MONSOON BIOGRAPHY

Monsoon formed in Spring 1981. The original members were Sheila Chandra (vocals), Steve Coe (piano) and Martin Smith (guitars).

Sheila was just leaving Italia Conti - a theatre arts school in London - and had been in BBC TV's 'Grange Hill' for several years (at the time, one of the most radical kids TV programmes). She played Sudhamani Patel - a stereo-typically reserved and sulky Asian girl who was being set up for an arranged marriage and whose family ran a corner shop.

Also in her early teens Sheila had been in a boy/girl band being developed as a project by Hansa records who were riding high with their success with Donna Summer. The band never got as far as releasing anything and the project, though ahead of itâs time, was dropped.

Steve Coe was a writer/producer during the 1970's - contracted to a music publisher who, as part of the deal, gave him unlimited recording time at the top London studios to arrange and record his pop, rock and dance material. But by 1979 he had discovered the 'Golden Era' of Hindi film songs from the 60's and 70's with their beautiful melodies and arrangements - and he was hooked!

The idea slowly grew that this Indian influence could infuse his song output to create a 'best of both worlds'.

Steve had known Martin Smith off and on throughout the 70's and knew that Martin had begun working in a Middle Eastern club in London's West End - fascinated by the unusual instruments and Eastern scales they used.

Steve had released some tracks with Hansa records during the late 70's and that was how he came across Sheila's voice one day - on a cassette in a box of audition tapes that Hansa had lying around!

Great voice, second generation Asian, TV experience, part famous, just leaving school with 5 years theatre arts training, beautiful and with an identity that was not normally associated with rock and dance music - as lead singer Sheila was unique without trying. Also Steve had newly written songs and a 'fusion' sound that was new and fresh. Although from the beginning the band was centred on Sheila, the three together formed the core of Monsoon - with an additional team of floating musicians to preserve musical flexibility.

Monsoon were aware of the great sixties psychedelic era, but it had consisted mostly of a few tracks or albums from groups using an Indian influence as a sideline experiment. Even Ravi Shankar's musical fusion experiments were a sideline to his main job - being the world's most famous sitarist! For Monsoon the genre was totally central. It was their raison de`tre to evolve and push the boundaries of Indian influenced pop music.