From rocking parents to rolling kids

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Throughout history, one or both parents have usually influenced or encouraged their wards to follow in their footsteps. However, when it comes to creativity, irrespective of the influence, one thing is certain: Either the child or children must have inherent talent to be able to do so or, else, they necessarily need to consider alternative careers. Music is surely part of a minority creativity league where several children of popular luminaries have made their presence felt, but have, more often than not, not been able to sustain

success. But those that have been able to do so have, without doubt, certainly had their roots firmly ingrained with parental genes, without which they would have been relegated to either one-hit wonders and/or part of musical history.
Among names that readily come to mind of those “children” who have not only the power of sustenance but, since then, have effectively carved independent careers from their musically inclined celebrity parents, none is more obvious than tabla player Zakir Hussain. He has not only equalled, but has since surpassed the accolades received by his father, Ustad Alla Rakha, who I had the immense pleasure of interviewing for the now defunct Mumbai-based morninger, The Daily, at his residence. One-time recognised as Ravi Shankar’s accompanist, Ustadji was thought to be one of the best on his instrument during his time and, now, so is Zakir Hussain and, with it, he is also a proficient musical producer, film actor, and composer. He even made an appearance on George Harrison’s album titled Living In The Material World in 1973, joined hands with John McLaughlin to form the band Shakti and, since then, on the offshoot Remembering Shakti. Hussain has even worked with Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart on various projects, including the Grammy-winning Planet Drum. To a lesser extent, his siblings, Fazal Qureshi and Taufiq Qureshi, have also careened into a musical career.
Another person that one can easily recall in this elite list is sitarist Anoushka Shankar who is, of course, still years away from the maturity, recognition, and accolades received by her father, Pandit Ravi Shankar, but she has been gaining her own reputation as a fluent player.
In both cases, the fathers were intimately involved in their children’s musical training and the respective child wanted to play the same instrument as the father.
Geetali Norah Jones Shankar, another of Panditji’s daughters and Anoushka’s half-sister, is equally interesting, because she has excelled in a different field of music without Panditji’s tutelage, since she grew up in America. Having learnt to play the piano and guitar, and even briefly trying her hand at the alto saxophone, Jones burst upon the pop music scene with a memorable debut album Come Away With Me. It swept the Grammy Awards in 2003, winning in five categories and, since then, Jones has continued to record and release platinum selling albums.
Meanwhile, other India-based children that have done their parents proud, whom I can readily recall, are: Jivraj Singh, drummer son of Jayashree and Gyan Singh, who are members of Skinny Alley and Pink Noise; Rhys Sebastian is the saxophonist son of keyboardist Merlin D’Souza; there’s Gino of jazz keyboardist Louis Banks; then there was Jeto — whose debut album is part of my CD collection — son of vocalist Sandhya and keyboardist Dinshah Sanjana of Divya; and, from the endless list of Indian classical fraternity, Rahul Sharma, son of santoor player Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, who has cut multiple albums with many international artistes.
Even globally, there are several instances of children following in the footsteps of their parents, with the name of the more famous parent appropriately placed in parenthesis: Rosanne Cash (Johnny Cash), Natalie Cole (Nat King Cole), Miley Cyrus (Billy Ray Cyrus — remember Achy Breaky Heart?), Jakob Dylan (Bob Dylan), Matthew and Gunnar Nelson (Ricky Nelson), Kelly Osborne (Ozzy Osborne), Lisa Marie Presley (Elvis Presley(, Nancy Sinatra (Frank Sinatra), Hank Williams Jr (Hank Williams), Julian Lennon (John Lennon), Whitney Houston (Cissy Houston), and Wilson Phillips (consisting of daughters Wendy and Carnie Wilson of Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, and Chynna Phillips, daughter of Michelle and John Phillips from the Mamas & The Papas).
But someone who has truly made her parents proud has got to be Blue Ivy Carter, the daughter of Beyonce and Jay-Z, as her father’s Glory zoomed up the international singles chart earlier in the year with her crying as a newborn being captured lovingly by her proud parents. Baby Carter was officially provided a “vocalist” credit on the historic recording!

The writer has been part of the media and entertainment business for over 23 years, still continues to pursue his hobby, and earns an income out of it!