Musically Speaking
Kobe BryantMusically Speaking: Music in the family
(Bottom) My mother posing for a modeling shoot in 1970.
Musically speaking, my knowledge, talent, influences and opinions have been shaped by many factors. I cannot deny, however, that my parents, their musical and performance talents and their personal journeys have been extremely powerful in making me the person that I am today.
Before I was born, my parents, Vic Briggs and Kirsten Lindholm, were in show business.
My father was the lead guitarist in the band Eric Burdon and the Animals. Most people know the Animals as the band that did “House of the Rising Sun,” but they also did songs such as “Sky Pilot,” “Monterey” and “San Franciscan Nights.” My dad was never as famous as some of his contemporaries like Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney or Jerry Garcia. But in the late ‘60s, Eric Burdon and the Animals was a fairly popular band, and in demand enough to tour all over the world and fill arenas with fans. They also played the Monterey Pop Festival with Simon & Garfunkel, The Who and Janis Joplin. My dad was well-respected by his peers as an excellent musician and arranger. As a matter of fact, Hendrix once named him as one of his three favorite guitar players — along with Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. My dad is a kick-ass guitar player, and if you don’t believe me, you must believe Jimi.
My mother was an actress and model in London. She acted in Hammer Films’ vampire movies (They have since become cult favorites; a photo of my mother sold on eBay for $50 recently) and worked with Tony Curtis and Roger Moore. She was beautiful and talented, and walked away from it all when she met my dad.
My parents, Vikram Singh and Vikram Kaur Khalsa, ran a Sikh ashram in San Diego for 15 years.
When my father left the music business, he adopted an Indian religion called Sikhism, started teaching yoga classes in England and met my mother there. He immersed himself in the study of Indian music and eventually he became a well-known “ragi” (musician) in the Sikh community. He was the first non-Indian Sikh to play “kirtan” (sacred music) in the holiest of Sikh temples, the Golden Temple in India. My mother joined him – she played an Indian instrument called the tamboura. And as soon as I was old enough I was singing in Punjabi with them every Sunday. I studied the tablas, not the drums. I played the harmonium, not the piano. I studied ragas, not major and minor scales. The first two songs I ever wrote were based on Sikh teachings. My early musical learning was powerfully shaped by my religious upbringing and my parents’ devotion to their music and way of life. To this day, it is alien to me to sing “DO RE MI FA SOL LA TI DO.” I want to sing “SA RE GA MA PA DA NE SA,” but that doesn’t go over too well with my music theory teacher.
My parents, Antion and Elandra Meredith, moved to the beautiful Hawaiian island of Kauai 11 years ago.
They left the Sikh organization behind when it no longer fed their spirits. On Kauai, they immersed themselves in Hawaiian culture — my mother dances hula, and my father has performed in Hawaiian chant competitions after spending years in the study of Hawaiian chant and music. Together, they chanted for the governor of Hawaii -- a great honor for non-native Hawaiians. My father is also known by his Hawaiian name of Pu’ukani O Ka Lani. He performs Hawaiian music at local venues and recently released a CD with a blend of Hawaiian and spiritual music, his first since he was with the Animals and a labor of love. My mother is a renowned healer, traveling to areas such as New Zealand and Europe to make a difference in people’s lives, finally living the destiny she believes she was meant to live. Seeing my parents shape their lives the way they want and do what makes them happy gives me courage and conviction to do the same.
Can you imagine my life? Can you imagine growing up with parents like these? I am well aware my parents are quite unusual. Growing up I often wished I could just be “normal,” but what I’ve come to realize as I’ve gotten older is that there really is no such thing. I am the sum of my upbringing and experiences, as we all are. So I’m glad I was raised by unique and inspiring parents. Instrumental as they were in shaping my life and the person I am, they have done a pretty damn good job.
This issue of the Ebbtide is the last of this quarter, and this is my last Musically Speaking column. I’ve enjoyed writing it, and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it.