Though Shobha's formal music training began with 'Ustad Bhurji Khan', the youngest son of
Ustad Alladiya Khan, the founder of the
Jaipur-Atrauli gharana in
Kolhapur, from whom her mother was learning at the time, while she was still a younger girl, and seeing her talent, Ustad Bhurji Khan's family immediately took a liking of her, and she started spending long hours with them. Her ties with the
Jaipur-Atrauli gharana were to strengthen still, when she started learning from, Ustad Alladiya Khan's nephew Ustad Natthan Khan; though she really came into her own under the tutelage of Ustad Ghamman Khan, who came to stay with their family in Mumbai, to teach her mother thumri-dadra and other semi-classical forms. Shobha Gurtu specialised in semi classical forms such as
thumri,
dadra,
Kajri, Hori etc., effortlessly adding pure classical passages into her singing, thus creating a new form, and reviving the magic of forms like Thumri, of which she became a greatest exponent in time. She was particularly influenced by singer
Begum Akhtar and Ustad
Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. She also performed music in
Marathi and
Hindi cinema. As a playback singer, she first worked in
Kamaal Amrohi's film,
Pakeezah (1972), followed by
Phagun (1973), where she sang, 'Bedardi ban gaye koi jaao manaao more saiyyaan'. She earned a
Filmfare nomination as Best Female Playback Singer for the song "Saiyyan Rooth Gaye" from the hit film
Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978). She also sang a popular Bhojpuri folk song 'daroga ji se kahiye' in
Kalka (1983 film) which was
Shatrughan Sinha' only film production and later sang 'yaad piya ki aaye' in
Prahaar: The Final Attack in 1991 which is the only film directed by actor
Nana Patekar. In
Marathi cinema, she sang for films like
Saamna and
Lal Mati. In 1979, The Gramophone Company of India (EMI) released her first album
At Her Best... Shobha Gurtu, considered a high ranking classic recording displaying her dazzling vocal work in the eastern Uttar Pradesh (Purbi Gayaki) musical tradition rooted in the 19th century. Over the years, she travelled all over the world for concerts, including one at the
Carnegie Hall, New York City, performing alongside musical greats and, Pt.
Birju Maharaj. Her album of gazal "Tarz" along with
Mehdi Hassan was popular. She often lent her voice to the collaborative jazz albums of her son
Trilok Gurtu. In 2000, she featured in the
Jana Gana Mana Video, which was released to mark the 50th year of the Indian Republic, where she sang the Indian National Anthem,
Jana Gana Mana, along with other leading classical singers and musicians of India. In 1987, she received the
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, and was later awarded the
Lata Mangeshkar Puraskar,
Shahu Maharaj Puraskar and the
Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar. In 2002, she was awarded the
Padma Bhushan. After reigning over
Hindustani classical music genre, for five decades, as the Queen of Thumri, Shobha Gurtu died on 27 September 2004, and was survived by her two sons. ==Awards==