Zakir Hussain (musician)

Zakir Hussain
Background information
Born (1951-03-09) 9 March 1951 (age 73)
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
GenresHindustani classical music, jazz fusion, world music
OccupationMusician
InstrumentTabla
Years active1963–present
LabelsHMV
Websitezakirhussain.com youtube.com/@officialzakirhussain
HonoursPadma Shri (1988), Padma Bhushan (2002), Padma Vibhushan (2023)

Ustad Zakir Hussain (born 9 March 1951) is an Indian tabla player, composer, percussionist, music producer and film actor. He is the eldest son of tabla player Alla Rakha.[1] He is widely considered as one of the greatest tabla players of all time.[2]

He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1988, the Padma Bhushan in 2002, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2023, by the Government of India.[3][1][4] On 8 February 2009 for 51st Grammy Awards, Hussain won the Grammy in the Contemporary World Music Album category for his collaborative album Global Drum Project with Mickey Hart, & Giovanni Hidalgo.

He was also awarded the Govt of India's Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1990, Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, Ratna Sadsya in 2018. In 1999, he was awarded the United States National Endowment for the Arts' National Heritage Fellowship, the highest award given to traditional artists and musicians. Hussain has received seven Grammy Award nominations, with four wins.[5] He received three Grammys in February 2024.[6][7]

  1. ^ a b Kabir, Nasreen (2018). Zakir Hussain: A Life in Music. Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India: HarperCollins Publisher India. ISBN 978-93-5277-049-6.
  2. ^ Nigam, Meher (29 June 2022). "India's 7 Greatest Tabla Players of All Time". skyshot.in. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  4. ^ "Padma Awards 2023 announced". www.pib.gov.in. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference grammy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Ustad Zakir Hussain Wins three Grammy Awards in different categories". Bru Times News.
  7. ^ "Without harmony, we are nothing: Zakir Hussain wins 3 Grammy awards". Hindustan Times. 5 February 2024.