Jagjit Singh (1941-2011) Biography, Family

Quick Info

Profession	Composer, Ghazal Singer, Music Director
Nationality	Indian
Date of Birth	08/02/1941
Age	70 years (died on 10, Oct, 2011)
Birthplace	Sri Ganganagar, Bikaner State, Rajputana Agency, India
Date of Death	10/10/2011

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Jagjit Singh (born Jagmohan Singh Dhiman) was an Indian composer, singer, and musician renowned for revitalizing and popularizing the ghazal genre in India.
He is widely known as the 'Ghazal King' and is considered the most successful ghazal singer and composer of all time in terms of critical acclaim and commercial success.
His career spanned five decades, producing numerous albums across multiple languages, with work regarded as genre-defining.

Degree	A Degree in Arts from DAV College, Jalandhar
Post Graduate Degree	A Post Graduate Degree in History from Kurukshetra University (not completed)
Doctorate	D.Litt. from Kurukshetra University, Haryana (2003)

School	Khalsa High School, Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan
College	Government College, Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan DAV College, Jalandhar Kurukshetra University, Haryana
Religious Background	Namdhari Sikh

Marital Status	Married
Wife/Spouse	Chitra Singh
Marriage Date	December 1969
Children	Vivek (died in 1990) Monica (step-daughter committed suicide) Monica (step-daughter, committed suicide) Vivek (died in 1990 in a car accident)

Debut

Professional Singing	In 1961 at All India Radio's (AIR) Jalandhar station
Playback Singing	Film- Arth (1982)

Awards/Honours

Honoured with the 'Lata Mangeshkar Samman' in 1998 by Madhya Pradesh government
Awarded with Sahitya Kala Academy Award by the Rajasthan Government in 1998
Awarded with Sahitya Academy Award by the Government of India in 1998
Honoured with 'Padma Bhushan' by the Government of India in 2003
Posthumously awarded with 'Rajasthan Ratna' (Rajasthan's highest civilian award) in 2012
Teacher's Lifetime Achievement Award (2006)
Google India Doodle honour on 72nd birthday (8 February 2013)

Career Start in Bombay

1965

Notable Works

Album 'The Unforgettable' with Chitra Singh (their breakthrough album)
Song 'Baat Niklegi' (brought him huge success)
Album 'Sajda: An Offering' (1991, double album with Lata Mangeshkar, Saregama's largest selling non-film album)
Combination album 'Arth' and 'Saath Saath' (Saregama's largest selling combination album of all time)
Music composition for TV serial 'Mirza Ghalib'

Favorite Singers	Lata Mangeshkar Talat Mehmood Abdul Karim Khan Bade Ghulam Ali Khan Amir Khan Mohd. Rafi
Favorite Poets	Sahir Ludhianvi Mirza Ghalib Shiv Kumar Batalvi

1. Jagjit Singh was a smoker.
2. Jagjit Singh consumed alcohol.
3. He was born into a Punjabi Sikh family in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan.
4. His initial music training was under Pandit Chhaganlal Sharma and later Ustad Jamal Khan of the 'Senia Gharana'.
5. During his early career, Jagjit Singh experienced financial difficulties and once traveled without a ticket on a train from Bombay to Jalandhar.
6. He met his wife, Chitra, at a jingle recording session, and their marriage was simple and economical.
7. Jagjit Singh pioneered the practice of giving lyricists a percentage of an album's profits.
8. In the early 1960s, he tried his hand at playback singing in Bombay but faced financial hurdles.
9. Jagjit Singh and his wife faced a major personal tragedy when their son, Vivek, died in a car accident in 1990.
10. From Ustad Jamal Khan, he learned various styles of Hindustani Classical vocal traditions including Dhrupad, Khayal, and Thumri.
11. He was known as the 'Ghazal King' and is considered the most successful ghazal singer and composer of all time in terms of critical acclaim and commercial success.
12. His career spanned five decades with many albums, and the range and breadth of his work has been regarded as genre-defining.
13. He sang in numerous languages.
14. He performed on stage and composed music during his teenage years.