Brij Bhushan Kabra

Brij Bhushan Kabra was born in 1937 in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. His early interests included sports and listening to Indian classical music, and he initially trained as a geologist rather than a professional musician. A turning point came during a visit to Kolkata, where he encountered the Hawaiian lap slide guitar. Drawn to its tonal possibilities, he persuaded his family to let him learn the instrument, with the intention of applying it to classical music.

Settling later in Ahmedabad, Kabra largely taught himself by listening to recordings before seeking formal guidance from sarod maestro Ali Akbar Khan. To make the guitar suitable for raga performance, he modified it by adding sympathetic and drone strings, enabling sustained tones and resonance closer to Indian string instruments.

Kabra is widely recognized as the first Indian musician to present raga music on the slide guitar in a serious classical format. At a time when the guitar was rarely associated with Hindustani music, he demonstrated that it could handle the nuances of meend (glides), gamak (oscillation), and microtonal expression essential to raga.

His landmark recording Call of the Valley (1967), alongside bansuri and santoor, reached global audiences and remains a reference point for listeners discovering Indian classical music. The album’s success also connected his music to international counterculture listeners in the 1970s.

Alongside performing, Kabra devoted significant time to teaching from the 1990s onward, guiding students interested in adapting the guitar to Indian classical styles. Despite reducing his concert schedule later in life, he remained active as a mentor.

His contributions were recognized with honors, including

• Rajasthan Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1983–84)
• Fellowship of Rajasthan Sangeet Natak Akademi (1995–96)
• Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2005)

Brij Bhushan Kabra passed away on 12 April 2018 in Ahmedabad at the age of 81. He is regarded as a trailblazer who expanded the boundaries of Hindustani instrumental music by integrating the guitar into the classical tradition.