The legendary SPB passed away 3 days ago in Chennai after contracting coronavirus. He sang 40,000 songs in many languages. He was a singer, actor, music director and producer. May he rest in peace.
My wife and I had a chance to meet him for a few minutes long long time ago. He was not that famous at that time. He and P. Susila came to Berkeley to give a musical performance. At the end of the performance, the organizer invited us to the backstage to meet with these 2 singers. We went there and spoke to these two singers for a few minutes. When we were about to leave, SPB said:
(The conversation was in Tamil. I
will translate in English.)
SPB: Whenever you both visit
Chennai, please come to our home.
I: Yeah.
You will invite us here. But when
we come to Chennai, the security gurkha guarding
your home will not let us in.
SPB: I don’t have any security gurkha guarding my
home. It is in all the movie actors homes. I am only an ordinary singer.
Such a simple and down to earth person.
Among the 40,000 songs sung by him, my favorite is the one song in Tamil where he sang without stopping for a single breath. He also acted in that film. The movie title is Keladi Kanmani (Listen My Sweetheart). Music by Ilaiyarajaa. Here is the song:
Truly a Big Loss to the music world.... this song is my Dad's favorite as well.... my favorite is "Ilaya Nila"....such an amazingly beautiful voice.....May he rest in Peace....
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Dee. Father knows best.
DeleteYou are really lucky to have met the legendary singer, Guinness Book record holder, more than anything else, a good human being. RIP Balu
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Gowri. He was indeed a great human being. May he rest in peace.
DeleteMy favorite SPB song(s) are 'Nilaave vaa' & 'Mandram vandha' from Mouna Raagam. I wonder if any other artist has sung 40,000 songs featured in commercial albums - great achievement!
ReplyDeleteDestination Infinity
Thanks for your comments Rajesh. He sang so many great songs.
DeleteA big loss . His songs can change any human from a sad mood . Such a great singer he was
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Shilpa. Yes, such a big loss
DeleteYou are lucky to have met him. His loss is a big loss for the world of music. He was a constant presence in my life. Knowingly and unknowingly throughout my childhood I gravitated towards his songs. It was only later that I realized that some of my most favorite songs have been sung by him.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Harini. And, welcome to my blog. He was a great singer. Big loss for the world of music.
DeletePlease visit here as often as possible. Thanks.
A tribute to Him, SG. Well-done. He was a stalwart not only in Music but in the entire Arts Field, that was blessed with his all-round personality. Felt sad indeed,though I could see him only on screens. 'Pranaamam'.
ReplyDeleteI happened to watch interview of celebrities where they paid tribute to the singer. One thing they all said was that he was quite humble and almost always available for people... Quite unbelievable considering the number of songs he has sung... But your little story oly add to those glorious stories I heard..
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