers

Mukesh with male singers July 22, 2022

Guest article by Ahok M Vaishnav as a tribute to Mukesh on his 99th Birth Anniversary (b. July 22, 1923 – d. August 27, 1976) (Once SOY-veteran N Venkataraman remarked that there has been a post on Mukesh every year. If it was there, I or a guest author must have had something new to […]

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