Hussain was born in Mumbai and grew up with his father, tabla master Ustad Alla Rakha, who did much to popularise the tabla outside of India. Hussain was a prodigy and gave his first solo concert at the age of seven. Hussain began touring in the 1970s, moving to America for some time where he met Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart and played on his Grammy-winning album “Planet Drum”. Hussain has played with Indian musicians like bansuri maestro Hariprasad Chaurasia and sarod master Ali Akbar Khan, as well as western musicians such as George Harrison, Pharoah Sanders, and Van Morrison. Hussain teamed up with John McLaughlin for the renowned fusion group Shakti, and his performance and recording credits run into the hundreds. He continues to tour, teach and spread his joyous rhythms around the world.
