Sonja Kristina
| Sonja Kristina | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Sonja Kristina Shaw |
| Born |
14 April 1949 Brentwood, Essex, England |
| Genres | Progressive rock, folk, acid folk |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, actress |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1960s–present |
| Labels | Cherry Red, Market Square |
| Associated acts | Curved Air, Mask |
| Website | www |
Sonja Kristina (born Sonja Christina Shaw, 14 April 1949,Brentwood, Essex, England) is a British songwriter, musician and actress, best known for starring in the seminal 1960s musical, Hair, and for being the lead vocalist of the 1970s progressive rock band, Curved Air.
Sonja is also an experienced voice coach. She was the Rock, Jazz and Musical Theatre tutor for Performing Arts Students at Middlesex University from 1991 to 1999.
Kristina was born in Brentwood as Sonja Christina Shaw, daughter of a criminologist and granddaughter of Swedish actress Gerda Lundequist.
Kristina first appeared on stage at the Swan Folk Club in Romford at the age of thirteen. Her first professional gig was at a Folk Festival in Southgate, London a year or so later. By 1968, while studying at the New College of Speech and Drama, Kristina was helping to run, and performing at, the Wednesday evening sessions at London's Troubadour Folk Club. She was generally known on the folk scene as "Sonja" having previously appeared several times on the British children's TV show "Song and Story" under that name. Her first manager was Roy Guest of Folk Directions.
In 1968, Kristina auditioned for and won the part of "Crissy" in the London stage production of the stage musical Hair. She features on the original cast album singing the song "Frank Mills", also released as a single. She also briefly sang with The Strawbs, following the departure of Sandy Denny.Dave Cousins remembered:
"Or Am I Dreaming" (on Strawbs LP) was very much inspired by the sessions I used to do at the Troubadour with Sonja Kristina ... When Sandy left the band Sonja was going to be her replacement, but she did one show with us at a folk club in Chelmsford, and that was it. The reprise was about the magic mountain music man, which was me ... that was in the poem I wrote about her which was going to be in the book of my poems that was never released.
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Wikipedia