25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:
In 1957, Mehdi Hassan was given the opportunity to sing on Radio Paklistan, primarily as a thumri singer, which earned him recognition within the musical fraternity. He had a passion for Urdu poetry, and therefore, he began to experiment by singing ghazals on a part-time basis. He cites radio officers Z A Bukhari and Rafiq Anwar as additional influences in his progression as a ghazal singer. His first song was "Jis ne mere dil ko dard diya" film Susral in 1962. In 1964, his ghazal for a film Farangi, "Gulon mein rang bharay,baad-e-naubahar chale" written by renowned Pakistan poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz and composed by Rasheed Attre, gave him a major break and he never looked back after that.
Following a severe illness in the late 1980s, Mehdi Hassan stepped down from playback singing. Later due to severity of his illness he completely departed from music.