Ata Hussain Khan
(1898-1980)
♫ Raga Darbari Kanada – nomtom
About Ata Hussain Khan
Ata Hussain Khan was the son of the celebrated Agra vocalist and composer Mehboob Khan ‘Daraspiya.’ Ata Hussain’s chief guru was his brother-in-law, the Aftab-e-Mausiqui Faiyyaz Hussain Khan. His association with Faiyyaz Khan ran long and deep. For decades Ata Hussain, then based in Baroda, was the primary accompanist for the Aftab-e- Mausiqui. He later moved to Calcutta. He was a popular teacher and was much sought after. Some of his well-known disciples were Poornima Sen, Ramrao Naik and Swami Vallabhadasa.
Part of the reason for Ata Hussain’s relative obscurity as a performer is that he spent much of his productive period in the shadow of Faiyyaz Khan, whose spirit looms large within Ata Hussain as the clips attest.