Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Born in West Punjab in 1948, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan made his first public performance at 15, at his father's chelum. By 1971 he'd become head of the family qawwali party, weaving his own techniques—sargam, khayal, a driving sense of rhythm—into a centuries-old tradition. An early-80s signing with Birmingham's Oriental Star Agencies opened the door: he began releasing albums and film scores across Europe, India, Japan, Pakistan, and the United States, collaborating with Western artists and touring over 40 countries. The man NPR named one of the 50 Great Voices and Rolling Stone placed among the…