SPB: A musical History - Part 3 : Baby steps in Tamil Land

(MSV and SPB)

Here are the links to Part-1 and Part-2 of this series

In the 60s and 70s the whole of South Indian film industry was based in Tamil Nadu. It was quite natural for SPB to try and sing for Tamil movies. Tamil film world was dominated by two personalities, M G Ramachandran (MGR) and Sivaji Ganesan. MGR later went on to become the CM of Tamil Nadu and even to this day Sivaji Ganesan is seen as the greatest actor Tamil film world had produced.

In the music department, it was M S Vishwanathan (MSV) was ruling the roost. In Telugu there were multiple music directors like Rajeshwar Rao, Pendyala and Mahadevan who were famous whereas in Tamil, MSV dominated the scene. K V Mahadevan, Vijaybhaskar, V Kumar, Veda and others were also part of the music scene but the best film, with exception of some MGR films, went to MSV. In the siingers front, T M Soundarajan (TMS) was the voice of both MGR and Sivaji while P.Susheela was the preferred female voice. PB Srinivas was the voice of other leading hero, Gemini Ganesan. S. Janaki, L.R. Eshwari and later Vani Jayaram were the other important female singers.

When SPB entered the Tamil music scene, changes were slowly taking place. There were two aspects which helped SPB a lot in the initial days. The music directors, KVM and MSV, both liked SPB's singing and MGR was ready to give him a chance to sing in his film. The other new voice which entered Tamil film music around the same time was that of K J Yesudas. Another thing to be noted here is that though TMS was the most important singer of those he did not have the aura of Gantasala. It is quite difficult to pinpoint why it is so but some singers develop a cult like following. Gantasala in Telugu, K J Yesudas in Malayalam and Lata in Hindi, in the initial period (1950). I must say that TMS was well liked by everyone but his fame was not like that of Gantasala or Yesudas. This enabled SPB to be himself in even his initial Tamil film songs and his initial talent flowered better in Tamil films than it did in Telugu films. Also having new music directors like V Kumar and Vijaybhaskar, who were giving a different sound, backing him, helped. 

Almost everyone knows that the first song SPB recorded in Tamil was 'ayiram nilave vaa' for 'Adimai Penn' in the year 1969. MGR was the hero. MGR waited for a month or more to get SPB to record this song. SPB had fallen ill when he was supposed to record the song. He thought the song would have been recorded in someone else's voice but MGR had asked KVM, the music director, to wait for SPB. This incident has been narrated by SPB multiple times. It was a wonderful song and a big hit.

(Correction: My friend K Balamukar pointed out that SPB's first recorded song was for a movie called 'Hotel Rambha'. That movie was not released. The first released song was 'ayiram nilave va'. My thanks to Bala) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJQad3lsIl0

The first thing you can notice is that unlike the early songs of SPB in Telugu, here he is more natural. The rawness is present and the tone is not yet fully polished but there is no mistaking the fact that this is indeed SPB. There is confidence in his voice, none of the diffidence we heard in the initial Telugu songs. The fact that he had already sung some songs in Telugu would have helped but I think the Balu of Tamil music was more confident than the Balu of Telugu music of these years. As with his first film song in Telugu, his co-singer here too is P.Susheela. K V Mahadevan had a great role to play in the development of SPB as a great singer.

The other music director who encouraged the young SPB and whom SPB held in high regard was M.S.Vishwanathan (MSV). MSV gave a wonderful song to SPB, 'iyarkai ennum ilaya kanni' for the movie, 'Shanti Nilayam'. This was picturised on Gemini Ganesan. Since P B Sreenivas was the standard singer for Gemini and SPB's voice also had the same silken quality of PBS, people did not find it difficult to accept SPB as Gemini's voice. This song as also a major hit. Once again, SPB and Susheela. The year was 1969.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfdw0GQ7yhc

Here too you hear a very confident SPB. The tone is similar to 'aayiram nilave vaa' since it was from the same year. 

While MSV was giving SPB songs regularly in Tamil, SPB also became a favorite of the music director V.Kumar. While TMS was still the preferred voice for MGR and Sivaji, SPB got more chances to sing for the emerging heroes like Sivakumar. In 1971, MSV gave him another terrific hit, 'mangayaril maharani' from the movie 'Avalukkendru Oru Manam'. He sang for Gemini Ganesan again. Susheela being the co-singer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV1RWJQYD6U

With songs like this SPB was becoming a voice that the audience recognized. 

1971 saw MSV give SPB more than one hit song. 'madhamo avani' from 'Utharavindri Ulle Vaa' for Ravichandran is another evergreen hit. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2e4OaRFRWY

This song has enough scope, especially in the charanam, with its tana tana na, for SPB to start experimenting with his voice. There is inherent drama in the tune. SPB love these sort of tunes.  These sort of dramatic high energy songs would later become SPB's trademark. 

The same year saw SPB singing for Sivaji as well. This happened under the baton of MSV for the movie 'Sumathi En Sundari'. 'pottu vaitha mugamo' was the song and it was also a big hit. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MT758TvZnM

SPB had said that during the recording of this song Sivaji had told him, "Don't think of how I will act and then sing the song. You sing it in your style. I will act accordingly". You can hear SPB enjoying himself. Since MSV gave him such amazing melodies, it is no wonder that SPB was grateful to MSV till his last breath. (The TMS Sivaji association was so strong that people did not accept SPB singing for Sivaji)

1973 saw SPB delivering two more superb hits. One for MGR and one for Sivaji. Both under the music direction of MSV.

From the film, 'Ulagam Sutrum Valiban', the caressing 'aval oru navarasa nadagam'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbBymlZ_YVs

All the songs of this movie were big hits. This is an everlasting hit.

'Gowravam' was one of the landmark movies of Sivaji Ganesan. He plays a double role. The big hits of the film were the TMS solos for the elder Sivaji. The younger Sivaji got a lovely duet. SPB was used as his voice. 'yamuna nadhi inge' with P Susheela

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k53UNmN9B94

This movie was dubbed into Telugu. The hit status of the songs were reversed. This was the biggest hit song from the movie in Telugu. 

(Telugu version: 'yamuna theerana' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXnjiXR3jss ) Observe SPB's singing in the Telugu version. For some reason, he tries to give more 'weight' to his voice by singing in a bass voice. In the Tamil version he sings it in his natural voice.

The year 1974 saw MSV give one more song to SPB which allowed him to demonstrate the range in his voice. A major hit both in Tamil and Telugu, 'kadavul amaithu vaitha medai' from 'Aval Oru Thodarkadhai', a K Balachander film. Balachander would become a big fan of SPB. Here SPB is singing for Kamalahsan, whose main voice he would become later.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJQ-grJjRgU

This is an absolutely confident SPB that is singing. The song has a range of emotions and SPB does a great job throughout the song. Later he would do a similar 'junior junior' for MSV. We will see that later.

From 1975, let us listen to a V.Kumar tune. 'padaithane brahma devan' from 'Ellorum Nallavare'. SPB singing for Muthuraman. The confidence and maturity in SPB is easy to see.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPhIMXcTorQ

It was the year 1976. A short, dark, ordinary looking young man sat in front of Panju Arunchalam, the noted producer, screenplay writer and lyricist. "There are too many Rajas in this field. We will have to change your name", he told the young man, who was going to be the music director for the next movie Panju Arunachalam was producing.

The changed name would become a name close to millions of listeners. With his name changed from Raja to Illayaraja, the young man would go on to score for a movie called 'Annakili', changing the face of Tamil music. It was not only a turning point for Tamil film music. It also represented a turning point for SPB. 

We will start looking at the SPB - Illayaraja combination in the subsequent parts of this series.