Singh Kaur
| Singh Kaur | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Laura Drew |
| Also known as | Lorellei |
| Born | 1955 |
| Died | 1998 (aged 42–43) Maui, Hawaii |
| Genres | New-age |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, vocalist, instrumentalist |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1978–1998 |
| Labels | Invincible Records, Soundings of the Planet, Sequoia Records |
| Associated acts | Kim Robertson, Dean Evenson, Gary Stadler |
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.
Singh Kaur initially lived at the Tucson ashram, and it was there she began to flower as a musician. Although she had arrived with 'St. Francis' already complete, she was exposed to the eclectic musicians of the 3HO community and a new, spiritually-focused, way of living. She later moved to the Espanola, New Mexico 3HO community, where her musical talents expanded and she found her footing as a composer and singer of inspiring devotional songs. It was at Espaniola that she met, and later married, Gurucharan Singh. Not long after their marriage, they moved to Denver to open a health food restaurant. From there, they moved to St. Louis for the purpose of opening a yoga ashram. During their years in St. Louis, Gurucharan and Singh Kaur had two children, Guru Shabd and Guru Ardas.
In the early years of her musical life, Singh Kaur collaborated with the yogi musicians of 3HO. Her next efforts were taken directly from English translations of Sikh scripture translated by her friend Sardarni Premka Kaur and published as “Peace Lagoon” and, later, "Peace Lagoon II." Yogi Bhajan, her spiritual guide, commissioned Singh Kaur to record a series of eight mantras, six of which she was able to complete. These were to be the highly popular Crimson Series on Invincible Records, with Kim Robertson (harp, synthesizer), and produced by Liv Singh Khalsa. These recordings remain Singh Kaur's most popular, and are frequently played in hospitals, birthing centers, holistic spas, and other sites where healing music is helpful.
At one point in her musical journey Singh Kaur collaborated with Amar Singh Khalsa. He recounted her effortless creativity: “We were sitting in the St. Louis airport with Yogi Bhajan, who was waiting for a connecting flight to New York City. He asked Singh Kaur to put Rakhe Rakhan Har (a Sikh verse) to music. I was sitting next to her as Yogi Bhajan tapped out the heartbeat rhythm on an empty Styrofoam cup. I wrote the rhythm down, and when we got home, we put the rhythm into Singh Kaur's drum machine. This is the beat heard on the final recording. The next day I went off to work. When I came home that evening, I asked Singh Kaur about it, and she played a rough recording – basically the finished piece. She had sat down in the morning and the music just flowed through her. I was always amazed and awed by her ability to put the perfect music to any words that came her way – English or Gurmukhi.” Amar Singh Khalsa and his wife, Sahib-Amar Khalsa, continued to maintain a friendship with Singh Kaur and played keyboards and viola, respectively, on subsequent recordings.
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