He, along with his brother (collectively known as Ali brothers) was introduced to singing at the age of twelve by his father, Ustad Vilayat Ali Khan who taught him singing later he learned from Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. After learning music, he went to Calcutta (in modern-day Kolkata) where he appeared in a music conference. His family later migrated to Lahore in 1947 following the partition of India.
Prior to migrating to Multan, he appeared in Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan in 1941. In 1955, he returned from Multan and went to his then hometown, Lahore. He was assigned music conferences by the All India Radio and worked for the station for over ten years. He later quit the job following the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and subsequently went to Pakistan. As a solo singer, he participated in several music concerts in England, America, Holland, Scotland, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Afghanistan, Nepal and Singapore, as well as Pakistan.[7] In 1973, he and his brother, Nazakat parted their duo over uncertain personal issues, however Salamat later continued playing his role as a solo singer.[1]
He died from kidney failure in Lahore on 11 July 2001[1] and is buried in Charagh Shah Wali shrine where his brothers, spouse and his eldest son, Sharafat Ali Khan are also buried.[9]