School of Rock
Random article All articles A–Z
2 languages

Bhupinder Singh

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Bhupinder Singh was an Indian ghazal singer and playback singer for Bollywood films. He was born on 6 February 1940 as Bhupinder Soin in Amritsar in Punjab and died on 18 July 2022. His father, the musician Natha Singh, was his first teacher, but a strict one: for a time Bhupinder even hated music and instruments. He began as a freelance artist at All India Radio, also worked for Doordarshan in New Delhi and learned to play the guitar. In 1962 the composer Madan Mohan heard him at a dinner party and summoned him to Bombay.

Music and breakthrough

There he sang in Chetan Anand's Haqeeqat the song Hoke Majboor Mujhe Usne Bulaya Hoga, together with Mohammed Rafi, Talat Mahmood and Manna Dey. Khayyam gave him a solo in Aakhri Khat. His voice was regarded as one of the most distinctive in playback singing, and he sang duets with Kishore Kumar and Mohammed Rafi. R. D. Burman had him sing songs such as Naam Gum Jayega and Beete Na Bitaai Raina. He also released records of his own: in 1968 a first LP with three songs he had written himself, in 1978 an LP of ghazals in which he introduced Spanish guitar, bass and drums into the ghazal style, and in 1980 Woh Jo Shair Tha with lyrics by Gulzar.

Influence

In the 1980s he married the Bengali singer Mitali, and halfway through that decade he stopped playback singing. Together they made ghazal and geet cassettes and gave concerts. Singh showed how a ghazal, a lyrical love form from the South Asian tradition, could sound with Western instruments without losing its feeling.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Dil Dhoondta Hai and notice his voice, which sounds warm and slightly nasal. Try to hear how the guitar supports the singing without drowning it out.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

Categories: Artists