Mukesh could breathe a thousand shades of despair and distill a lifetime of heartache in the few minutes it took to record a song. No other singer was capable of projecting emotions in their raw, unfurnished state the way he could. His was a voice that could on one hand be deeply melancholic and on the other hand exude a profoundly innocent and mellifluous sweetness. It was an exquisite blend of torment and anguish, tenderness and joy. To quote music maestro Salil Choudhury,

"Each word from his lips was a pearl. No one could sing the way Mukesh did with the right diction, inflexion and intonation. His vocal timbre was out of this world."

Mukesh Chand Mathur was born on the 22nd of July, 1923 in a small middle class family in Delhi. The first person to notice Mukesh from the Film Industry was the actor Motilal. A distant relative of the singer, he had attended Mukesh's sister's wedding in Delhi and was deeply impressed by the young man's voice. Motilal brought him to Bombay, kept him in his own house and arranged for Pandit Jaganath Prasad to groom him. Mukesh even did a Hindi Film during this period as hero, Nirdosh (1941) but it flopped miserably.

His first real break in films as a singer came in 1945 under the baton of Anil Biswas in the film Pehli Nazar (1945). The song was Dil Jalta Hai to Jalne de picturized on Motilal! Though a huge hit, admittedly it sounded as if the young man was just another K.L. Saigal imitator.

It was under Naushad with Mela (1948) and particularly Andaaz (1949), that Mukesh finally discovered his own style. Andaaz (1949) was a major triumph for Mukesh. All his four solos were raging hits - Tu Kahe Agar, Jhoom Jhoom ke Naacho Aaj, Hum Aaj Kahin Dil Kho Baite, Toote na Dil Toote na. It is interesting to note that though Mukesh in later years was regarded as the voice of Raj Kapoor, in Andaaz, Mukesh's songs went on Dilip Kumar while Mohd. Rafi sang for Raj Kapoor.

The partnership with Raj Kapoor started with Aag (1948) where Raj's feelings of despondency and despair were vividly caught by Mukesh in Ram Ganguly's composition Zinda Hoon Is Tarah, and ended with R.D. Burman's Ek Din Bik Jaayega in the film Dharam Karam (1975). In its course was an endless list of hits. Among them are the evergreen songs of Awaara (1951), Shri 420 (1955), Parvarish (1958), Anadi (1959), Sangam (1964), Mera Naam Joker (1970).

The inimitable team of Mukesh-Raj Kapoor-Shankar-Jaikishen-Shailendra-Hasrat Jaipuri was responsible for producing one memorable hit after another for almost two and a half decades starting from Barsaat in 1949. From Mera Joota Hai Japani (Shree 420) to Kisi ki Muskurahaton pe ho Nissar (Anadi), from Dost, Dost na Raha (Sangam) to Jaane Kahan Gaye Woh Din (Mera Naam Joker), the emotions conveyed by the depth and intonation of the voice of this master-singer was unparalleled.

However life was not always that easy and smooth. Following Awaara's success, Mukesh almost ruined himself when he sidelined his singing career to pursue acting - to try and make it as a singing star. Mashuqa (1953) with Suraiya and Anuraag (1956) with Usha Kiron both sank at the box-office. (He also did a small role as a tangewala enacting his own song - Choti si Zindagani in Aah (1953))

Wizened by the ordeal, Mukesh returned to playback singing only to find that offers had dried up. The situation reached a point that his children Nitin and Ritu were turned out of school as they were unable to pay their fees.

It was finally with Yeh Mera Deewanapan Hai from Yahudi (1958), that Mukesh finally came back with a bang. Other hits that year like Madhumati, Parvarish and Phir Subah Hogi meant there was no turning back. Even S.D. Burman who had not utilized Mukesh's services for over a decade composed those two masterpieces for him - Chal ri Sajni from Bombay ka Babu (1960) and O Jaanewaale Ho Sake To Laut ke Aana from Bandini (1963).

Mukesh thereafter flourished right through the 1960s and mid 1970s with soulful hits like Main to Ek Khwab Hoon (Himalay ki God Mein (1965)), Jeena Yahaan Marna Yahaan (Mera Naam Joker), Maine Tere Liye hi Saat Rang ke Sanpne Chune and Kahin Door Jab Din Dhal Jaaye (Anand (1970)), Main na Bhoolonga (Roti, Kapda Aur Makan (1974)) and of course Main Pal do Pal ka Shayar Hoon and Kabhi Kabhie (Kabhi Kabhie (1976)).

In 1974, Mukesh received the National Award for the song Kahin Baar Yun Bhi Dekha Hai from Rajnigandha (1974). His last recorced song was Chanchal, Sheetal, Nirmal, Komal from Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978).

He died on 27th August 1976, of a sudden heart attack in Detroit, while on a concert tour of the U.S.