Lakshmi Shankar was born on June June, 1926. She was an acclaimed Indian vocalist. Originally a dancer, the South Indian Brahman girl joined the Almora Centre in 1940 to learn Uday Shankar’s original style of dance based on the Indian classics. She became part of his troupe. Lakshmi married Rajendra, Uday’s brother, and she later began her musical training with their younger brother, Ravi Shankar.
Health problems forced to stop dancing. She took up singing in the North Indian tradition, learning from Ustad Abdul Rehman Khan the Patiala Gharana (style or school).
Later she learned from many masters including Prof. B.R. Deodhar and also from Ravi Shankar, whom she assisted in most of his projects for ballets, films, fusions and festivals.
The charm of her rich, melodious voice, her sense of proportion and the emotional content of her singing are some of the qualities that made her one of the foremost and most popular vocalists in India.
Lakshmi Shankar pioneered service to popularize vocal music in the West. She released numerous recordings and lent her voice to many films, including the Academy Award-winning ‘Gandhi’ by Richard Attenborough.
She was a recipient of the Durfee Foundation (Los Angeles) to teach Indian music to American students.
Lakshmi Shankar died on December 30, 2013.
Discography:
The Voice of Lakshmi Shankar (World Pacific, USA, 1969)
Le chant indien, classique et dévotionnel (Stil discothèque, 1976)
Les Heures et les Saisons (Ocora, 1983)
Chants de dévotion / Songs of Devotion (Auvidis Ethnic, 1990)
Footprints, with Jai Uttal and Don Cherry (Triloka, 1990)
Live in London (Navras)
Bhakti Ras (Navras, 1995)
Shringar: Thumris (Music Today)
Ecstasy (Audiorec, 1991)
Amrut Ras, Lakshmi Shankar sings songs from the devotional tradition (Audiorec Classics, 2003)
Divine Love (Navras, 2005)
A life of dedication (Navras, 2006)
Dancing in the Light (World Village, 2008)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
