Ravi Shankar Biography (1920-)

Original name, Rabendra Shankar; born April 7, 1920, in Benares, India; son of Shyama (an attorney) and Hemangini Shankar; married Annapurna Dvi Allauddin, May 1941 (divorced, 1958); married Sukanya Rajan, 1989; children: (first marriage) Shubendra, Geetalil; (second marriage) Anoushka (a sitarist); (with Sue Jones) Norah Jones (a singer). Addresses: Contact: c/o Sullivan Sweetland, 28 Albion St., London W2 2AX, England; 17 Warden Court, Gowalia TankRd., Bombay 36, India.

Nationality: Indian
Gender: Male
Occupation: Composer, musician, actor, director
Birth Details: April 7, 1920; Benares, India

Famous Works

CREDITS
Stage Work
Musical supervisor, The Guide, Hudson Theatre, 1968
Film Work
Music performer, Aparajito (also known as The Unvanquished), Epic Aurora, 1959
Music performer, Pather Panchali (also known as The Lament of the Path, The Saga of the Road, and Song of the Road), Government/Edward Harrison, 1958
Music performer, Apur Sansar (also known as The World of Apu), Satyajit Ray/Edward Harrison, 1959
Performer of musical score, Dry Summer, Hitit/Manson, 1967
Original music performer and music director, Chappaqua, Rooks/Regional, 1967
Music performer, Genesis, Cactus, 1986
Music performer, Nuts, 1987
Director, Kuch Tum Kaho Kuch Hum Kahein, 2002
Film Appearances
Mastera Indiiskogo iskusstva (also known as Indian Artists in the U.S.S.R.), 1954
Sun God, Chappaqua, 1966
Himself, Monterey Pop, 1968
Himself, Ravi Shankar, 1970
Himself, The Concert for Bangladesh, 1972
Himself, Ravi Shankar: Between Two Worlds, 2001
Himself, The Concert for George, 2003
Television Appearances
Miniseries
Himself, Rock & Roll, PBS, 1995
Specials
Unterwegs nach Kathmandu, 1971
The Night of Music: A Global Celebration, PBS, 1986
Menuhin: A Family Portrait, PBS, 1991
Stand and Be Counted, The Learning Channel, 2000
Episodic
Guest, The Hollywood Palace, 1967
Guest, American Bandstand, 1967
Guest, The Ed Sullivan Show, 1970
The Midnight Special, 1973, 1974, 1975
Himself, "Ravi Shankar," The South Bank Show, ITV, 2001
RECORDINGS
Albums
Ravi Shankar, India's Master Musician, World-Pacific, 1958
Improvisations, World-Pacific, 1962
Ravi Shankar, Portrait of a Genius, Angel, 1964
India's Master Musician: Ravi Shankar, EMI, 1964
Ragas and Talas, Angel, 1964
Menuhin Meets Shankar, Angel, 1966
The Sound of the Sitar, World-Pacific, BGO, 1966
The Sounds of India: Ravi Shankar, Columbia, 1966
Three Ragas, Capitol, 1966
Exotic Sitar and Sarod, Capitol, 1967
Ravi Shankar in San Francisco, World-Pacific, 1967

Ravi Shankar at the Monterey International Festival, Angel, 1967
Two Raga Moods, Capitol, 1967
West Meets East (two volumes), Angel, 1967
A Morning Raga, An Evening Raga, Angel, 1968
Chappaqua (soundtrack), Columbia, 1968
Charly (soundtrack), World-Pacific, 1968
Ravi Shankar in New York, World-Pacific, 1968
Ravi Shankar, Capitol, 1968
Six Ragas, Capitol, 1968
Ravi Shankar at the Woodstock Festival, World-Pacific, 1970
Raga (soundtrack), Apple, 1971
Shankar: Concerto #1 for Sitar and Orchestra, Angel, 1971
(With others) The Concert for Bangladesh, 1972
In Concert, Apple, 1972
Transmigration Macabre, Spark, 1973
Shankar Family and Friends, Dark Horse/A&M, 1974
Raga Parameshwari, Capitol, 1976
Ravi Shankar's Festival from India, Dark Horse/A&M, 1976
East Greets East, Deutsche Grammophon, 1978
Ragas Hameer and Gara, Deutsche Grammophon, 1979
Homage to Mahatma Ghandi and Baba Allauddin, Deutsche Grammophon,1981
Ghandi (soundtrack), RCA, 1982
Improvisations-East Meets West-Album 3, 1983
Raga Mishra Piloo, 1983
Inside the Kremlin, Private Music, 1989
(With Philip Glass) Passages, Private Music, 1990
(With others) The Tiger and the Brahmin, Kid Rhino, 1992
Farewell, My Friend, EMI India, 1992
Ravi Shankar, Deutsche Grammphon, 1993
In Celebration, Angel, 1995
Chants of India, Angel, 1997
Full Circle: Carnegie Hall 2000, Angel, 2002
WRITINGS
Film Scores
Neecha Nagar (also known as Lowly City), 1946
Dharti Ke Lal (also known as Children of the Earth), 1946
Kabuliwala, 1956
En Djungelsaga (also known as The Flute and the Arrow), 1957
A Chairy Tale (also known as Il etait une chaise), 1957
Pather Panchali (also known as The Lament of the Path, The Saga of the Road, and Song of the Road), Government/Edward Harrison, 1958
Parash Pathar (also known as Paras-Pathar and The Philosopher's Stone), 1958
The Sword and the Flute, 1959
Apur Sansar (also known as The World of Apu), Satyajit Ray/Edward Harrison, 1959
Aparajito (also known as The Unvanquished), Epic Aurora, 1959
Anduradha (also known as Love of Anuradha), 1960
Dheuer Pare Dheu (also known as Waves After Waves), 1962
Tarzan Goes to India, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1962
The Psychedelics, 1966
Chappaqua, Rooks/Regional, 1967
My Music My Life, 1968
Charly, Selmur/Cinema Releasing Corp., 1968
Sex and the Animals, 1969
Meera, 1979
Pasi, 1980
(With George Fenton) Gandhi, Columbia, 1982
Genesis, Cactus, 1986
Zakir and His Friends, 1997
Ravi Shankar: Between Two Worlds, 2001
Partition, 2003
Also wrote scores for Chori, Chori; Anari; Dil Apna AurPreet Parai; Professor; Suraj; Brahmachari; Pehchan; Mera Naam Joker; and Be-Imaan.
Television Scores
Movies
Alice in Wonderland, 1967
Specials
Unterwegs nach Kathmandu, 1971
The Tiger and the Brahmin (animated), Showtime, 1991
Autobiographies
My Music, My Life, 1968
Raga Mala: The Autobiography of Ravi Shankar, 1999
Also wrote Rag Anurag.

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

Books

Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, Schirmer, 2001
Contemporary Musicians, Volume 38, Gale Group, 2003
Encyclopedia of World Biography Supplement, Volume 22, Gale Group,2002
International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, Volume 4: Writers and Production Artists, St. James Press, 1996

Periodicals

Billboard, March 18, 1995, p. 1; December 23, 1995, p. 17; May 3,1997, p. 11; June 28, 1997, p. 52; October 16, 1999, p. 13; March 17, 2001, p. 11
Down Beat, March, 2002, p. 44
New Statesman, March 21, 1997, p. 50; April 24, 2000, p. 47

Electronic

Ravi Shankar Web Site, http://www.ravishankar.org, May 8, 2003

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