"Shahenshah-e-Qawwali" The Sabri Brothers | |
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![]() The Sabri Brothers & Ensemble | |
Background information | |
Origin | Kalyana, East Punjab, British India. Karachi, Pakistan (Post 1947). |
Genres | Qawwali |
Years active | 1956 – 2021 |
Labels | |
Past members | Ghulam Farid Sabri (1956–94) Kamal Ahmed Khan Sabri (1956–1998) Maqbool Ahmed Sabri (1955–2011) Amjad Fareed Sabri (1982–1996) Mehmood Ghaznavi Sabri (1974–2021) |
The Sabri Brothers (Punjabi, Urdu: صابری برادران) were a musical band from Pakistan who were performers of Sufi qawwali music and were closely connected to the Chishti Order. They are considered one of the greatest Sufi qawwali singers of all times. The Sabri Brothers were led by Ghulam Farid Sabri and his brother Maqbool Ahmed Sabri. They are often referred to as Shahenshah-e-Qawwali (the King of Kings of qawwali) and are also known as the roving ambassadors of Pakistan. The band was initially founded by Maqbool Ahmed Sabri at the age of 11 years and was known as Bacha Qawwal Party. His elder brother Ghulam Farid Sabri joined after insistence from their father. He became the leader of the group and the band soon became known as the Sabri Brothers.[1] They were the first-ever qawwali artists to perform qawwali in the United States and other Western countries; they were also the first-ever Asian artists to perform at New York's Carnegie Hall in 1975.[2]