Waliullah Khan studied mainly under his father Kaukub Khan and was the first of the extended family to take up sitar instead of the more hereditary instruments sarod or rubab. He became a great and sought after virtuoso performer and some of his programs were advertised as „sitar with one hand“, probably in regard of his powerful meend- and krintan-zamzama-laden left hand. He taught his son Noorullah Khan on the sitar and had a few notable non-family disciples like Begum Jabbar (Jalpaiguri) and Pullin Chandra Pal who became a well-known sitar player of Bengal and was the guru of the famous sitarist Jaya Bose. The only picture of Waliullah Khan with sitar is from his final years. Waliullah Khan recorded at least 3-4 78RPM discs but only one of them (H.170 with Pilu and Manjh Khamaj) has ever been found.
„Wali Ulla’s radio broadcasts are often aired from AIR Dhaka. People listen to these broadcasts w. a lot of interest. He belongs to a Gharana, whos musicians have tradiotionally been recognized as great instrumentalists. Wali Ulla’s grandfather, Niamatulla Khan was a pupil of Ustad Baasath Khan (a desecendant of Tansen). Niamutullah Khan was a Durbar musician at the court of Wajid Ali Shah, Awadh for many years after which, he taught the Maharaja of Nepal music for a few years. Wali Ullah was born in Lucknow in 1860. His father, Asadulla Khan Dehlvi was an expert at playing stringed instruments and was specifically known for playing the Banjo and Sarod instruments. He formally established himself in Calcutta and enriched the musical lives of many students. Wali Ulla learnt Sitar from his father for 17 years, and after his passing in 1915, became a disciple of his uncle, Karamatullah Khan, an expert at the Sarod. An expert knowledge at music was a gift passed on to Wali Ulla by his forefathers. Additionally, he benefited from the tutelage of experienced Gurus. He has gained a lot of fame by playing Sitar in many musical conferences and festivals. For a few years, he was a court musician of the Nawab of Comilla (Bengal) and taught a number of students there. He returned to Delhi later, where he stayed for 8 years and then went back to Bangal. Since the past 3 years, hes been staying in Dhaka. His Sitar programs have a special place among AIR Dhaka programs.“ Translation by Kiran Naiga
„H 170 Pilu and Manj Khamaj H 800 Shahana and Behag_H1166 Bharivin and Multani“ but it says „Shahnai“. It may be a misprint or maybe he played Shahnai in this record!? The missing discs of Waliullah Khan are H800 and H1166. Gharana elders also remember to hear his Yaman and Purvi from one of his recordings but there is no evidence so far.
