Jeet Singh Negi is popularly known as the ‘Godfather of Modern Garhwali Folk Music.’ He was a music composer, singer, lyricist, writer as well as a director.
He was born on 2 February 1995, in the Ayaal village of Pauri. He completed his education in various places such as Pauri, Myanmar, and Lahore. During his stay in Myanmar, his fondness for music kept growing. Being a boy from the hills, his connection to Pahadi music was always there.
At that time, Bollywood music was becoming popular with the audience. Negi Ji used to listen to Bollywood numbers and was inspired by the compositions of Manna Dey, A.K
Sehgal decided to pursue his career further in the music industry and started his training since then.
His journey started in 1942, in his early college days. He sang traditional folk songs with his own twist of modernity. He was loved by everyone, and his name became quite popular.
Everything changed for him in the year 1949. He became the first-ever Garwahli singer to be invited by the Young India Gramophone company in Mumbai to record.
He recorded six songs which became an instant hit with the crowd. In 1952, he directed a Garwahli play called “ BhaariBhool”.
His velvety voice and heart-rendering lyrics were what made him a renowned and loved artist. His musical dramas, namely Rami, Raju Postman, etc., gained him a lot of praise. His musicals were often aired on AakashwaniNajibabad, Delhi, and Lucknow. ‘ Rami ‘ was translated to Hindi and aired on Delhi Doordarshan.
In 1957 for H.N.B and in 1964 for Colombia Gramophone company, he recorded eight self-composed Garwahli songs. He rose to fame with his musical composition for the Garwahli film, “ MeriPyaariBoyi,” with its soulful and heart-touching music. His voice was one in a million indeed. Jeet Singh Negi songs always remained close to everyone heart till now.
He breathed his last on 21 June 2020 at his home in Dharampur, Dehradun Uttarakhand. He will continue to inspire the upcoming musicians with his contribution to the music industry.