One of the most important and, without a doubt, most influential Real World Records artists was the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. He was instrumental in introducing the Qawwali music tradition to the Western world, and his voice is widely regarded as one of the greatest voices in musical history.

Qawwali is a type of Sufi devotional music that is very popular in South Asia, especially in areas that have had a lot of Muslims in the past, like parts of North India and southern Pakistan.

With his magnificent and eerie voice, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's legacy has captivated millions of people all over the world. He worked with many Western musicians during his lifetime, including Eddie Vedder, Michael Brook, and Peter Gabriel. His vocals were heard on the soundtracks of Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone, and Tim Robbins films.

'Fundamental' is a word which frequently gets abused while portraying extraordinary show-stoppers yet it is straightforwardly relevant to two of the collections he recorded for Genuine Records, the two of which were joint efforts with Michael Stream: 1990's Mustt and 1996's Night Melody. The latter was praised by Billboard as "a work of great beauty... an album for the ages, defying genre and solidifying Khan's stature as one of the world's preeminent singers," and it was nominated for a Grammy.

In 1993, the late American artist musician Jeff Buckley portrayed Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan as 'my Elvis.'      

NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHAN (1948-1997)