SPB's first song

The First Year and the Five Songs By Saravanan As a child growing up in Nellore, the most exciting day that he remembers is the day when the family acquired a prized possession- a Philips radio, bought for Rs. 265, and that too payable in easy installments! Today his songs are aired throughout the day in most South Indian Radio Stations. The years have flown by, and the small boy who was drawn to music listening to his father’s Harikatha discourses has evolved into an unparalleled music icon. Sreepathy Pandiradhyula Balasubramaniam, or simply SPB or Balu as he is more endearingly referred to, is a name that generations have grown up listening to spellbound. For me personally, SPB’s songs that were aired in the late 70s and early 80s comprised my earliest introduction to tfm, and thus began a passion that remains ardent to this day. And its not just me, I cannot remember a single person of my acquaintance who hasn’t, at one time or the other, fallen for the sheer magic of SPB’s voice … SPB was born on June 4, 1946 in Konnetammapetta near Nellore. He was the second son in a large family; he has two brothers and five sisters. His grandfather knew the nuances of Carnatic music and could sing well. His father S.P.Sambhamoorthi was a revered Harikatha exponent of his time. Though he was not formally trained, Sambhamoorthi’s devotion to music, Sanskrit background, and exhaustive knowledge of the ancient scriptures made his Harikatha discourses an unforgettable experience. He also staged plays based on mythological themes; his ‘Bhaktha Ramadasu’ was always staged to packed houses. As a child, SPB was fascinated by his father’s passionate pursuits, particularly music. He threw a tantrum and coerced his elders into buying him a flute that caught his fancy in the one of the colourful shops that had sprung up during a temple festivity. And practiced playing it with concentrated diligence. He also learned the basics of playing the harmonium and then progressed to playing the ghatam for his father’s discourses. He started participating in inter-school music competitions, and won many prizes. In one of these events, S.Janaki was the judge. Listening to SPB sing, the clairvoyant chanteuse prophesized that he would become a singer of repute one day, and suggested that he try his hand in playback singing. Little did both of them realize that years hence they would together rule the airwaves as the leading pair of tfm, sharing a rare chemistry that would take their duets to the top of the charts. Sambhamoorthi was naturally overjoyed by his son’s inclination and innate talents, particularly his captivating voice. But prudent, practical considerations made him lay down stern stipulations that SPB should pursue his academic studies with single-minded dedication. Passing out of school, SPB enrolled himself in JNTU College in Anantapur. He had hardly completed his first year there, when a particularly virulent attack of typhoid hastened his return home. After a long, listless recuperation, SPB resumed his studies, this time in Madras, where he took up an AMIE course. And within a few months, his affable, easy going nature and pleasing personality won him a large circle of friends. He couldn’t suppress his passion for long, and soon became a popular figure in college competitions and cultural meets, his performances always eliciting encores and encomiums from the delirious campus crowds. Then there was this music competition for amateur singers organized by a Telugu Cultural Organization at the Andhra Club at Vijayaraghava Road in T.Nagar. SPB was among the participants, and brought the house down with his fantastic performance. Needless to say, he won the first prize. It turned out to be a momentous day for him in more ways than one, as seated in an unobtrusive corner was Telugu Music Director S.P.Kothandapani. Much impressed by SPB’s performance, Kothandapani walked up to the excited youngster and patting him on the back, urged him to try his luck in film music. He went on to assure SPB that he would call him if he could spy a suitable break. And not stopping with mere words, Kothandapani took SPB around to meet various people connected with the film industry- producers, financiers, directors and even other music directors, recommending SPB with words of high praise. Another friend who went out his way to help SPB at this juncture was artist Bharani Kumar. Bharani Kumar took SPB to meet Director Sridhar, as Sridhar was known to always be on the lookout for talented newcomers. Even in the midst of a tight shooting schedule, Sridhar took some time off and asked SPB to sing a few lines. The songs of the Hindi film Dosti were greatly popular then, and being a great fan of Rafi, SPB sang the song‘chaahoonga mein tujhE saanjh savErE’. Sridhar was instantly captivated by the youthful mellifluousness of SPB’s voice and the nonchalant improvisations he brought into his rendition. He sent him to M.S.Viswanathan with words of recommendation. SPB thus had his first meeting with MSV in the Chitralaya office, and sang to the great mellisai mannar (‘nilavE ennidam nerungaathE’, among other songs, if I remember right) A visibly enthralled MSV listened to him, and gave him the happy assurance of a suitable opening in the near future. But that opening proved elusive for a while. Waiting for a break, SPB continued his studies. He also continued meeting film personalities, presenting his credentials. Among those he met during this period was the redoubtable Bhanumathi. Herself a singer of no mean repute, an impatient Bhanumathi agreed to listen to SPB sing one song. But after the first song, she was so impressed that she sat back and listened to him render song after song. It was no doubt a proud moment for SPB, but all this didn’t translate into tangible gains. Meanwhile, Kothandapani was quietly continuing his crusade for getting SPB a chance at playback singing. And one of the people who agreed to give SPB a hearing was Telugu comedian Padmanabham. As others before him, Padmanabham too fell for SPB’s charming voice, and gave the usual assurance of helping him get an opportunity. But this time, Kothandapani’s persistent efforts paid off. Padmanabham was producing a film; Kothandapani was composing the music, and Padmanabham kept his promise by telling Kothandapani to ahead and give SPB the break that he well-deserved. Thus December 15, 1966 was the red-letter day when SPB sang his first film song ever. The song was ‘Emi yee vintha mOham’, the film was ‘Sri Sri Sri Maryada Ramanna’ (1967/ Rekha & Murali Productions), and the music director was S.P.Kothandapani. https://youtu.be/Jc6V4CcgCSI After P.Suseela is done with her soulful opening, SPB enters the song midway with an arresting alaap, and commences his piece with ‘raavE kaavyasuma baala’. PBS follows and then Raghuramayya draws the curtains over what presumably is a part-by-part portrayal of the individual dreams of three different men who love the same woman. Thus in his very first song, SPB was had the unique experience of singing with stalwarts. Though the legendary Ghantasala was the reigning deity of Telugu film music then, the young SPB made swift inroads into the field, and won several fans even in his early years. When song offers started coming in increasing numbers, SPB was in two minds whether to continue his studies or concentrate on his career, as it was becoming impossible to do adequate justice to both. As always, he sought his father’s counsel. Seeing the increasing popularity of his son, Sambhamoorthi was now very clear in his views- music was God’s gift to SPB and he ought not fritter it away. SPB thus left his studies halfway, and plunged full-fledged into playback singing. The Tamil debut took a few more years to materialize though. By the late 60s, TMS was the only singer left in the reckoning in tfm. PBS was already in the decline; A.M. Raja belonged to the distant past. A.L. Raghavan and Tharapuram Sundararajan were but peripheral players. Seergazhi Govindarajan was earmarked for particular songs alone. Yesudas was yet to arrive in tfm in a big way. Thus TMS was the universally accepted male voice- from MGR to Nagesh, Soundararajan was their singing sound. The time was favorable for a change….and the change, when it happened, took tfm to a new era….an era of caressing enchantment… MSV didn’t forget the unassuming youngster who sang to him in Sridhar’s office. He decided to try SPB for a rollicking duet with the irrepressible L.R. Eswari. SPB was in the seventh heaven of delight when the summons came- for in those times, it was impossible for an aspiring singer to get such a treasured opportunity. The song was ‘aththaanOdu ippadi irundhu eththanai naaLaachu’, but the movie titled ‘Hotel Rambha’ was given up midway, and SPB’s first Tamil song proved a nonstarter. But by now MSV and SPB’s destinies were interlinked forever; the astute master perceived in the buoyant youngster the determination and capacity to succeed and took upon himself the responsibility of making it happen… ‘shanthi nilayam’ followed, and the deed was done… But wait….let us pursue a chronological order, and see how SPB fared in 1969, his very first year in tfm….. and we will follow the order of release of the films that featured his earliest songs. http://newdhool.blogspot.in/2017/06/spb-first-year-and-five-songs.html