High (musical group)

rdf:langString High (musical group)

rdf:langString High was an Indian rock group from Kolkata, established in 1974. It was the pioneer of Indian rock bands. It played in the 1970s and 1980s, disbanding in 1990. Although their music was heavily influenced by British and American rock acts like the Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers' Band, Pink Floyd and Traffic, it was in terms of their original compositions that the band gained a huge cult following. The original line-up of the band comprised Dilip Balakrishnan (Rhythm Guitar, Keyboards, Harmonica and Vocals), Nondon Bagchi (Drums), Adi Irani (Lead Guitar) and Lew Hilt (Bass Guitar) with Balakrishnan’s lyrics and compositions comprising the bulk of the band’s original playlist over the years. Dwight Pattison also briefly played in the band. In addition to songs like “Monkey Song” and “Shambhu” that achieved anthem-like status among followers, Balakrishnan and High were unique in that their discography boasted of 3 thematic rock operas – White Knight’s Tale (inspired by Lewis Carroll), The Tolkien Suite (based on the poems of JRR Tolkien) and The Winter Planet (about nuclear holocaust). Although High disbanded with Balakrishnan’s death in 1990, the band has retained a cult following over the years. A collection of the band's recordings were released on the Saregama label in 2009. Nondon Bagchi and Lew Hilt have regrouped periodically with other musicians (Shaukat Ali, Jeff Menezes and others) to bring back the music of High. The band was awarded the "Rerock Award for Lifetime Contribution to Indian Rock" in 2013.