Thank you for those links. I vaguely recall my mom telling me about Master Madan Mohan.
I will be doing a piece on him soon, once i get some research done.

Even though Janis is one of my favorites, i decided to make a list of the rare ones. This was never a definitive list and i meant no disrespect.

I guess a second list is in order.

peace.

“Among the early popularizers of music in India was Master Madan, a child prodigy who died at the age of 15 in 1942. Few of his recordings survive, though he was a precocious and prolific performer.
Among his famous renditions Hairat se taq raha hai jahan-e-wafa mujhe and yun na rah rah kar hamen tarsaiye can be heard online.
It is impressive to see the mastery of classical music and the command over the Urdu language for someone so young and one can admire the rich texture of his voice even seven decades later.”

Here is an article about him from The Tribune: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20061001/spectrum/main1.htm

And another entry at a friends blogpost:
http://writtenencounters.blogspot.com/2006/10/master-madan-hindustani-musics-child.html

I am actually happy the left these guys out… I mean EVERYBODY has cobain, hendrix, joplin and the lizard king in their lists and everyone knows about them… may their souls rest in peace, but its about time the lesser known but equally deserving names too found a place and some mention. The unsung heroes deserve their overdue recognition.