Ustad Zakir Hussain, born on March 9, 1951, is an Indian tabla player, composer, percussionist, music producer, and film actor. He was born to tabla player Alla Rakha and learned the instrument from his father at the age of 3. His first album, "Living in the Material World", was released in 1973.
With immense passion and love for Indian Classical Music, Hussain has proved to be one of the greatest tabla players of all time. He has been awarded many prestigious awards and accolades for the same. He won his first Grammy (award presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in the music industry) in 1992 for "Planet Drum", an album co-created and produced by Hussain and Mickey Hart, which became the first-ever Grammy for Best World Music Album. Gradually, playing tabla became popular across the globe.
Tabla Maestro Zakir Hussain made history at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, becoming the first Indian to win three of these trophies in a single night. These were for the Best Global Music Performance, Best Contemporary Instrumental Album, and Best Global Music Album categories. He now has five of these in total. He has also been awarded with the Padma Shri in 1988, the Padma Bhushan in 2002, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2023, by the Government of India.