"[3] Regarded as one of the greatest singers in South Asia[4][5] who could sing high tenor notes with ease,[6] he is best known for his versatility[7] and distinctive voice, with complex and dark emotional expressions.

[11] Rushdi has recorded the highest number of film songs in the history of Pakistani cinema in Urdu, English, Punjabi, Bengali, Sindhi, and Gujarati and found unprecedented success as a playback artist from the mid-1950s to early 1980s.

[15] In 2003, 20 years after his death, Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf awarded him the Sitara-e-Imtiaz, the "star of excellence", for distinguished merit in the field of arts.

His father, Syed Manzoor Mohammad, taught Arabic, Islamic history and Persian at Aurangabad College, Hyderabad, Deccan.

[20] Ahmed Rushdi did not get any sort of formal training of classical music either before or after becoming a successful playback singer, but he had effective command over high and low notes.

[21] After the success of "Bunder Road se Keemari," Rushdi was offered songs as a playback singer for films and quickly gained popularity.

[22] He lent his voice to many hit films like Bara Admi (1956), Wah Rey Zamaney (1957), Raat Ke Rahi (1957), Yeh Dunya (1958), and many more.

Rushdi got good recognition for singing "Mari lela ne aisi" in Anokhi (1956), "Chalak Rahi Hain Mastiyan" ,and "Chal Na Sakey Gi 420" in Raaz (1959).

In 1961, he sang the popular song "Chand Sa Mukhra Gora Badan" in the film Saperan, for which he received his first Nigar Award as Best Male Playback Singer.

[23] He further strengthened his status as one of the top male playback singers in Mehtaab (1962), in which he sang "Gol Gappay Wala Aaya" for actor Alauddin; they would again be teamed in Susral.

[26] The mid-1960s saw the rise of brilliant singers like Mehdi Hassan and Masood Rana, but it did not affect Rushdi's career and he kept on leading the film music.

Music experts including Nisar Bazmi, Sohail Rana, and M. Ashraf are unanimous that Rushdi's voice was best suited for every hero, comedian, and even character actor.

[27] He lent his voice to Waheed Murad, Nadeem, Mohammad Ali, Santosh Kumar, Darpan, Habib, Rehman, Shahid, Qavi Khan, Ghulam Mohiuddin, and Rahat Kazmi and was tailor-made for every actor of the film industry.

In 1968, Rushdi recorded his first ever Bengali song in the film Notun Name Dako of Dhaka, titled "Ke Tumi Ele Go", which became a smashing hit in then -East Pakistan.

He also won different awards for songs like "Dil tumko de diya hai" and "Hum se na bigar aye larki".

Around the same year, he sang a duet with Mala in the film Baharei phir bhi ayen gi, "Khush naseebi hai meri", under the music direction of Shamim Nazli.

He also won several awards for songs such as "Aik albeli si naar" (Naag Muni), "Tum bhi ho ajnabi" (Baazi), and "Poocho na hum ne kis liye" (Intezar).

"Honto pe tera naam"( with Mala), "Kal achanak jo sar-e-rah mili thi", "Ghussey mei gulabi gaal", and "Pyar hota hai".

Ahmed Rushdi also recorded a romantic number "Teri jabeen se chodhwin ka chand jhankta rahey" (film Nadan) for actor Rehman.

He was also fond of acting and appeared in thirteen films as an actor, including Anokhi (1956), Kaneez (1965), Saat Lakh (1967), and Dekha Jaye Ga (1976).

In 1975, Ahmed Rushdi recorded "Dil ko jalana hum ne chor diya" (Film Mohabbat Zindagi Hai).

Ahmed Rushdi is credited with the honorific nickname of "Magician of voice" because of his ability of singing in different genres including happy, comedy, tragedy, qawwali, lullaby, patriotic, pop, revolutionary and folk.

Following Rushdi's success, Christian bands specialising in jazz started performing at various night clubs and hotel lobbies[31] in Karachi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Dhaka and Lahore.

Rushdi sang playback hits along with Runa Laila until the Bangladesh Liberation War when East Pakistan was declared an independent state.

[45] Once music director Nisar Bazmi in an interview said, "Ahmed Rushdi and Mohammad Rafi are amongst those few singers in the subcontinent, whose voices did not form 'cones', as they rose and touch the higher notes.

"[46] Bazmi also quoted the song "Aisey bhi hain meharban" (film Jaisey jantey nahin) to prove that Rushdi was also a master of serious singing.

[47][48][49] Sonu Nigam, Shaan and Kumar Sanu, who remained leading playback singers in Indian film industry also paid their tributes to Rushdi and sang his songs.

He is famously known as Magician of voice and his popularity also turned traditional classical singers against him but did not affect his fame and his death is termed as irreparable loss to the industry.

[54] Music directors like M. Ashraf and Nisar Bazmi also hold century partnerships with Ahmed Rushdi as they had composed hundreds of songs for him.

In 2018, Ahmed Rushdi's impact forced Coke Studio Pakistan (season 11) to produce a remake of Rushdi's first South Asian pop song "Ko Ko Korina" in the voices of Momina Mustehsan and Ahad Raza Mir which raised nationwide hue and cry to the extent that Minister for Human Rights in Pakistan Shireen Mazari had to come out in media to term the remake as "horrendous" since the classic was widely believed to be destroyed by both singers.