[1] Shaikh Dawood Khan was born in Sholapur, Maharashtra on 16 December 1916.

[1] His father Hashim Sahib was a draughtsman in the PWD (Public Works Department), Bijapur, Karnataka, India.

[2] Shaikh Dawood received his training under several notable masters.

[2][3] In his lifetime, he accompanied most of the great musicians of the era.

These include Aftab-e-Mausiki Ustad Faiyaz Khan, Ustad Vilayat Hussain Khan (vocalist), Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad Barkat Ali Khan, Roshanara Begum, Abdul Wahid Khan (Begum Akhtar's guru), Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Sawai Gandharva, Pandit Basawaraj Raj Guru, Nazakat and Salamat Ali Khan, Mushtaq Hussain Khan, Pandit D. V. Paluskar, Pandit Vinayakrao Patwardhan, Ustad Allaudin Khan, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Girija Devi, Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Vilayat Khan (sitar player).