Vocalist | Violinist | Composer | Producer
L.Shankar (Shenkar) is widely regarded as a musical pioneer and legend, by his peers who hold him in the highest esteem.
L.Shankar (Shenkar) has enthralled audiences and critics alike all over the world. A child prodigy who is a virtuoso vocalist, violinist, composer and record producer who has sold over 100 million albums through his solo projects and collaborations with numerous esteemed musicians worldwide.
Shankar's probably the best violinist in the world; he's really incredible
— Frank Zappa, BAM Magazine, October 5, 1979
“My friend Shenkar is a legendary musician. An extraordinary vocalist, violinist and composer. I always had a great time working with him on Queen of the Damned, my 2 solo albums, my solo world tours and his solo albums. Don’t forget to check out “Chepleeri Dream”. I highly recommend it. It’s awesome!”
- Jonathan Davis (Korn)
“My friend Shankar is an exceptional musician, and it’s been a pleasure to work with him both on his own music and Peter Gabriel’s.”
- Tony Levin
“Working with L. Shankar on this project has been a great experience. His compositions are very enjoyable to play, and his arrangements are always very interesting. I am very grateful and humbled to be part of this.”
- Chester Thompson
Subscribe
Sign up to hear from L.Shankar about upcoming shows, new music, and special messages!
L.Shankar: Vocalist, Violinist, Composer & Producer
L.Shankar (aka Shenkar) is widely considered a living legend, a pioneer and a musical genius by his peers who hold him in the highest esteem. Shankar has enthralled audiences and critics alike all over the world. A child prodigy who is a virtuoso vocalist, violinist, composer and record producer who has sold over 100 million albums through his solo projects and collaborations with other superstar musicians throughout the world.
Shankar was born in Madras, his parents from Kerala, he grew up in Jaffna, Sri Lanka where his father V. Lakshminarayana was a professor at the Jaffna College of Music. Shankar was exposed to Carnatic music and other styles from an early age. He started studying the vocals at the age of two then violin at five then mridangam at seven. His father was an esteemed violinist, vocalist, his mother L. Seethalakshmi was an excellent veena player and vocalist; all his five older siblings were also proficient in music. At the age of seven, Shankar gave his first public concert, at a Ceylonese temple, Nallur Kandaswamy.
In 1958, following the ethnic riots in Sri Lanka, his family escaped to India. In that year, Shankar and his two older brothers, L. Vaidyanathan and L. Subramaniam formed the Violin Trio along with Palghat Mani Iyer which made history in the 20th century Carnatic music scene. He gained a large following performing with some of the most eminent names in Carnatic music, playing all through India, and was highly sought after by legendary musicians such as Chembai Vaithyanatha Baghavatar, Palghat Mani Iyer, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Alathur Srinivasa Iyer and many others.
In 1973, John Mclaughlin and Shankar formed the band Turiyananda Sangeet and they co-wrote all the music for it. The band also included Ramnad Raghavan on the mridangam. Zakir Hussain was later added on tabla and the band name was changed to Shakti. Raghavan didn't stay with the project and T.H. Vikku Vinayakaram was added on ghatam for the remainder of those original Shakti days. The band toured extensively around the world. Shankar co-wrote all of the group's material with John McLaughlin, resulting in the release of three world music albums. According to Downbeat music magazine critic Lee Underwood, "All three are masterpieces, of which the deeply moving and technically astonishing Handful of Beauty will stand tall in recorded history for decades to come.”
He also performed extensively on his Indian classical tours with Zakir Hussain and Vinayakram that became a big hit globally. He recorded several classical albums with them featuring his groundbreaking Ragam Tanam Pallavi compositions in highly complex rhythmic cycles that were ahead of their time.
He recorded 8 world music albums for the reputed German label ECM and toured extensively featuring renowned musicians such as saxophonist Jan Garbarek, Trilok Gurtu, Zakir Hussain, Kenny Wheeler, Don Cherry, Ed Blackwell and Naná Vasconcelos in many Jazz and world music festivals organized by his label ECM.
Shankar created and designed his own invention, first of its kind the 10-string stereophonic Double Violin, (also known as the LSD - L.Shankar’s Double violin) built by Ken Parker and later adopted by other violinists. The Double Violin covers the entire range of the orchestra: bass, cello, viola and violin.
Shankar is a one-of-a-kind musician venturing in different genres of music. Besides his numerous classical albums he has released worldwide several pop, rock, electronic dance music hit albums and videos including the musical composition of the 2005 Oscar winning documentary, “Born Into Brothels”. In 1990, Shankar co-produced a one-hour BBC film directed by award winning director H.O. Nazareth. It was nominated as one of the best documentaries at the Cannes Film Festival. Shankar’s work has been featured in the following films: “Queen of The Damned”, “Ali”, “Jennifer 8ʺ, “Robin Hood”, “Jacobs Ladder” and more. Shankar's pop, rock, electronic dance music albums have featured guest artists such as Frank Zappa, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, John Waite, Stewart Copeland (The Police), Ginger Baker, Toto, Jonathon Davis (Korn), Natasha Bedingfield, Pat Monahan (Train), Randy Jackson (American Idol) and Patrick Leonard (Madonna) amongst others.
Shankar’s pop DVD, “One In A Million”, became the number 1 DVD in the US spending 4 weeks on top of the U.S. Soundscan/Billboard charts. Shankar has also collaborated with Frank Zappa (who produced Shankar’s solo record for Zappa Records), Talking Heads, Pete Townsend, Lou Reed, Marianne Faithful, Sting, Jeff Beck, U2, The Pretenders, Echo & The Bunnymen, John Lydon (Public Image Ltd.), George Harrison, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Dave Stewart, Pete Townsend (The Who), Jonathan Davis (Korn), Robert Trujillo (Metallica), Stephen Perkins (Jane's Addiction) and many more. Shankar has worked on numerous soundtracks including the Grammy award winning and controversial “The Last Temptation of Christ” by the legendary film maker Martin Scorsese. He co-wrote many tracks with Peter Gabriel and his vocals were featured in the movie. In 2004 Shankar, composed and performed vocals on Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ”. His unmistakable haunting voice was heard all through the movie.
Additional special projects included invitations to perform at the The Princess Trust Rock Concerts with Princess Diana in England, The United Nations Peace Day Festivals, and Nelson Mandela's 80th Birthday celebrations. The rock extravaganza, Human Rights Now World Tour in 1988, featured Shankar's own group, who were joined in performance by Bruce Springsteen and Peter Gabriel, in addition to several other musicians. Shankar collaborated with the gifted duo Wendy & Lisa (Prince) on their original score for the NBC smash hit TV series “Heroes”. He wrote all his vocal parts and was the featured lead vocalist on the theme and all episodes of “Heroes” and in the “Heroes-Reborn” TV series. His voice is featured on the recent hit TV show Fear the Walking Dead.
In 2020, Shankar released worldwide his critically acclaimed progressive rock album "Chepleeri Dream” by Cleopatra Records from Hollywood which features internationally renowned superstars such as Jonathan Davis (Korn), Scott Page (Pink Floyd), Stephen Perkins ( Jane's Addiction), Norwood Fisher (Fishbone),Tony Levin (John Lennon, Peter Gabriel), Chester Thompson (Phil Collins, Genesis), Josh Lopez Will.I.Am, Black Eyed Peas), Zack Baird (Korn, Beyonce / Jay-Z).
Shankar is currently on a world tour with a supergroup featuring his longtime colleague TH Vikku Vinayakram (of the original Shakti group) and his son V. Selvaganesh (2024 Grammy winner), Fazal Qureshi (son of esteemed tabla player Ustad Alla Rakha) and Swaminathan Selvaganesh.
This website uses cookies.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.