Ogtay Rajabov was born in Baku.

He studied at the Faculty of Physics and Fundamentals of Production of the Azerbaijan State Pedagogical Institute (1958-1963), the postgraduate course of the Institute of Physics of the Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences, and the Faculty of Composition of the Azerbaijan State Conservatory (1964-1971, class of Jovdat Hajiyev).

He worked as a junior research worker, senior research worker, and head of department at the Azerbaijan State Conservatory of Music. He taught physics at the evening school No. 116 and music at the Music School No. 1. He was a professor at the Department of Azerbaijani Folk Music of the Baku Music Academy. Since 1977, he has been the host of a series of television programs called "Schoolchildren's Music Club" and the head of the Children's Music Department of the Azerbaijan Composers' Union. In 2009, he was elected a full member of the Academy of Pedagogical and Sociological Sciences of the Russian Federation. He is the author of the monographs “Music and Spiritual Education”, “Children and Songs”, music textbooks, programs and methodological recommendations for grades I-VIII of secondary schools, and the compiler of the “Anthology of Children's Songs of Azerbaijani Composers”.

He is the author of 10 monographs, 70 textbooks, teaching aids and programs, and more than 100 articles on pedagogy and music. During his work at the Art Gymnasium (1992-2001), an opera studio and a film studio for children were created for the first time in the country. More than 400 of his songs are performed by singers and children's choirs. He has written five symphonies, three operas, two operettas, cantatas, instrumental concerts, and works in other genres. His works include the children's opera "Good and Evil" (1994), Symphony No. 4 (1997), Symphony No. 5 for string orchestra (1998), and the musical comedy "Let Your Hand Be in Your Pocket" (2001).

He composed music for the Iranian-produced TV series "Vusal Days" (1998).

He was awarded the "Progress" medal (2006). Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences (1985), Honored Teacher (1987), Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences (1992), Professor (1995), Honored Artist (2019) Ogtay Rajabov died in 2022.