Ustad Zakir Hussain is a prodigious percussionist. He is the son of Ustad Alla Rakha, himself the leading tabla artist of his time. Zakir has worked with many western and Indian artists, and has produced many works for fusion, perhaps most notably with The Beatles. In 1971 he recorded with an American psychedelic band called Shanti.

In 1987, his first solo release, Making Music, was acclaimed as "one of the most inspired East-West fusion albums ever recorded." In 1988, he became the youngest percussionist to ever be awarded the title of Padma Shri. In 1992, Planet Drum, an album co-created and produced by Zakir and Mickey Hart, was awarded a Grammy for Best World Music Album, the Downbeat Critics Poll for Best World Beat Album, and the NARM Indie Best Seller Award for World Music Recording. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.