Six ways Ayub Bachchu changed our rock music scene

Today marks the birthday of one of the greatest rockstars of the country, Ayub Bachchu.  His untimely demise has created a vacuum in the industry which can never be filled.

His contribution to the music industry cannot be described in words. Any young guitarist of the country has been influenced by the maestro in some way or the other.

Bachchu is one of those rare guitarists who raised the bars of guitar playing skills. With his band LRB (Love Runs Blind), the legend helped shape the Bangladeshi rock music scene in many ways.

Bachchu's name will live on as long as the Bangla rock scene exists.

To commemorate his birthday, The Business Standard has highlighted six ways Bachchu changed the rock music scene of Bangladesh.

1. Distorted guitar

Ayub Bachchu is considered one of the greatest guitarists of the country. His spirit will live through every guitar solo he played. For Bachchu, Jimi Hendrix was a huge inspiration.

Indian singer-songwriter, Sahana Bajpaie, in a statement, has said that Ayub Bachchu plays the guitar like Jimi Hendrix.

Many popular rock musicians of Bangladesh were influenced by Bachchu. His contributions to music will continue to inspire the generations to come. Bachchu was also the first guitarist in Bangladesh who used distorted guitar tunes in his songs.

10 underrated songs by Ayub Bachchu

Setu Chowdhury, the guitarist of Vikings, told The Business Standard, "He is the greatest guitarist of Bangladesh and has influenced all the guitarists of the country."

"Starting from his days with Souls to LRB, he is the most versatile musician and has explored many genres. He is the king of melodies and his guitar solos were songs themselves," Setu added.

In his last interview, Bachchu said, "The first person, I had respect for, is the God of guitar - Jimmi Hendrix. And then there were Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Rusty Coolie, and Andy James."

2. Pathfinder for musicians

Bachchu always wanted to be a musician. He went through many challenges and difficulties to achieve his goals, but he never gave up.

Bachchu proved how dedication and determination can help an individual climb to the top of the success ladder.

He is a role model for youngsters who aspire to be a guitarist or rock musician.

Speaking to The Business Standard, veteran photographer Imtiaz Alam Beg said, "Whenever I think of Bachchu bhai, I only can think of how a person can reach such stature through dedication. It takes a lifetime to become Ayub Bachchu.

"He just had one aim in his life, to be a guitarist. He is a big chapter for Bangladeshi rock music and the new generation should learn how to be patient in the long-term and establish themselves on the top of any art form."

Beg added that he believes Bachchu deserves national recognition for his work.

Throughout his life, Bachchu mentored many young musicians. During an interview Bachchu said, "We need to take care of young talent. Please take care of young guitarists, drummers, keyboardists, or whoever he or she is."

3. Emotional lyrics

The legendary singer, song-writer, composer and guitarist gave us songs like "Cholo Bodle Jai", "Hashte Dekho Gaite Dekho", "Rupali Guitar", "Ekhon Onek Raat", among other hits.

In the beginning of his career, Bachchu was inspired by lyrics of The Eagles, Beatles, Deep Purple and of course, Hendrix.

LRB songs are an embodiment of emotions through words. Bachchu's songs are bold and speak of love for the country. The legend believed that the people of Bangladesh love Bangla songs.

4. Double-disk albums

LRB was known for experimentation. LRB released double-disc albums twice, and they were the first to make people come across such an idea for music albums in Bangladesh.

In 1992, LRB released their debut album, which was a double-disc album and a new concept in Bangladesh.

"From his life we learned how to be musicians and how much dedication we should have for the craft," Bappa Mazumder told the correspondent.

5. Strong voice against piracy

Bachchu was a strong voice against piracy and participated in many campaigns and seminars to raise awareness on the issue and to find a solution to stop piracy.

6. Social causes

Bachchu and LRB were always in the frontline when it came to social causes. LRB, along with other bands, supported many social causes through their music.

The legendary band also performed in support of campaigns such as "Say No to Drugs", "Save Motherhood", and "Victims against Non-violence".

In 1998, Bachchu released a solo album titled "Bachao Bidhata" (Save Me God) to raise funds for the flood affected population of Bangladesh.