Links to the Hindi song collections for the periods covered in this section:
1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1960s (All) 1960s GEMs
Note: I have made YouTube playlists of Hindi song GEMs for each year in the 1960s – see below for the links:
GEMs: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
Commentary:
The 1960s represented the best period of the Golden Age of Hindi film music, when the output of the music creators of the industry was truly awe-inspiring. In my opinion, the quality and beauty of this body of work will probably never be surpassed.
During the 1960s, the following industry luminaries who had started their career in an earlier decade were at the peak of their powers:
- Asha Bhosle, Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Mahendra Kapoor, Manna Dey, Mohammed Rafi, Mukesh, Suman Kalyanpur
- Kalyanji Anandji, Madan Mohan, Naushad, O.P. Nayyar, Ravi, Roshan, S.D. Burman, Shankar Jaikishen
- Hasrat Jaipuri, Indeevar, Kaifi Azmi, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, Rajendra Krishan, S.H. Bihari, Sahir Ludhianvi, Shailendra, Shakeel Badayuni.
In addition to the above, the following music makers either made their debut or started to establish themselves in the 1960s:
- Jaidev, Laxmikant Pyarelal, R.D Burman
- Anand Bakshi, Gulzar, Neeraj.
Interestingly, there was no major entrant during this period in the field of playback singing, probably because it was difficult to match the caliber of the incredible singers listed above.
In 1966, we also lost one of the brightest stars in the firmament of Hindi film music: Shailendra. However, many songs written by him before his death continued to be released until the early 1970s. This was a testament to his remarkable productivity even while maintaining the supremely high quality of song lyrics that was characteristic of all his work.
That same year (1966) also marked the passing of another great lyricist Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, who was one of the favorite collaborators of Madan Mohan, with whom he created many melodious masterpieces.
The following year (1967), we lost another shining star of the Golden Age: Roshan, whose instinct for sweetness and melody has yet to be matched in the realm of Hindi film music.