Revision as of 20:34, 8 August 2013

Lou Majaw

The ballad of Lou Majaw

SAVITHA GAUTAM

‘Forever Young’ tracks the life of rocker Lou Majaw, who has been celebrating Bob Dylan’s birthday on May 24 for over 35 years.

Hindu 2009/05/22

A MUSICIAN AND HIS ICON: Lou Majaw

Annual Bob Dylan birthday celebrations

Bob Dylan may not be as gung-ho about his birthday as the residents of Shillong, often referred to as the capital of rock music in India. For, in this serene hill town, Dylan’s birthday means festival time. Yes, concerts abound and Dylan songs rent the air. And one man who takes centre stage and leads the festivities is blues folk musician Lou Majaw.

The life of this maverick guitarist forms the subject of ‘Forever Young,’ a documentary by Ranjan Palit, to be telecast on NDTV’s Documentary 24x7 on May 24, 2009. In the film, the 60-plus rocker talks about his fascination for Dylan, whose songs he first heard in 1966. It took Palit, a Film Institute product, six years, 12 visits to Shillong and plenty of determination and dedication to complete ‘Forever Young.’ The engrossing film tracks six years of Majaw’s life, music, passion and philosophy. Riveting shot

The opening shot is stunning. A large group of school children is singing ‘Forever Young’ in chorus with Majaw, his guitar leading them. The song was written by Dylan for his son Jakob. Wonder what Dylan would say if he watches this scene.

Early life

Majaw, a Khasi (a tribe in Meghalaya, India and parts of Bangladesh), has often been described as one of the biggest fans of Bob Dylan in the North-East, and is the driving force behind the annual Bob Dylan birthday celebrations.

Hailing from a poor family, Majaw was sent to a hostel. Says he, “My romance with the guitar began there. I would even sleep with it, never parted from the instrument.” Here he was introduced to the music of Bill Haley and Elvis Presley by a friend. It was in Kolkata that Majaw chanced upon the genius of Dylan. “The more you know him, the more there is to learn about him,” he says.

So taken in was he by the legendary songwriter-singer that he decided to organise a ‘Dylan’s birthday concert’ in Shillong on May 24, 1972. And that became an annual event, a tradition that remains unbroken even after 37 years. Dylan fans across all over travel thousands of miles just to listen to Majaw and his band Ace of Spades croon, and reconnect with Dylan, the poet.

As the band plays at a hotel in Kolkata to mark Dylan’s 60th birthday, Majaw’s power-packed performance keeps the listeners riveted. When asked where he gets the energy to keep the tradition alive, or why he conducts it year after year, Lou states, “It was in Kolkata that I first heard Dylan’s songs. That changed my life forever. Doing it is the goal and the reward.” Influential

Lou Majaw is one of the most respected musicians from the North-East. However, his journey was not a cakewalk. An old lady from his village remembers him thus, “We used to be scared of him. Long hair and dark teeth and so tall! Also he was the first man we ever saw who had a guitar!” But today, Majaw’s influence is best described by a young girl, “We have discovered the genius of Bob Dylan thanks to Majaw.”

Yes, he can still outplay any young gun, and a concert with Lou for up to four hours at a stretch is not uncommon. This is not a man who sings at his crowd – he is singing with them, he is one with them. Lou lives with his son Christopher Dylan Majaw (“Christopher for God, Dylan for music and Majaw for man” the proud father says) in Shillong. And yet he is like all those travelling blues musicians and folk singers who so inspired Bob Dylan.

DailyMail UK on Lou Majaw

DailyMail UK

Jaw-jawing with Lou Majaw

By Georgina Maddox

26 April 2012

When he's not playing Folk or the Blues in low-lit bars, Lou Majaw likes to walk around Delhi. On the morning before his gig at Manajsa, he had walked from his hotel to the Hauz Khas pub in his trademark shorts and sleeveless tee.

Blessed with a honey voice and a guitar he sleeps next to ('Much less trouble than a woman,' he jokes winking devilishly), Shillong's Bob Dylan will perform on Friday, April 27, at the pub themed around live music.

Majaw never thought he would become a big name when he started playing.

'I did it not to make money or to hang out with broads,' says the genial 65-year-old who doesn't look a day above 50.

'I was from a poor family that couldn't even afford to buy a radio. We played music because it was our way of sharing with the world what we had in our soul.'

His early influences were Elvis Presley, and Bill Haley, but then he moved on to the Beatles and finally Dylan.

'I performed with bands that did their own material such as Supersound Factory and Blood & Thunder, but these days, because I like to play with bands from all over India, mine is called Lou Majaw & Friends,' says the singer who recently bagged the Rolling Stone Award for Excellence.

In 2015, Lou will complete 50 years in music.