His work was available on more than 140 audio cassettes. Rahi sang more than 550 songs in the Garhwali and Kumaoni languages. In 1966, Rahi composed his famous geet (song) "Dil ko umaal" (Outpourings of the Heart) for his mentor, the Garhwali poet Kanhaiyalal Dandriyal, who is said to have given him the sobriquet Rahi (traveller). His was the first Garhwali voice to be heard on the radio. He continued gaining popularity in Uttarakhand through the 1970s, when his songs were broadcast from the AIR Najibabad station, and from the 1980s onwards, when his songs were broadcast on Doordarshan. He started singing for AIR Lucknow in 1972. Rahi made his singing career debut on the All India Radio (AIR) Delhi station on 13 March 1963, on a program for army personnel, with the song "Par veena ki". Rahi learned Indian classical music with Keshav Anuragi and his guru, Bachan Singh, much later in his adult life.
As a child, he accompanied his father on traditional musical instruments, including the thakuli, the damru, and the huruki. Rahi learned the foundations of Pahari music, including age-old traditional songs, musical instruments, and the cultural practices associated with the music of the Himalayas, early in life. Rahi and his brother, Dev Raj Rangeela, learned the tradition of Pahari (originating from the hills) music from their father, a singer of the jagar music of Uttarakhand. He belonged to a modest Ghadiyal family from the Nayar Valley of Pauri in Garhwal, Uttarakhand. Rahi was born Chander Singh Negi to Dilbar Singh Negi and Sundara Devi in a Giwali village in Maudadsyun.