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{{Short description|Indian band (active 1965–1976)}}
'''The Savages''' were an Indian band based in [[Mumbai]] who were one of the first Indian bands to play [[rock and roll]] music. Active from 1965 to 1976, The Savages became one of Mumbai's most popular bands. They are considered to have release the first Indian rock LP.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2021-09-18 |title=5 Forgotten Bands who Brought Rock’n’Roll to India - Score Short Reads - Highonscore {{!}} The Score Magazine |url=https://highonscore.com/5-forgotten-bands-who-brought-rocknroll-to-india-score-short-reads/ |access-date=2025-11-17 |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Fernandes |first=Naresh |url=http://archive.org/details/tajmahalfoxtrots0000fern |title=Taj Mahal foxtrot : the story of Bombay's jazz age |date=2012 |publisher=New Delhi : Lustre Press : Roli Books |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-81-7436-759-4}}</ref>

The Savages were one of a number of bands to spring up in India following the worldwide popularity of rock and roll, generally referred to as beat music in India. The Savages, like most Indian beat music groups, played mostly [[Cover version|covers]] of Western rock and roll songs.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Booth |first=Gregory D. |title=More than Bollywood: studies in Indian popular music |last2=Shope |first2=Bradley |date=2014 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-992883-5 |location=Oxford New York}}</ref> They were formed in 1965 by [[Bashir Sheikh]], who was inspired to become a drummer after seeing the film [[The Gene Krupa Story|''The Gene Krupa Story'']] (1959), featuring [[Sal Mineo]] as jazz drummer [[Gene Krupa]]. He recruited guitarist Lenny Cason to form The Savages.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Bhatia |first=Sidharth |title=India psychedelic: the story of a rocking generation |date=2014 |publisher=HarperCollins Publishers India |isbn=978-93-5029-837-4 |location=Noida}}</ref> They took their name from the 1961 instrumental rock song [[The Savage (song)|"The Savage"]] by [[The Shadows]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kvetko |first=Peter |date=2025-01-02 |title=Beatlemania in Bombay |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19472498.2024.2442820 |journal=South Asian History and Culture |language=en |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=46–56 |doi=10.1080/19472498.2024.2442820 |issn=1947-2498|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Cason soon left the band, but the band added guitarist Hemant Rao, bassist Pio Manzi, and rhythm guitarist Clifford Lee.<ref name=":2" />

The Savages won city-wide beat music competitions in 1967 and 1968. As a result, they were signed to the record label [[HMV]]. Their first single in 1967 featured two original songs: "The Girl Next Door" and "Pain," the latter written by Lee and featuring singer [[Asha Puthli]].<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> Leo and Manzi left and the band added keyboardist Prabhakar Mundkur, bass guitarist Ralph Pais, and singer Russell Pereira. They were signed by [[Polydor Records]] and released their first LP, ''The Savages Live,'' which was record in a studio with applause sounds added in later.<ref name=":2" />

Hemant Rao departed the band and was replaced by [[Remo Fernandes]], an architecture student who would go on to a long musical career after The Savages. They released an EP with Fernandes singing a cover of the [[Jose Feliciano]] song "[[Old Turkey Buzzard]]" and his own song, "Ode to the Messiah". Fernandes returned to school and the band added Barry and Joe Alvares.<ref name=":2" /> Their next album ''Black Scorpio'' (1973) has become a cult classic and a copy of it sold for $3000 on [[eBay]] in 2011.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" />

In 1972, The Savages merged with [[Nandu Bhende]]'s band Brief Encounter to form a short-lived band called Savage Encounter.<ref name=":2" />

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Indian rock musicians]]
[[Category:Musicians from Mumbai]]

The Savages (Indian band) - Revision history

Ankitchadha: Adding Some Post W/ Infobox...