L. Shankar

L. Shankar (born 26 April 1950, also known as Shenkar) is an Indian violinist, singer and composer. Born in Madras and raised in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, he was a child prodigy trained from age two in vocals by his father V. Lakshminarayana, a renowned Carnatic vocalist and violinist, and his mother L. Seetalakshmi, a trained singer and veena player. He took up the violin at age five and mridangam at seven. By 17, Shankar was a highly sought-after accompanist across India. After earning a Bachelor's degree in Physics, he moved to the United States in 1969 and completed a doctorate in ethnomusicology at Wesleyan University. He co-founded the influential fusion group Shakti with John McLaughlin, teaching him ragas and rhythms while absorbing jazz and Western harmony. Shankar invented the stereophonic double violin (the L. Shankar Double Violin) which covers the range of the entire orchestral string family. He has released 28 solo albums, including Full Moon and Over the Stars (2024), and is widely regarded as a pioneer of East-West fusion blending Indian classical with rock, pop, jazz and electronic music.