Shenkar

Shenkar
About
Title	Violinist, Vocalist
Date of birth	April 26, 1950
Origin	Madras, India
Gender
Website
IMDb profile

Shenkar is responsible for the vocalizations added to the opening credit music and transitions on the series Heroes. Originally known as Shankar, Shenkar is widely considered a living legend in the world of music. He often blends pop, hip hop, hock, soundtrack and world elements into his music.

About

Shenkar, formerly known as Shankar, is widely considered a living legend in the world of music. Shenkar is a musician's musician who has enthralled audiences and critics alike all over the world. He is a virtuoso vocalist/violinist (with a five and a half octave vocal range), composer and record producer who has sold over 35 million on his recordings and his guest appearances throughout his career have put him in the highest esteem among his peers.

Shenkar's upcoming self-produced solo release, for Big Deal Records/RYKO/WEA will debut in the summer of 2007. Shenkar's latest endeavor finds him collaborating with guest artists and musicians such as Patrick Leonard (Madonna, Roger Waters, Elton John), Randy Jackson (American Idol), Lester Mendez (Shakira), John Shanks (Grammy winning producer 2005), David Williams (Michael Jackson, Madonna), Natasha Bedingfield, Wendy & Lisa (Prince), Michael Perfitt, Cherokee (singer/songwriter), Neal Pogue (Grammy award winning Engineer/OutKast), Turu (The Human Value), Ana Maria (former Pussycat Dolls), Sholam, Dana Glover (Shrek Two), Chelsea Tavares (Nickelodeon hit TV show Unfabulous), Josh One, Blu (Rapper), Lateef (Blackalicious), Pat Monahan (Train), and talented artist and dancer Juliett.

In between working on his solo record, Shenkar has also collaborated with the extraordinarily gifted duo Wendy & Lisa (Prince) on their original score for the NBC smash hit TV series, Heroes. Shenkar is the featured vocalist on the theme song and is the vocalist on all Heroes episodes. Shenkar's vocals are also featured on two songs on the new Toto album, Falling in Between.

Patrick Leonard and Shenkar have a duet album due to be released in the fall of 2007 titled Udistam. Shenkar has also been collaborating with Randy Jackson of American Idol fame on a project where he will sing and play violin.

A child prodigy, born into a renowned family of musicians, Shenkar studied vocal from the age of two, violin from the age of five, and performed his first concert at the age of seven. His 1980 release, Who's To Know, and Phil Collins's solo debut, Face Value, introduced the unique sound of Shenkar's own invention, the 10 string stereophonic Double Violin, to listeners around the world. The Double Violin, designed by Shenkar and built by Ken Parker, covers the entire range of the orchestra's double bass, cello, viola and violin. The combination of Shenkar's mesmerizing vocals, double violin and also as a composer has brought him worldwide acclaim as a musical innovator.

A major world-touring artist, in his own group and with his collaborators, Shenkar has circled the globe many times. In addition, Shenkar completed a long world tour with Peter Gabriel (Secret World Tour) as a special guest singing and playing double violin. The tour ended at the Woodstock Festival in 1994.

Shenkar has released numerous solo albums and videos in various idioms of music from Pop/Rock/Soundtracks, including the musical composition of the 2005 Oscar winning documentary, Born Into Brothels. In 1990, Shenkar 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. In 2004, Shenkar composed and performed vocals and double violin on Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, along with composers John Debney and Jack Lenz. Shenkar’s haunting vocals were all through the movie soundtrack. Shenkar has also worked on many other movie soundtracks including the Grammy award winning and controversial The Last Temptation of Christ by the legendary film maker Martin Scorsese, in which he co-wrote 13 of the tracks with Peter Gabriel. Shenkar’s work as also been included in the films Ali, Queen of the Damned, Jennifer 8, Robin Hood, and Jacobs Ladder.

Additional special projects have included The Princess Trust Rock Concerts, The United Nations Peace Day Festivals, and Nelson Mandela's 80th Birthday celebrations. The rock extravaganza, Human Rights Now World Tour in 1988, featured Shenkar's own group, who were joined in performance by Bruce Springsteen and Peter Gabriel, in addition to several other musicians.

Shenkar's pop DVD, One in a Million, became the number 1 DVD in the US, spending 4 weeks at number 1 on the U.S. Soundscan/Billboard charts. Shenkar has also worked as a composer, arranger, producer, singer, violinist and performer with Frank Zappa (who produced Shenkar's solo record for Zappa Records), Phil Collins, Talking Heads, Lou Reed, Marianne Faithful, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Van Morrison, U2, The Pretenders, Echo & The Bunnymen, John Lydon (Public Image Ltd.), and Dave Stewart. Shenkar co-founded and co-wrote all the materials for the group Shakti with John McLaughlin. The other two were the master drummers Zakir Hussain and Vikku Vinayakram.

Shenkar's various collaborations have brought him international success and a legion of fans across the globe. His pop 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, Nils Lofgren (E Street Band), and Steve Vai.

Notes

• Shenkar was credited as "Shankar" in Don't Look Back and One Giant Leap. All subsequent episodes have credited "Shenkar".

Gallery

• 
  Shenkar performs at the Secret World Tour.
• 
  Shenkar was credited as "Shankar" in Don't Look Back.
• 
  Homecoming and other episodes credit him as "Shenkar".

External Links

• Shenkar singing on tour with Peter Gabriel
• MySpace
• Homepage
• Shankar on Wikipedia