The name S.P.Balasubrahmanyam is more familiar than any other singer in the entire country. There’s not a single thing that the legendary singer hasn’t done while he was among us. His loss is not a loss for the world of music, but is a loss for the entire entertainment industry, and for Indians as a whole.
Born on June 4th, 1946, to S.P. Sambamurthy, a Harikatha artist and mother Sakunthalamma, in Nellore, S.P. filled the void of acclaimed singer Ghantasala for the Telugu audience. However, he soon proved that he was a man of his own, and that he’s neither anyone’s replacement, nor a person who could be replaced so easily. SP made his debut as a playback singer in 1966 with Sri Sri Sri Maryada Ramanna, and hasn’t looked back ever since.
Even to this day, despite there being no dearth of talented singers in India, SP is still the most revered singer. He has sung for almost every hero in the South Indian film industries, and his voice has been a staple to noted actors like Kamal Hasan in Telugu. SP’s voice is instantly recognizable, with the kind of charm that emanates from it. Be it singing or dubbing, there’s no parallel to the genius of SP Balasubrahmanyam.
SP is in the Guinness book of world records, for the most number of songs ever sung by an individual, having sung over 40,000 songs in his lifetime. SP has playback singing credits in 16 different languages, most predominantly in the South Indian languages, and in Hindi.
The list of awards that SP has received in his lifetime are endless, and of the plethora of awards he has received, the most important include Padma Shri (2001), Padma Bhushan (2011), and 6 National Awards in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi and Kannada.
Not just singing and dubbing, but SP has also made his mark in the film industry with his acting prowess, having played key roles in several acclaimed films in all South Indian languages. Apart from that, SP is also a producer and music director.
The passing away of SP Balasubrahmanyam is one of the greatest tragedies we will hear in a while. He is survived by his wife Savithri, son Charan and daughter Pallavi. Here’s hoping that this legend rests in peace.