Born in Lahore (Pakistan), he was the eldest son of Ali Baksh and his three brothers, Barkat Ali, Mubarak Ali and Aman Ali Khan were also known vocalists. Bade Ghulam learnt from his father and ainly from his paternal uncle Kale Khan. While in his teens, he also learnt sarangi to earn a living. Later on, he went to Bombay where he met Sindhi Khan and took further training from him. He was also very close to Professor B.R. Deodhar. He was very generous, emotional and truly moved by the Beauty of Nature. "Bade Ghulam was a sorcerer" (cit. Vamanrao H. Deshpande, in indian musical traditions, Chap.7, p.54) and his voice was truly magic. His tans, his total command on svar and laya, the natural flow of his music allied with a superb imagination and sense of aesthetic, rendered him a unique master. He was equally at ease with all the styles - be it khayal, dhrupad, dhamar or the lighter thumrees, dadras and folk tunes. His knowledge of rags and their compositions was excellent and his renderings of thumrees and dadras has remained unequalled. His son, Munnawar Ali Khan, is an able vocalist. However, he is far from the total mastery of his illustrious God-gifted father. I consider Bade Ghulam Ali as the highest himalayan peak.