Editing Mohammed Rafi (section)

==Early life==
[[File:Mohammed Rafi's family tree.jpg|thumb|Rafi's family tree.]]
Mohammed Rafi was the second eldest of six brothers born to Allah Rakhi and Haji Ali Mohammad in a [[Punjabis|Punjabi]] [[Jat Muslim]] family.<ref>{{Citation |title=Mohd.Rafi's son Shahid Rafi: "Kishore Kumar used to respect my father, they were very…" | date=24 December 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-dyITjhs8g |access-date=2022-07-19 |quote=See 23:20 to 23:30 |archive-date=19 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220719125752/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-dyITjhs8g&feature=youtu.be |url-status=live }}</ref> The family originally belonged to [[Kotla Sultan Singh]], a village near present-day [[Majitha]] in [[Amritsar district]] of [[Punjab, India]].<ref name="tribuneindia_striking">{{cite web | url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060223/aplus.htm#1 | title=Striking the right chord | author=Varinder Walia | publisher=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]: Amritsar Plus | date=16 June 2003 | access-date=28 April 2007 | archive-date=11 March 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311054812/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060223/aplus.htm#1 | url-status=live }}</ref> Rafi, whose nickname was ''Pheeko'', began singing by imitating the chants of a [[fakir]] who roamed the streets of his native village Kotla Sultan Singh. Rafi's father moved to [[Lahore]] in 1935, where he ran a men's barbershop in Noor Mohalla in [[Bhati Gate]].<ref>[http://www.culturalindia.net/indian-music/indian-singers/rafi.html Mohammed Rafi Biography – Facts, Life History & Achievements] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150716050328/http://www.culturalindia.net/indian-music/indian-singers/rafi.html |date=16 July 2015 }}. Culturalindia.net. Retrieved 6 November 2018.</ref>
Rafi learnt [[Indian Classical Music|classical music]] from [[Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan]], Pandit Jiwan Lal Mattoo and Firoze Nizami.<ref name="tribuneindia_sang_for_kishore">{{cite web| url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020923/login/music.htm| title=When Rafi sang for Kishore Kumar| author=Amit Puri| work=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]| date=23 September 2002| access-date=29 April 2007| archive-date=3 March 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303224601/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020923/login/music.htm| url-status=live}}</ref> His first public performance came at the age of 13, when he sang in Lahore featuring [[K. L. Saigal]]. In 1941, Rafi made his debut in Lahore as a playback singer in the duet "Goriye Nee, Heeriye Nee" with Zeenat Begum in the [[Punjabi cinema|Punjabi film]] ''Gul Baloch'' (released in 1944) under music director Shyam Sunder.<ref name="tribune_his_voice">{{cite web | url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040725/spectrum/main7.htm | title=His voice made him immortal | author=M.L. Dhawan | publisher=Spectrum ([[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]) | date=25 July 2004 | access-date=28 April 2007 | archive-date=30 September 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930022619/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040725/spectrum/main7.htm | url-status=live }}</ref> In that same year, Rafi was invited by [[All India Radio]] [[Lahore]] station to sing for them.<ref name="sangeetmahal_hall_of_fame">{{cite web | url=http://www.sangeetmahal.com/hof/Singers_Rafi.asp | title=Hall of Fame: Saatwan Sur | access-date=28 April 2007 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070526060332/http://www.sangeetmahal.com/hof/Singers_Rafi.asp | archive-date=26 May 2007 | df=dmy-all }}</ref>

He made his [[Hindi cinema|Hindi film]] debut in ''[[Gaon Ki Gori]]'' in 1945.<ref name="EBIndia2"/>