Azam Khan (singer)

Azam Khan
আজম খান
Azam Khan
Born
Mahbubul Haque Khan

(1950-02-28)28 February 1950
Dhaka, East Pakistan, Dominion of Pakistan
Died5 June 2011(2011-06-05) (aged 61)
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Resting placeMartyred Intellectuals' Graveyard, Mirpur, Dhaka
NationalityBangladeshi
Other names
Education
Alma materT & T College
Occupations
  • Singer-songwriter
  • record producer
  • actor
Years active1967–2011
Spouse
  • Sahida Begum
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1981; div. 1993)​
Children3
RelativesAlam Khan (brother)
Awards Ekushey Padak
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocal
  • guitar
Labels
  • Soundtek
  • Sonali
  • CD Sounds
  • Sargam
  • Sangeeta
  • D-Series

Mahbubul Haque Khan (28 February 1950 – 5 June 2011), known as Azam Khan, was a Bangladeshi singer-songwriter, record producer, and lead singer for the pop-rock band Uccharon.[1] He was also a freedom fighter who took part in the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971. He is considered to be one of the greatest artists in the history of Bangladeshi folk music and a founding figure of Bangla rock.[2]

Born and raised in Dhaka, he had been interested in music since childhood and would later begin his music career with Trinity Artist Group in 1967. He took part in the 1969 mass uprising against the Pakistani military, which resulted in the resignation of Pakistan's president, Ayub Khan among other concessions to protesters.

In 1971, inspired by his father, he and his brothers took part in the Liberation War of Bangladesh. He was trained in Meghaloy, India. He fought in Sector 2, under Major Khaled Mosharraf. In mid-December, 1971 he came back from the training camps and restarted his music career. He founded the pioneering rock band Uchcharon, along with his friends Nilu (lead guitar) and Mansoor (rhythm guitar), and Sadek (drums).[3] They first appeared on Bangladesh Television in 1972. They achieved commercial success with the hit "Rail Liner Oi Bostite" in 1975. This was followed up with more hit songs in the 1970s, like "Alal ar Dulal", "Saleka Maleka" and "Papri Keno Bojhena".

In 2019, he was posthumously awarded the second highest civilian honour award, Ekushey Padak,[4] in recognition of his contribution to the music industry. He has been dubbed "The Pop Samrat" (The Pop Emperor) and "The Rock Guru."[5]

  1. ^ "Azam Khan". The Daily Star. 2015-05-30. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  2. ^ Islam, Sirajul; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir, eds. (2012). "Azam Khan". Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  3. ^ "Azam Khan is dead". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  4. ^ "Azam Khan receives posthumous Ekushey Padak". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  5. ^ "Remembering the Rock Guru Azam Khan". The Independent. Dhaka. Retrieved 9 February 2019.