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Zakir Hussain (Musician) Age, Wife, Family, Biography & More

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Age: 72 Years
Father: Alla Rakha
Wife: Antonia Minnecola

Zakir Hussain

Bio
Full NameZakir Hussain Qureshi
ProfessionIndian Classical Musician (Tabla Maestro)
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)in centimeters- 170 cm
in meters- 1.70 m
in feet inches- 5’ 7”
Weight (approx.)in kilograms- 70 kg
in pounds- 154 lbs
Eye ColourBlack
Hair ColourBlack
Music
Popular Soundtrack(s)1979: Apocalypse Now (1979)
1993: In Custody and Little Buddha
1998: Saaz
1999: Vanaprastham
2001: The Mystic Masseur
2002:
Mr. and Mrs. Iyer
2003: One Dollar Curry
Award & Recognition(s)1998: Padma Shri
2002: Padma Bhushan
1990: Indo-American Award and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
1999: National Heritage Fellowship of National Endowment for the Arts from Hillary Clinton
2005: Old Dominion Fellow by the Humanities Council at Princeton University for being a full time Professor in the music department
2006: Kalidas Samman
2009: 51st Grammy Award
2023: Padma Vibhushan [1]The Hindu
Personal Life
Date of Birth9 March 1951
Age (as of 2023) 72 Years
BirthplaceMumbai, Maharashtra, India
Zodiac signPisces
Nationality Indian
HometownMumbai, Maharashtra, India
AddressSan Francisco, California, United States
SchoolSt. Michael's High School, Mahim, Maharashtra, India
College/ UniversitySt. Xavier's, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
University of Washington, U.S.A
Educational Qualification(s)Graduate
PhD (Music)
FamilyFather- Alla Rakha (legendary tabla player)
Zakir Hussain With His Father
Mother- Bavi Begum
Brothers- Taufiq Qureshi and Fazal Qureshi
Sister- Not Known
ReligionIslam
HobbiesWriting & Playing Instruments
Favourites
FoodMaharashtrian cuisines, Punjabi Cuisines & Continental Cuisines
Actor(s)Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Rishi Kapoor
ActressesRekha, Vidya Balan, Sharmila Tagore
Singer(s)Lata Mangeshkar, Pandit Jasraj, A.R. Rahman
Girls, Affairs and More
Marital StatusMarried
Wife/SpouseAntonia Minnecola
Zakir Hussain With His Wife
Marriage DateYear 1978
ChildrenSon- None
Daughters- Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi
Zakir Hussain Daughters
Money Factor
Salary (as an event performer) 6 lacs/show (INR)
Net Worth (Approx.)5-6 Crores INR

Zakir Hussain

Some Lesser Known Facts About Zakir Hussain

  • Zakir Hussain was a genius student since his childhood. His father, Ustad Alla Rakha, was a legendary Tabla Player and started teaching him Pakhawaj when he was three years old.
  • He has performed with many legendary maestros of music such as Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Vilayat Khan, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, Pandit VG Jog, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Jasraj, and many more.

  • In his early twenties, he attained the peak of his popularity and started visiting the United States frequently and he had performed more  than 150 concerts per year
  • His wife is also a professional Kathak dancer and a dance teacher. She had also been his manager for a long time.

  • He had given a great contribution in raising the status of the Tabla players in the society, which earlier considered playing the Tabla as most contemptuous art.
  • He has also collaborated with great artists such as Grateful Dead and Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane and once, with these artists, he played a jam session for four days while tripping on banned substances.
  •  He got associated with violinist L. Shankar, guitarist John McLaughlin, mridangam player Ramnad Raghavan, and legendary ghatam player Vikku Vinayakram and formed a fusion group named as ‘Shakti’, and on the 20th anniversary of this group, he introduced the world with the second version of the group named as ‘ Remember Shakti’, which accompanied artists like  U. Srinivas, T.V. Selvaganesh, and Shankar Mahadevan.

  • Mickey Hart of ‘Grateful Dead’, invited Zakir Hussain to create the special album called Global Planet Drum project, which featured legendary musicians from the different part of the world. This album released in 1991 on the Rykodisc label and went on to earn the 1992 Grammy Award for Best World Music Album, which is the first Grammy ever awarded in this category.

  • He was also starred in several documentaries such as  Zakir and His Friends, The Speaking Hand: Zakir Hussain, the Art of the Indian Drum and also co-starred in a film Heat and Dust.
  • In 2016, Zakir Hussain was amongst few legendary musicians, who were invited by President Obama for the ‘All-Star Global Concert’ at the White House.
  • He is a founding member of  ‘World Music Supergroup’ and also a visiting professor at Stanford University in the department of music.
  • The band Remember Shakti won the Best Global Music Album award for ‘This Moment’ at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2024.

    Zakir Hussain, along with other band members, at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards

    Zakir Hussain, along with other band members, at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards

  • Here is the video of the interview, in which Simi Garewal is unveiling the life pages of  Zakir Hussain and his wife.

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