Published on: September 4, 2010
The Navhind Times www.navhindtimes.in
By J P Pereira
JOHN FERNANDES: John Fernandes is one of the talented young drummers in Goa today. Hailing from Maddel, Margao, he is the son of Francis Antonio and Caitana Fernandes.
His father was an ace drummer himself, playing for the ‘Young Stars of Goa’ theatre group, brass bands and the popular ‘Radio Serenaders’. As a young boy, John would accompany his father, playing the bass and snare drum at feasts and funerals while simultaneously completing his education at the Holy Spirit High School, Margao.At the age of 8 years, John played for a ‘tiatr’ by Rocky Dias. This was an amateur show, but also the beginning of a long career. First there were the village dramas and soon the commercial stage. In ‘Battli’ a non-stop show by Pascoal Rodrigues, the young man got his professional break.
John has played for well known music directors like Josinho, Carlito, Augusto de Panchwadi, Agnelo Dias, Anthony de Velim, A Moraes, John de Nuvem, Thomson, Babush and Norman Cardozo and for dramas by directors like the late C Alvares, late Rosario Rodrigues as well as Felcy, Jose Rod, Tony Dias, Simon Gonsalves, Filipe and Janet, Ben Evangelisto, Milagres de Chandor, Mini Mario and many others. Lately he has played for ‘Mahanand’ the impressive presentation from Tony Dias, a ‘tiatr’ titled ‘Denvti’ by Comedian Ambe and is presently playing for ‘Goem Soddun Paulem Ghanttar’ the hit, from Peter-Roshan, that is running to packed houses.
John is a regular in bands that back the singers, for audio albums. He plays for recordings of Manfa Music, with Chris Corriea and other music directors. Edwin D’Costa gave him his first break for audio recordings and since then, there have been numerous albums, some recorded in Mumbai, for which John has backed with some stylish drumming, especially the rolls. He has played for dance bands like Genesis, Major Strings and is presently playing for Saby’s (of the Wings) new band. With great pride he mentions of the musical shows he played for, the late M Boyer and also for the legendary, late Chris Perry, who had presented a grand musical evening at the Kala Academy open air hall, Panaji.
John is quite happy with the progress made in music, for dramas. By emulating the dedication shown by the veteran musicians, there is even more scope for improvement. Taking a break from professional music, John was abroad for some time and worked at the ‘Pizza Hut’ as a pizza maker. Presently he is full time into music and lives with his wife Maria. We wish you all success John and a great career in drumming.
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