Jagjit Singh
February 8, 1941 – October 10, 2011
Jagjit Singh was an immensely popular Indian singer and composer who was known as the “King of Ghazal” due to the role he played in the revitalization of this form of Persian rhyming. He and his wife and musical partner, Chitra Singh, initially gained fame during the ’70s and ’8os, and have since been recognized as the first-ever successful husband-and-wife duo in Indian music history. They were also reportedly the first Indian act to ever use digital multi-track while their 1987 release, Beyond Time is widely considered the nation’s first digitally recorded album. Over the course of a career that spanned some 50 years, Singh’s music has appeared in numerous popular Indian films and on no fewer than 80 of his own albums. Singh has also been recognized for his many philanthropic ventures. Jagjit Singh passed away on October 10, 2011, as the result of a brain hemorrhage. He was 70.
What You Should Own
Click to find at amazon.com
Bhimsen Joshi was a respected Indian singer who sang in the Hinduist classical genre. He was revered for his takes on devotional music. Joshi was 19 when he first began performing live, and within a year he released his first album. Over a career that spanned some seven decades, Joshi marveled audiences and critics alike at his concerts due to his remarkable vocal strength and command of his voice as an instrument. In 2008, he received India’s highest civilian honor. Bhimsen Joshi was 88 when he passed away on January 24, 2011. Cause of death was not immediately released.
Kari Tapio was an extremely popular Finnish singer who launched his career some forty years ago. He performed a style of music called “schlager” which is basically pop balladry. Mounting his career during the ’60s, Tapio first performed with Jami & The Noisemakers and ER Quartet. He released his first solo record in 1972. In 1976, he scored his first hit single, “Laula Kanssain” (Sing With Me). He continued releasing hit records as recently as 2008 when his “Valaise Yo” finished 2nd in the Eurovision Song Contest. Much of his music was heavily influenced by American country & western. In fact, he even made Finnish language recordings of songs by 
Known professionally as Arrow, Alphonsus Cassell was a highly resected West Indies Soca and Calypso singer-songwriter. Cassell was still a child when he began singing back in the mid-60s and by the time he was 18, he recorded his first record. In 1982, he released a song entitled “Hot Hot Hot,” which became the biggest selling Soca song in history. Five years later, the New York Doll’s David Johansen had a pop hit with it under his alterego of Buster Poindexter. Cassell continued to release hits through the ’80s and ’90s. He continued to perform through the later years of his life. On September 15, 2010, Alphonsus Cassell died of cancer at the age of 60.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was a popular Punjabi singer and musician who played a form of Islamic music. In 2006, Time magazine included him of a list of Asian heroes, while Spin called him one of 1998′s most influential musicians. Khan found an audience in the West thanks to his work with Peter Gabriel which began in the mid ’80s, and later with Eddie Vedder and Massive Attack. His 1997 Intoxicated Spirit received a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Folk album. Over the course of his 30+ year career, he recorded an astonishing 125 albums. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan died of cardiac arrest while awaiting a kidney transplant. He was 48 years old.