Mushtaq Hussain was born in a family of traditional musicians in Sahaswan, a small town in Budaun District of Uttar Pradesh.

[1] Although music came to him quite early in life, he was only 10 when his father, Ustad Kallan Khan, began giving him regular lessons, or rather introduced him into this art.

[2] Collectively, he spent eighteen years of his life with his trainer, Inayat Hussain Khan.

[1] During his long career, Mushtaq Hussain Khan trained many disciples including Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Padma Bhushan Smt.

[1] Mushtaq Hussain's last concert was at the residence of Naina Devi, where he had a cardiac arrest, and was brought to Irwin Hospital in Old Delhi, where he was declared dead on arrival.