Shakti, John McLaughlin’s Indo-jazz fusion band and one of the most influential fusion projects of the seventies.
Profile
- Origin
- United Kingdom / India
- Formed
- 1975
- Founding members
- John McLaughlin, Zakir Hussain, L. Shankar, Vikku Vinayakram, Ramnad V. Raghavan
- Current status
- Considered finished after the death of Zakir Hussain in December 2024; “Mind Explosion” (2025) is presented as the band’s final album
- Official website
- www.shakti50.com
Members through the years
- John McLaughlin — acoustic guitar (1973–1978, 2020–2024)
- Zakir Hussain — tabla (1973–1978, 2020–2024; died 2024)
- L. Shankar — violin (1973–1978)
- Vikku Vinayakram — ghatam (1975–1978, occasional returns in 1997 and 2023)
- Ramnad V. Raghavan — mridangam (1975–1976)
- U. Shrinivas — mandolin (1997–2014; died 2014)
- Selvaganesh Vinayakram (V. Selvaganesh) — kanjira, son of Vikku Vinayakram (1997–2024)
- Shankar Mahadevan — vocals (1997–2024)
- Ganesh Rajagopalan — violin (2020–2024)
Discography
| Year | Release |
|---|---|
| 1976 | Shakti with John McLaughlinLive |
| 1976 | A Handful of Beauty |
| 1977 | Natural Elements |
| 1999 | Remember ShaktiLive |
| 2000 | The Believer |
| 2001 | Saturday Night in BombayLive |
| 2023 | This Moment |
| 2025 | Mind Explosion: 50th Anniversary Tour LiveLive |
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