Golden Era of Bollywood: The Musical Journey of KISHORE KUMAR

Could you believe that the Musical Journey of Kishore Kumar started with an injury.Today(4th Aug) on his 88th Birth Anniversary I will take you on the Musical Journey of Kishore Kumar.
Dadamoni Ashok Kumar the eldest brother of Kishore Da once revealed that a young Kishore had a terrible voice. But once he cut his big toe at home and the injury made him cry all the time. He would wail all day and night and, as Dadamoni put it, uska gala khul gaya.
Kishore Kumar was ecentric or unusual start from his childhood,when he was studying in a boarding school of Indore,in his hostel room's wall he scribbled Kishore's name, in his own handwriting, in his favourite style, in reverse: Ramaku Rashoki.For several years, one of the walls of his hostel room stood witness to his eccentricity.
By the time Kishore became a teenager, Dadamoni had established himself as a doyen of Hindi cinema. So, when he heard of Kishore's exploits in the college, Ashok Kumar summoned him to Bombay.Here he got an audience with Kundan Lal Sehgal,he became a big fan of Sehgal.He also started to show interest in music and often mimicked the great K.L. Saigal. Though he did not have any formal training in music, he decided to pursue it.It became his dream to become a famous playback singer and be counted among legends. He would often go to the studios and ask producers if he could sing on the movie's soundtrack.
In Ashok kumar's house where he was staying he started singing K L Sehgal's songs which were popular those days, he perfectly imitated K.L. Saigal.There is a story that the the great music composer S.D Burman had come to Ashok Kumar's house to meet up when he heard Kishore singing. He actually thought it was K.L. Saigal singing and inquired if he was there too! When he came to know that it was Kishore singing, he truly appreciated and encouraged the young lad to continue refining his voice but at the same time make his own style.
Kishore kept this advice in mind and went on develop his own signature style. He wanted to do some thing different.His elder brother Anoop Kumar gave him the records of Austrian music collections.In that collection there were records of Tex Morton and Jimmie Rodgers who were the king of Yodeling.He perfected yodeling, a unique style he heard amongst the Austrian music collections of his brother Anoop. In Hindi film industry, his yodeling turned out to be widely popular and became a trademark of Kishore Kumar.
Ashok Kumar wanted him to be an actor because singing wasn't as lucrative but Kishore Kumar wanted to be a singer.He started his cinema career as a chorus singer at Bombay Talkies under the direction of Saraswati Devi and his singing soon attracted the attention of composer Khemchand Prakash. In 1948, he was chosen by Khemchand Prakash to sing "Marne ki Duayen Kyon Mangu" in the film Ziddi starring Dev Anand. Prakash later provided Kishore Kumar his first hit with "Jagmag Jagmag Karta Nikla Chand Poonam Ka Pyara.",
After this, Kumar was offered many other assignments, but he was not very serious about a film career. In 1949, he settled in Mumbai..Kishore Kishore played the hero in the Bombay Talkies film Andolan (1951), directed by Phani Majumdar. Although he got some acting assignments with the help of his brother, he was more interested in becoming a singer.
It was S D Burman who exploited the potential of Kishore Kumar,He gave him a chance in 1950 film Pyar the song was Kachchee pakkee sadkon pe meree tumtum (from Pyar) also took him in his upcoming films Baazi and Bahar both released in 1951 in both the films he sang one song each.
Salil Chaudhary was a hit music composer those days,he refused to give Kishore Kumar chance in his films because he felt that Kishore is not a trained singer.There was a film Naukri 1954 in which Kishore was the hero Salil Da was on the point of summoning Hemant Kumar to sing Chhota sa ghar hoga in place of our already unemployed hero of Naukri: Kishore Kumar.It was only after Kishore Kumar virtually begged Salil Chowdhury to hear him out.That song was "Chhota Sa Ghar Hoga Taron Ki Chaon Mein"which became hit.
HS Rawail, who directed Kumar in Lehren, was convinced that the musicality bred into Kumar's very marrow bestowed a fantastic flair for gesture and that helped him transform from a singer who could act to a star in his own right.
The success of Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958) revealed the ease with which Kumar could don the hats of singer, producer, and star but this is also one of the first films that display the rare ability which separated Kumar from all other playback singers.
In the 50s Kishore Kumar sang for Dev Anand and himself and he gave many hit songs.Some of the songs were; "Maana Janaab Ne Pukara Nahin" from Paying Guest, "Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke" from Nau Do Gyarah (1957), "Ai Meri Topi Palat Ke Aa" from Funtoosh, and "Ek Ladki Bheegi Bhaagi Si" and "Haal Kaisa Hai Janaab Ka" from Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958). Asha Bhosle and Kishore performed duets composed by Burman including "Chhod Do Aanchal" from Paying Guest (1957), "Ankhon Mein Kya Ji" from Nau Do Gyarah (1957), "Haal Kaisa Hai Janaab Ka" and "Paanch Rupaiya Baara Aana" from Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958) and "Arre Yaar Meri Tum Bhi Ho Gajab" from Teen Deviyan (1965)."Eena Meena Deeka" from Aasha (1957). Kishore Kumar's work includes "Nakhrewaali" from New Delhi (1956) by Shankar Jaikishan, "C.A.T. Cat Maane Billi" and "Hum To Mohabbat Karega" from Dilli Ka Thug (1958) by Ravi, and "Chhedo Na Meri Zulfein" from Ganga Ki Lahren (1964) by Chitragupta.
!950s and 1960s was the period in which Mohammad Rafi was on his peak,there were Mukesh ,Manna De and Talat Mehmood in the scene,Kishore was not being offered many songs.but he was giving hits in that period.Then came Aradhna in 1969 that changed the fate of Kishore Kumar.Indeed, by getting the two songs that were recorded for the film, Baaghon mein bahaar hai (with Lata Mangeshkar) and Gunguna rahe hain bhanwre (with Asha Bhosle), to be by Rafi, Dada Burman had already indicated his choice of voice for Aradhana.But this was the point at which S D Burman fell critically ill.he wanted to record the game changing song"Roop tera mastaana pyaar mera deewaana; Mere sapnon kee raanee kab aayegee too; immediately Mohammad Rafi was out On a Musical Tour outside the country and was to return after a month So Dada called Kishore to record these songs for him even that Raag Pahadi duet of Kishore with Lata, Kora kaagaz thha yeh man meraa, weren't these tunes initially envisioned, by Dada Burman, to go in the voice of Mohammed Rafi on a still-to-arrive Rajesh Khanna?Rest is history.
By the time Aradhana unfolded as S D Burman's 'second coming', Pancham was already on the verge of an individual breakthrough via Kati Patang -- via Kishore's Yeh shaam mastaanee madhosh kiye jaaye; Yeh jo mohabbat hai yeh unka hai kaam; and Pyaar deewaana hota hai mastaana hota hai -- songs released well before that Asha Parekh-Rajesh Khanna starrer hit the screen.Pancham now was clearly the coming Kishore force. The trio of Rajesh Khanna,kishore and R D Burman were out to conquer the Bollywood music.Most of the Heroes of that time 70s now asking for Kishore Kumar to sing their songs,music directors also now taking Kishore instead of Rafi,Kishore was giving hit after hit and he was at his peak,first he became the voice of Rajesh Khanna and later became the voice of Amitabh Bachchan.
1986 was a critical year for Kishore Kumar. He suffered from a heart attack. He recovered from this, but it caused him to greatly reduce his recording schedule. He planed to go into retirement and return to his birthplace of Khandwa; but this just does not seem to happen. Kishore's last recording was a playback song for Mithun Chakraborty. This was a duet with Asha Bhosle for the film "Waqt Ki Aawaz" (1988).In 1987 he suffered another massive heart attack in Bombay. He died on October 13, 1987, at the age of 58.
Here are Kishore Kumar's 20 Hit Songs of Golden Era Of Bollywood