Rasheed Attre was born in Amritsar, Punjab, British India in 1919. His father, Khushi Mohammad, was also singer-musician in his time. Young Rasheed acquired his initial music lessons from Khan Sahib Ashfaq Husain. Sharp enough in the field of learning music, Rasheed soon mastered the musical instruments in general and tabla, in particular. In the early 1940s, Rasheed decided to consolidate his efforts towards music composition and started his music career from Mahishori pictures, Lahore, for whom he composed two songs for the film Pagli. The rest of 's songs were composed by Ustaad Jhanday Khan. Rashid Attre was selected as the music director to compose songs for the Bombay Talkies' first Muslim social filmNateeja, whose superhit ghazal ‘Kahan mein aur kahan deen-e-haram ki kashmakash, Nakhshab, kis kay naqsh-e-pa per rakh diya ghabra kay sar mein nay' is popular to date. Once he migrated to Pakistan with his family, he was not able to take full advantage of noted singer Noor Jehan's singing talent initially, because Noor Jehan, in those days, would sing only for those films in which she also acted. So Rashid Attre used playback singers Zubaida Khanum and Naseem Begum in the early years of his career in Pakistan. Later, when Noor Jehan changed her mind, he composed music for many popular songs by her before he died in 1967.
Filmography
In India
Pagli
Mamta
Pana
Shireen Farhaad
Kamra No. 9
Nateeja
Paaro
Shikayat
In Pakistan
Beli
Shehri Babu - Rashid Attre's big breakthrough Punjabi language film in Pakistan
Roohi
Chann Mahi
Sarfarosh
Waada
Saat Lakh
Chengaiz Khan
Mukhra
Anarkali
Neend
Sham Dhalay
Salma
Farishta
Gulfaam
Shaheed
Qaidi
Mauseeqar
Farangi
Jeedar
Sawaal
Mirza Jat
Bauji
Zarqa''
Selected hit songs
"Bar Bar Barsein Moray Nain, Moray Nain" Sung by Kausar Perveen and Sharafat Ali, lyrics by Saifudin Saif, film Waada .
"Jab Teray Shehar Sey Guzarta Huun" Sung by Sharafat Ali, lyrics by Saifuddin Saif, film Waada
"Aaey mausam rangeelay suhanay, tu chhutti le ke aaja balama" Sung by Zubaida Khanum, lyrics by Tufail Hoshiarpuri, film Saat Lakh
"Qarar lootne wale Tu Pyaar ko Tarsay" Sung by Munir Hussain, lyrics by Saiduddin Saif, film Saat Lakh
"Banwari chakori kare dunya se chori chori chanda se pyaar" Sung by Noor Jehan, lyrics by Tufail Hoshiarpuri, film Anarkali
"Dila thehr ja yaar da nazara lein de" Sung by Munir Hussain, lyrics by Waris Ludhianvi, film Mukhra
"Allah-O-Akbar aey mard-e-mujahid jaag zara" Sung by Inayat Hussain Bhatti, lyrics by Tufail Hoshiarpuri, film Changez Khan
"Mujh se pehli si Muhabbat meray mehboob na maang" Sung by Noor Jehan, lyrics by Faiz Ahmad Faiz, film Qaidi
"Nisar mein teri galion pe aey watan kay jahan" Sung by Munir Hussain, lyrics by Faiz Ahmad Faiz, film Shaheed