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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZSHANKAR, Lakshminarayana(b 26 April '50, Madras, India) Violinist. Began singing ragas at age two; violin lessons from his father (a noted musician) at five. To USA '69 to study and to pursue a pan-cultural synthesis; took PhD in ethnomusicology at Wesleyan U; from '73 he and John McLaughlin studied each other's music, co-founding Shakti and co-writing for it '75--8 (see entries for McLaughlin, Shakti). He plays a ten-string, double-necked violin of his own design; plays part of the year in India, where he is a best-selling classical musician; has recorded with Frank Zappa, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins; led own groups incl. rockish Epidemics. Albums incl. Touch Me There '79 on Philips (now on Barking Pumpkin CD); Who's To Know '80 (Indian classical quartet playing two ragas), Vision '83 with Jan Garbarek and Palle Mikkelborg, Song For Everyone '84 with Garbarek, Pancha Nadai Pallavi '90 and others on ECM; Soul Searcher '91 on Axion with Gabriel and Zakir Hussain, Raga Aberi '95 on Music of the World with Hussain and Vikku Vinayakram. |