Said Rustamov was born in Yerevan where he spent his early years and went to primary school.

After his father's death and his mother's second marriage, he was taken in and brought up by his older brother who had been married by that time.

In 1919, they moved to Ganja, then Agdash and finally settled in Baku, where young Rustamov got admitted to a teachers seminary.

At the same time Rustamov further pursued his career in teaching and graduated from the Azerbaijani State Pedagogical Institute in 1932.

In 1935, he became the director and conductor of the newly established and unique folk instrument ensemble and remained one for the next 40 years.