Andy Desmond | |
|---|---|
 Miten in concert, Munich, Oct 2010 | |
| Born | 1947 (age 75–76) Woking, Surrey |
| Other names | Miten |
| Spouse | Deva Premal |
Andy Desmond, now known as Miten, (born in August 1947 in Woking, Surrey) is a British musician known throughout the Yoga and Alternative Healing community for his songs of redemption and transformation. He travels creating meditative evenings of mantra and song to millions of devotees around the world.
Desmond founded the folk/rock duo Gothic Horizon with musical partner Richard Garrett in the late 1960s. The band released two albums on UK Argo : The Jason Lodge Poetry Book ( 1971 ) and Tomorrow's Another Day (1972 ) [1]
In 1973, Desmond began performing solo and became part of a stable of folk musicians which included Tom Robinson, Claire Hamill and Café Society, who were signed by Ray Davies to his record label Konk Records. Desmond subsequently released Living On A Shoestring on Konk, featuring members of The Kinks and produced by Dave Davies and a fellow Kink member, keyboardist John Gosling. [2]
During this time Desmond became established in the UK as a singer/songwriter of note and was subsequently signed to Ariola Records in London. Ariola released Andy Desmond in 1976 - an album containing 10 self composed songs, produced by legendary Los Angeles producer Bones Howe. [3]
At the time of its release Desmond had become a stalwart on the British rock scene, opening for Fleetwood Mac, [4] Randy Newman, Hall and Oates, The Cate Brothers, The Kinks and many others. He was invited by Fleetwood Mac to be their special guest on their UK Rumours Tour, and opened for Ry Cooder on his 1978 European tour.
Disillusioned with the rock world and his destructive life style, Desmond went on to explore meditation and Eastern philosophy. He was initiated into ‘sannyas’ in 1980 by controversial Indian mystic Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and given the Sanskrit name Prabhu Miten meaning 'Friend of God'. He spent many years in India at Osho's ashram in Pune, recording and producing the album 'In Wonder' - a tribute to his Guru and spiritual guide. It was during this time Desmond met record producer John Leckie who, in the ashram, was known as 'Nagara'. The two became lifelong friends, resulting in many collaborations, most notably on the album 'Blown Away' for Prabhu Music. [5] From 1992, German New Age Label, Tao Music (later New Earth Records) released three albums with Desmond titled Heartbeat, Shadow of Light and Tidal Wave.
Desmond now tours the world with his musical and life partner, Deva Premal, whom he met in India at Osho's ashram in 1990. The couple, known as Deva Premal & Miten, are well known in the world of alternative spirituality and yoga for their chanting of Indian Sanskrit mantras and for Desmond’s spiritually inspired songs. Yoga International featured the duo in a 2009 article on Yoga Rock Stars: "They are the Johnny and June Carter Cash of sacred music, with more than a dozen albums and a fan base that includes both Cher and the Dalai Lama." [6] They have collaborated with motivational speaker Anthony Robbins, [7] best selling author Eckhart Tolle, and rock icon Cher, who covered their version of the ancient prayer The Gayatri Mantra on her Farewell Tour in 2002. [8]
Deva & Miten's record company, Prabhu Music, reports CD sales in excess of one million, and the couple travel the world continually with Nepalese bansuri maestro Manose, playing up to 25 countries in the space of a year.
Christine Anne McVie was an English musician, singer and songwriter. She was best known as keyboardist and one of the vocalists of Fleetwood Mac.
David Russell Gordon Davies is an English guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the English rock band the Kinks, which also featured his elder brother Ray Davies. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 as a member of the Kinks.
Fleetwood Mac, also known as Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, is the debut studio album by British blues rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 24 February 1968. The album is a mixture of blues covers and originals penned by guitarists Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer, who also share the vocal duties. It is the only album by the band without any involvement of keyboardist/vocalist Christine McVie.
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The Kooks are an English pop-rock band formed in 2004 with Adam Cambray as lead singer in Brighton. The band consists of Luke Pritchard, Hugh Harris and Alexis Nunez (drums).
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm and blues and Merseybeat, and were briefly part of the British Invasion of the United States until their touring ban in 1965. Their third single, the Ray Davies-penned "You Really Got Me", became an international hit, topping the charts in the United Kingdom and reaching the Top 10 in the United States.
Cher is the eighteenth studio album by American singer-actress Cher, released on November 10, 1987 by Geffen Records. The album has been certified Platinum in the US by the RIAA and Gold in Australia by ARIA and the UK by BPI.
Deva Premal is a singer known for introducing Sanskrit mantras into the mainstream. Her meditative, spiritual music — composed and produced with Prabhu Music — places ancient Tibetan and Sanskrit mantras into contemporary settings. Her album Deva (2018) received a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Age Album for the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.
Misfits is the seventeenth studio album by the English rock band the Kinks, released in 1978. Following the minor success of Sleepwalker in the United States, Misfits featured a more rock-oriented style than many other Kinks records of the 1970s. Despite internal conflicts within the band, leading to both bassist Andy Pyle and pianist John Gosling quitting the band, the album made the Top 40 in America. The album also contained the minor hit single "A Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy", as well as less successful releases "Live Life" and "Black Messiah".
Sleepwalker is the sixteenth studio album by the English rock group, the Kinks, released in 1977. It marked a return to straight-ahead, self-contained rock songs after several years of concept albums. It is the first album in what critics usually call the "arena rock" phase of the group, in which more commercial and mainstream production techniques would be employed. The album also marks the last appearance of bassist John Dalton, who left the band during the recording sessions. Dalton plays bass on all songs on the album save for "Mr. Big Man". The lineup of the Kinks would be trimmed down significantly in 1977 following the album's release, as the brass section and backup singers were removed and the band returned to a standard rock band outfit.
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Konk is the second album by British indie rock band The Kooks, released on 14 April 2008 on Virgin Records. Produced by Tony Hoffer, the album is named after the London studio where it was recorded, which is the property of Ray Davies. This was the last album to feature original bassist Max Rafferty.
Laura Drew, a.k.a. Singh Kaur or Lorellei (1955–1998) was a new-age music composer, vocalist and instrumentalist, who had a prolific career that lasted from the early 1970s to the late 1990s, releasing 23 albums. With her angelic voice and haunting melodies, Singh Kaur was a pioneer in the growing genre of Western interpretations of Indian chanting music.
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