One of the royalties of reggae music is living right here in Auckland, and he’s loving it.
Roy Venkatraman, also known as Buzz Bahdur, has been in the country for six years playing with several leading Kiwi bands, including House of Sham.
Roy, best known as lead guitarist for The Wailers, the Jamaican band made famous by reggae singer Bob Marley, feels New Zealand is the right country to raise a family.
“I lived in the US for a while, and while it is great for music, it is not the best place to bring up children,” Roy told sandesh.co.nz.
“New Zealand is just great – it’s peaceful and perfect.” Roy stayed with The Wailers for three-and-a-half years since 1992, touring and performing with the legendary group all over the world.
Originally from Mumbai, India, Roy is proud of his Indian roots and someday would like to be a bit more involved in Indian music.
“A lot of Indian music industry people have asked me to come over, but I’ve been holding back.”
Roy is close to quite a few Bollywood stars, and mates in the Indian music industry include Shankar, Ehsan, Loy; Zakir Hussain brothers, Kailash Kher and others.
He lives in Howick with his wife and 10-year-old daughter. Roy first played a guitar when he was just 13 years old. He firmly believes his love for music comes from his mother’s side of the family.
“My mother and her sisters were the first to sing on All-India radio in Kerala, and I feel that inspiration has always been with me.”
For the time being, Roy is content with his routine in Auckland where he is out performing in the evenings and at home in the daytime, he is busy composing songs.
And he is on the lookout for a good tabla player who may help enhance his musical compositions.
And if you’re an established tabla player living in Auckland, the dream of playing alongside a legend may not be far away.
Click here to visit Roy's myspace page.