Role

:

Composer Performer

Country

:

India

Birth

:

April 29, 1919 in Ratangarh, India

Death

:

February 3, 2000 in Bombay, India

 

Ustad Alla Rakha was a renowned Indian tabla player and percussionist who was born on April 29, 1919, in Phagwal, Jammu and Kashmir, India. He was born into a family of musicians, and his father, Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan, was a well-known musician who played the sarangi. Alla Rakha began his musical training at a young age, and he quickly showed a natural talent for playing the tabla. Alla Rakha's early musical education was under the guidance of his father, who taught him the basics of tabla playing. He also received training from other renowned musicians, including Ustad Kader Baksh and Ustad Ashiq Ali Khan. Alla Rakha's talent and dedication to his craft soon became evident, and he began performing in public at a young age. In the 1940s, Alla Rakha moved to Mumbai, where he began performing with some of the most prominent musicians of the time. He quickly gained a reputation as one of the most talented tabla players in India, and he was soon performing with some of the biggest names in Indian classical music, including Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad Amir Khan, and Pandit Ravi Shankar. Alla Rakha's career reached new heights in the 1960s, when he began performing with the Beatles. He first met the Beatles in 1966, when they were in India studying transcendental meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Alla Rakha was invited to perform with the Beatles during their stay in India, and he quickly became a close friend of the band. Alla Rakha's performances with the Beatles were some of the most memorable of his career. He played tabla on several of the band's songs, including "Love You To" and "Within You Without You." He also performed with George Harrison on his solo album "Wonderwall Music," which was released in 1968. Alla Rakha's collaborations with the Beatles helped to introduce Indian classical music to a wider audience, and they helped to establish him as one of the most important musicians of his time. He continued to perform and record throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and he remained a beloved figure in the world of Indian classical music until his death in 2000. Throughout his career, Alla Rakha received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to music. In 1977, he was awarded the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honors, for his contributions to Indian classical music. He was also awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1982, and he was named a Fellow of the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 1990. Alla Rakha's legacy continues to live on today, and he is remembered as one of the greatest tabla players of all time. His contributions to Indian classical music helped to bring the genre to a wider audience, and his collaborations with the Beatles helped to establish him as a true musical icon. Today, his music continues to inspire and delight audiences around the world, and his influence can be heard in the work of countless musicians who have followed in his footsteps.

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