The harbinger of female playback singing, Amirbai Karnataki was born in Bijapur, Karnataka. Younger sister of actress Gauharbai, she came to Mumbai immediately after completing her matriculation. It was here that a representative of HMV recording company heard her voice and signed her for recording a qawwali, which became a surprise hit. With the help of her sister, she also started a singing-acting career in films like “Vishnu Bhakti” (1934), “Yasmin” (1935) and “Narsi Bhagat” (1940). Her first hit song was “Ab Tere Siwa Kaun Mera” (“Kismet”, 1943), composed by Anil Biswas.
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She went on to deliver several hits through the 1940s including “Milke Bichad Gayi Ankhiyan” (“Rattan”, 1944), “Har Din Hai Naya” (“Shikari”, 1946), “Maar Katari Mar Jana” (“Shehnai”, 1947) and “Gore Gore O Banke Chore” (“Samadhi”, 1950). With the rising popularity of Lata Mangeshkar, the onset of playback singing and marital problems at home, Amirbai Karnataki shifted emphasis on acting. She acted in films like “Subah Ka Tara” (1954), “Pawan Putra Hanuman” (1957) and “Boyfriend” (1961).
She died in 1965 of a paralytic stroke.
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