Junoon (Urdu: جنون) (meaning "obsession/passion" in English) is South Asia's biggest and Pakistan's most popular Rock band from Lahore. It was formed in 1990 by guitarist, songwriter and medical doctor Salman Ahmad. They are also regarded as the pioneers of Sufi rock. Q magazine calls them "One of the biggest bands in the world". Billboard says Junoon is the Subcontinent's "biggest crossover successes after the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan".

The name Junoon came to lead guitarist Salman Ahmad in a dream where one of his teachers shook him and said "Tumhey mousiqui ka Junoon hai!" (You have an obsession for music!). He formed Junoon soon after with two friends, Ali Azmat and Brian O Connell.

Heavily influenced by rock bands like Led Zeppelin, Junoon aimed to combine loud guitar riffs with the tranquility of sufi poetry by the likes of Maulana Rumi, Allama Iqbal and Bulleh Shah. The band were one of the first bands in Pakistan to insist on playing live music where most music was sampled and programmed synthpop.

The band's first album, self titled released in 1990 "Junoon" barely made a dent in the Pakistani music industry, their second album "Talaash" began creating a cult following for Junoon.

Junoon was no overnight success. The band struggled financially for the first few years. Group members remember months of eating 'daal' and rice, the modest Pakistani's staple. It was only after their 1996 release of their third album "Inquilaab" (Revolution), that Junoon developed a nationwide fan following, blending rock guitars and bluesy vocals with eastern elements like the use of tablas (traditional south Asian hand drums), raga-inspired melodies, traditional Pakistani folk music, and Eastern inspired poetry.

In the spring of 1996, Junoon scored its first big hit with the song "Jazba-e-Junoon", single from their album Inquilaab.

One of the legendary tours that Junoon had undertaken was their tour to Denmark and Europe in 2000-2001. This tour played a pivotal role in increasing Junoon's international popularity and standing and in spreading awareness about Pakistani music.

Band Members

Current

Salman Ahmad - vocals, lead guitar

Former

Ali Azmat - vocals, backing vocals
Brian O'Connell - bass guitar, backing vocals
Nusrat Hussain - keyboard

Sessional

John Alec - bass guitars
Sunny Jain - drums
Tom France - rhythm guitars
Sameer Chatterjee - dubla
Jeremy Wilms - rhythm guitars

*Wikipedia Rulz*