Jetliners…first to roar into India

Source:Island

It’s a notable fact that the Jetliners, with Mignonne at the helm, were the first Sri Lankan group of musicians to take India by storm. And, they did it…not playing at pub-like venues, but at the Taj Mahal Hotel, in Bombay, and it wasn’t just a couple of gigs but, initially, for six months, and, eventually, covering five years, at this prestigious hotel.

In fact, it was the Jetliners who launched the ‘Blow Up’ discotheque at the Taj Mahal Hotel, and this particular venue drew large crowds, almost every night, with queues forming long before opening hours.

Performing at the world-renowned Taj Mahal, the Jetliners provided the music for several important weddings, held at the hotel, and the members also had the opportunity of meeting and greeting some of India’s top celebrities, who patronised the hotel on a regular basis.

They even met up with the late George Harrison, of Beatles fame, who was in India to master the sitar from the maestro sitarist himself – Ravi Shankar.

Yes, it was a mega scene for the Jetliners, in India, with Mignonne gaining extra popularity with her version of Uma Pocha’s ‘Bombay Merri Hai.’

One must keep in mind that the Jetliners achieved fame, without the aid of social media, YouTube, smartphones, private radio stations and TV stations, etc.

Bill Forbes…on the Columbia label with ‘Once More’

It was sheer talent that brought them to the fore.

And sheer talent is when you see artistes perform live on stage and not via videos that one sees on social media.

Sound effects, lighting, editing, etc., enhances a video production, but to do it live, on stage, and captivate an audience, you need real talent….

There also seems to be some confusion with regard to local artistes working with internationally-renowned record labels.

Of course, we did have quite a few, in the past, with, probably, Bill Forbes being the first – on the Columbia label (in the late 1950s), and his international hits included ‘God’s Little Acre,’ ‘Once More,’ ‘Believe In Me,’ and ‘You’re Sixteen.’

Alston Koch…many recording labels to his credit

Jetliners’ Mignonne worked with EMI India, EMI Columbia, and EMI UK, while ‘Disco Lady’ hitmaker, Alston Koch, who is still in the limelight, had several world-wide hits, working for internationally famous record labels – RCA Victor, EMI and Sony.

His ‘Disco Lady,’ which went global, was with RCA/Laser, ‘Try Again’ (EMI), ‘Midnight Lady’ (EMI), ‘ Never Felt This Way Before’ (RCA Victor), while his last album, ‘Don’t Funk With Me,’ was a Sony production.

And, that means, we did have local stars, in the past, who did shine, abroad, on international labels, and we just can’t forget them.