Van Shipley and slide guitar music in India

June 14, 2009 10:37 AM

Van Shipley was the first electric guitarist in India. The name Van Shipley is Methodist, he [was] from Lucknow [Uttar Pradesh, India]. He designed his own electric eight string steel guitar in the 1940's. The reason he did this was that he'd studied Indian classical music under Ustad Alaudin Khan, the leading classical musician in India, who was also a contemporary of Ravi Shankar. He also studied the violin with a German teacher... so he made an eight string guitar, instead of a five string. His guitar was a solid guitar, designed to his style at the time, it was futuristic.

Van Shipley "Aawara Hun" & "Mujhe Kisi Se Pyar Ho Gaya" -.mp3

Van Shipley - Hum Donon Do Premi Duniya chor Chale -.mp3

More clips of Van Shipley's music from the excellent site, Hamara CD, packed with free gem sound clips from the Indian subcontinent, where you can also customize your own cd.

Steel Guitar In India, Country Music From Another Country! l Debashish Bhattacharya is another Indian slide guitar musician who plays classical Indian music on the Hawaiian guitar, introduced to India through the music of Tau Moe l Indian Classical music on Hawaiian guitar l Another example of Indian classical music on Hawaiian guitar l Interview and concert footage of legendary world blues and slide guitar master Bob Brozman.

posted by nickyskye (10 comments total)

This is great!
posted by limeonaire at 12:15 PM on June 14

Nice! Here's a YouTube video about Debashish Batthacharya and the history of slide guitar in Calcutta (includes his meeting an old and frail Tau Moe five years ago).
posted by kozad at 1:35 PM on June 14

kozad, that great link to the Debashish YouTube video is included in my post, it's the link right after his name that says "slide guitar musician".
posted by nickyskye at 1:58 PM on June 14

nickyskye, I love you. I also saw Bhattacharya play a house concert out here in Berkeley -- sizzling!
posted by digaman at 2:55 PM on June 14 [1 favorite has favorites]

Gotta love Van's sparkly jacket and red bow tie, and that oozy ripple effect on the video clip.

Thanks for the wonderful post, nickyskye.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 3:18 PM on June 14

Ustad Allaudin Khan was more than "a contemporary" or Ravi Shankar. He was Pdt. Shankar's teacher.
posted by fourcheesemac at 4:54 PM on June 14

(but yes, thanks for this post)
posted by fourcheesemac at 6:44 PM on June 14

Whoa...Bagatellen got Metafiltered...
posted by Joseph Gurl at 9:07 PM on June 14

Fan-freaking-tastic ... thank you for this.
posted by aldus_manutius at 10:44 AM on June 15

Thank you nickskye! I'm finding this fab and amazing. And it reminds me of a flapjax post from last year about amped-up Veena. (Ooo.. apparently there's also a Chitravina, fretless and played with slide - if not amped)
posted by yoHighness at 5:23 PM on June 15 [1 favorite has favorites]