Zakir Hussain

Born: 9 March 1951

• He is a tabla virtuoso, composer, percussionist, music producer, film actor and eldest son of legendary tabla player Ustad Allah Rakha.
• He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1988, and the Padma Bhushan in 2002, by the Government of India presented by President Abdul Kalam.
• He was also awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1990, given by the Sangeet Natak Academy, India’s National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. 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.
• He  made stars out of tabla players, and a whole generation of young tabla players grew up imitating his head gestures and even his hair style while performing.
• He is a founding member of Bill Laswell’s ‘World Music Supergroup’ Tabla Beat Science.
• In 2016, he was amongst many musicians invited by President Obama to the International Jazz Day 2016 All-Star Global Concert at the White House.

click here for more details