Kuljit Bhamra
| Kuljit Bhamra MBE |
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|---|---|
Kuljit Bhamra MBE
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| Background information | |
| Born | 1959 (age 57–58) Nairobi |
| Origin | Southall, UK |
| Genres | Bhangra, Indian Classical, World Music, Jazz, Crossover |
| Occupation(s) | Percussionist, record producer, composer |
| Instruments | Tabla, percussion |
| Years active | 1965 – present |
| Labels | Keda Records |
| Associated acts | Ku-Da-Mix Orchestra, Taala |
| Notable instruments | |
| Tabla, Percussion | |
Kuljit Bhamra MBE Hon DMus (born 1959) is a British composer, record producer and musician whose main instrument is the tabla. He is best known as one of the record producers who pioneered the British Bhangra sound and for his many collaborations with musicians from different genres and continents. His MBE was awarded in the Queen's Birthday Honour's List 2009 with the citation For services to Bhangra and British Asian Music. In July 2010 he was awarded an honorary Doctorate by the University of Exeter.
Born in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1959, His grandfather was an Indian artisan sent to Kenya by the British Raj. Bhamra contracted polio when he was one year old, which affected his left leg. This disability eventually led him to play the tabla whilst seated (similar to a drummer playing a drum kit) rather than seated on the floor – the usual practice for tabla players.
Bhamra's father had gone to England to study civil engineering and in 1961 Kuljit and his mother joined him there. In 1968 they settled in Southall which has been Bhamra's home town ever since.
Bhamra taught himself to play the tabla at the age of six and accompanied his mother, Mohinder Kaur Bhamra, who was a popular singer at weddings and public functions. Later, with Bhamra's two brothers playing accordion and mandolin, Mohinder Kaur recorded a number of albums that became successful – being sold through a network of corner shops in the Asian community.
On the insistence of his father, Bhamra trained as a civil engineer at Middlesex University and then worked for Richmond Council for a while.
In 1983 he produced and arranged an album for Premi – a Southall-based singer who introduced Bhamra to another new band Heera. The band's debut album, produced by Bhamra, was played back to back with Premi's, 24 hours a day, on the Asian pirate radio station Sina Radio (now Sunrise Radio). Using multitrack recording techniques whilst combining Indian percussion with western instruments and live orchestral violins, Bhamra went on to produce numerous albums for both British and Indian artists. Some of his productions became internationally successful and included songs such as 'Rail Gaddi' (by Chirag Pehchan); 'Pyar Ka Hai Bairi' (by Sangeeta); 'Giddha Pao Haan Deo' (by Mohinder Kaur Bhamra); 'Peer Tere Jaan Di' (by Gurdas Maan); 'Aj Tenoon Nachna Pao' (by Mahendra Kapoor); 'Patel Rap' (by Bali), 'Nachdi Di Gooth Khulgaye' (by Premi) and Jag Wala Mela (by Heera).
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