MOST RECORDED ARTIST

The Indian popular singer Asha Bhosle is acknowledged as the most recorded artist in music history. She is the sister of another famous playback singer Lata Mangeshkar.

Other than Indian languages, she has also sung in various foreign languages. Renowned for her voice range and often credited for her versatility, Bhosle's work includes film music, pop, ghazals, bhajans, traditional Indian classical music, folk songs, qawwalis, and Rabindra Sangeets. Apart from Hindi, she has sung in over 20 Indian and foreign languages. In 2006, Asha Bhosle stated that she had sung over 12,000 songs, a figure repeated by several other sources. In 2009, World Records Academy first recognized Asha Bhosle as the Most Recorded Artist.  In 2011, she was officially acknowledged by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most recorded artist in music history.

Asha Bhosle has won seven Filmfare Best Female Playback Awards of 18 nominations. She won her first two awards in 1967 and 1968. After receiving the award in 1979, Bhosle emulated her elder sister Lata Mangeskar and requested that her name not be considered for the nominations hereafter. Despite this, Bhosle is the most frequent winner of this award to date, tying with Alka Yagnik. She was later given a Special Award for Rangeela in 1996, and the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001.

MOST SONG RECORDINGS IN THE WORLD

In 2011, Guinness officially acknowledged Asha Bhosle as the most recorded artist in music history, surpassing her sister, Lata Mangeshkar. In 1991, Lata Mangeshkar was cited by the Guinness Book of World Records for having sung more than 30,000 solo, duet and chorus-backed song recordings, more than any other singer in the world.

 This was an honour that belonged to her beloved didi Lata Mangeshkar from 1974 to 1991, but now the baton has passed on to her younger sister Asha Bhosle who’s set a new record for recording the maximum number of songs in the world. The Guinness officials conferred on the title on her officially on Thursday.

For 10 years, there has been a constant demand from a section of her fans that Asha be the true heir of the title as she has recorded the maximum number of songs. The demand has now been fulfilled.

“Asha Bhosle enters the Guinness World Records and was awarded a certificate for the most studio recordings (singles) for recording up to 11,000 solo, duet and chorus-backed songs and in over 20 Indian languages since 1947. She was conferred with this honour at the Asian awards function held in London,” said a statement released on the occasion.

Asha was elated with the achievement and thanked her friend Vishwas Nerulkar for painfully documenting all her songs and letting the Guinness authorities know.

“I am truly feeling that I am being recognised by the whole world. I always knew that I had sung the most number of songs among all other singers, but I decided to keep quiet about it (she kept quiet when the title was given to Lata Mangeshkar). I am thankful to Vishwas Nerulkar for tabulating all my songs correctly and providing the correct information to the Guiness authorities,” says Asha.

The singer also left a message for her fans thanking them for their unflinching support. “I want to tell all my fans that I am thankful to them for loving me and my songs. I want them to continue loving me and my songs. I also want  them to love my acting as well as I have made my debut as an actor in the film Maaee. I want all your blessings,” Asha added.

WORLD'S LARGEST GUITAR ENSEMBLE

Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya, India has once again entered the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest guitar ensemble in 2007 after its successful entry for the largest drum ensemble in 2006. A record number of 1730 guitarists strummed persistently for five minutes to Bob Dylan’s classic "Knocking on Heaven’s door". They broke the previous record set by 1721 guitarists from Kansas City, USA who strummed Deep Purple’s "Smoke on the water" in September 2006.

Even though none of the representatives from the Guinness Book of World Records was present, State Director General of Police (DGP) BK Dey Sawian and Dr Lapynshai Syiem, NEHU (North Eastern Hill University) music lecturer were the adjudicators as per the laid norms of the Guinness Record book.

The guitarists of all ages and skills strummed in unison to perform the classic composition of Bob Dylan to start a month-long Autumn Festival in state capital Shillong.

State authorities said they were trying to promote India's north- eastern region through such events. 'We are trying to promote the region through music ... last year it was the drum circle and this time it was the guitar ensemble and maybe next year something different,' state education minister RG Lyngdoh told to reporters.

WORLD'S LARGEST DRUM ENSEMBLE

Meghalaya Tourism Development Forum (MTDF) organised the largest drum ensemble with 7,951 drums playing simultaneously at Jawaharlal Nehru Open Stadium, Shillong on Oct 28, 2006. The music piece titled 'Positive Vibrations'was an opening act for the Autumn Festival (Oct 28-Nov 5, 2006) at Shillong, capital of Meghalaya and lasted for 10 minutes.
Thus the city had entered the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest drum ensemble. From schoolchildren to professionals, all available types drummers from across the northeast were mobilized to perform in the event. The drummers, mostly tribes people, schoolchildren and members of the police, performed the orchestrated piece called ‘Positive Vibrations’ composed by a local musician, Rudy Wallang.

Meghalaya’s Tourism Minister R G Lyngdoh said: “This is a historic moment for us. People across the world would now know that Meghalaya is a vibrant place and a tourist destination.” Mr. Lyngdoh played an important part in organising the record breaking performance.

“The 7,951 drummers have created a new Guinness world record with their scintillating performance Saturday,” Michael Sean Whitty, an adjudicator from the Guinness Book of World Records, said on Sunday. Some 25,000 people chanted “hoi kiw, hoi kiw”, a local victory cry as Whitty announced the creation of the new world record, handing organisers a certificate to confirm the achievement. In the absence of any permanent adjudicator, Whitty had to fly here from Britain to oversee the world’s largest drum ensemble. Whitty added that a growing number of entries from India making it to the Guinness Book of World Records, its officials are contemplating the appointment of a permanent adjudicator for the country. “We have one in China. We are now thinking of one for India,” he said.

The previous Guiness world record for "largest drum ensemble" was set in 2004 by Grammy award winner Mickey Hart who assembled 4,374 drummers at the Global Festival for Peace in Laytonville, California.