Bhujhangy Group

Bhujhangy Group are the world's longest-running bhangra band.[1] The group was founded in Smethwick, near Birmingham, England in 1967 by brothers Dalbir Singh Khanpur and Balbir Singh Khanpur, who had come to the United Kingdom to in the mid 1950s and been joined by their families in 1964, initially working as labourers in the West Midlands' factories.[2] They were named Bhujhangy – meaning "kids" – as they were still teenagers, and their first recording was "Teri Chithi Noon Parthan", a 7" EP recorded in 1967 that sold 100 copies.[2]

Bhujhangy appeared on television in 1969 as part of the celebrations of Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji Maharaj 500th birthday - and the same year approached Oriental Star Agencies with a view to making further recordings.[3] The group had always been interested in western music as well as traditional Punjabi music, learning to play the guitar, banjo and accordion as well as the dhol, tumbi and dholak.[2] Their music gradually incorporated wider influences including modern western rhythms and sounds from Hindi-speaking Bollywood culture.[3] Their early 1970 single "Bhabiye Akh Larr Gayee" was the first recording to combine traditional Asian sounds with modern western musical instruments and influences,[4] a momentous step in the development of bhangra.[5]

Received an award from the House of Commons of the United Kingdom for Punjabi cultural and Bhangra music in 2009 and a Life Time Achievement award from Brit Asia TV Hammersmith in London 2011. Balbir Bhujhangy Appears in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the pioneer of Bhangra music in the UK since 1967 and continues to perform in 2014 and has released over 50 albums to date.

References

  1. ↑ Folkard, Claire, ed. (2004), Guinness World Records 2005, Enfield: Guinness World Records, p. 199, ISBN 0851121926
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Still Going Strong with Bhujhangy..., Bhangra Squad, retrieved 2013-06-16
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Farooq, Aisha (21 April 2013), "Muhammad Ayub ~ Founder of Oriental Star Agencies", DESIblitz, retrieved 2013-06-16
  4. ↑ Zahir, Samina (2013), "Oriental Star Agencies", in Donnell, Alison, Companion to Contemporary Black British Culture, London: Routledge, p. 239, ISBN 1134700245, retrieved 2013-06-15
  5. ↑ Osa History, Oriental Star Agencies, retrieved 2013-09-16