Entertainment

Sri Lankan pop/film music managed to hold a large portion of Sri Lanka's market during the late 1960s and early 1970s, but by 1980, Indian film music had again displaced local musicians as the highest-selling sector of the Sri Lankan music industry.

Here are some Sri Lankan artists Who played a major Role in that golden era.

Clarence Wijewardana

Clarence Wijewardana (Sinhala: ක්ලැරන්ස් විජේවර්ධන; 3 August 1943 – 13 December 1996) was one of the most respected Sri Lankan musicians in Sinhala music,who pioneered the use of electric guitar in Sinhala music. He is said to have revolutionized Sri Lankan music in the 1960s and is often named as the father of Sri Lankan pop music - having influenced performers in ranging from W D Amaradewa, Premasiri Kemadasa to Athula Adhikari. His music is often characterized by simple melodies built around a melody that features the electric guitar - this style may be best illustrated by the song Malata Bambaraku Se.Sri Lanka's musician, Clarence Wijewardena, composed and sang over 1000 of songs but 40% of them were not released because the master recordings were under the custody of record producers Some of the songs were released to the market without any authorized label after his death. They did not get the attention of his fans because they were considered to be illegal and most of the FM broadcasting channels in Sri Lanka were not aware of them. It is unfortunate that most of these songs are not released officially and Wijewardena did not get the due credit for them.

Wijewardena spent more of his composing time for his fellow singers and he had never been offered the credit for them.

In the course of his career, Wijewardena wrote several songs that became classics in his own time - among these; Gamen Liyumak (Translated: A Letter From the Village), Hiruge Lowedi (Translated: In the World of the Sun), Kanda Surinduni ("O Lord God of the Mountain"),Piyaneni ("Father"), and Malata Bambaraku Se (Translated: Like a Bee To a Flower)Wijewardena died on 13 December 1996, at the age of 53, in Sri Lanka after a brief bout with cirrhosis of the liver. He also suffered from diabetes. Many of his songs are considered classics, and continue to enjoy ample airtime on Sri Lankan television and radio broadcasts and on some overseas radio stations. The songs such as Rasa pirunu katha on YouTube, Geeyakin kese on YouTube, Eatha Ran wiman on YouTube composed in mid 1970s are very popular among present generation which again demonstrated his talent in composing music (also as a lyricist) for the future. He will always be remembered as a pioneering musician from Sri Lanka and one of the island's 'greats' in terms of popular music. He was undoubtedly Sri Lanka's 'King of Pop.'

Milton Mallawarachchi

Milton Mallawarachchi (1945 – 1998) was a popular Sri Lankan musician. Mallawarachchi has sung songs by Karunaratne Abeysekera, K. D. K. Dharmawardena, Premakirthi de Alwis, Clarence Wijewardena, Upali Danawalawithana, Dharmasiri Gamage, Ajantha Ransinghe, Shelton Weeraratne, Kularatne Ariyawansa, Ananda Padmasiri, Vernon Perera, Chitrananda Abeysekera, Bandara Wijetunga and Vijaya Ramanayake.Well known music Composer Patrick Denipitiya gave Milton Mallawarachichi's songs a modern touch with Songs Like "Ivuru Tala", "Ma ha Eda", "Ma nisa Oba" . "Sayura theredhi" on which helped him to become a huge success. First Duet "Bindu Bindu" with R.Chitra.

In 1974, the renown musician Clarence Wijewardena composed the songs "Gana Andure," "Eda Rae," "Mata Men Ohutada" and "Maga Thotadhii" for a Mallawarachchi EP release on Gemstone. Wijewardena would also write "Awasara Natha Mata," "Sulange Pawe," "Thaniwi Sitinai," and "Prem Raja Thahane" for Milton. Milton sing with Rukmani (1974) "Prem Raja Thahane" other singer female sing "Pem Rajadahane" (Indrani Perera and Samitha Mudukonduwa)

One of Mallawarachchi's most successful songs was "Mai Gaha Yata" done under the production of Melroy Dharmaratne in 1976. It was released on the Silverline label as an EP backed with "Ran Mudu" and two songs ("Andanne Epa" and "Ma Samanalayak") by Shiromie Fernando.

Mallawarachchi released one of the first music audio cassettes in Sri Lanka under the guidance of Wijewardene in 1978. It was titled Anytime-Anywhere and was on the Tharanga label.

Mallawarachchi debuted as a playback singer in the 1971 film, Poojithayo. In 1984, he was honored with a best playback singer award at the Sarasawiya Awards for "Kendan Yannam," a song from Sena Samarasinghe's Aethin Aethat. He was the main male play back singer in the movie "Senakeliya" which was a box office hit in 1974 where he sang songs like "Reyak Upadda" and Duets with Indrani Perera "Samanala Renak Se" and also with Victor Ratnayake and CD Fonseka to the Music Direction of Music Director Patrick Denipitiya.

Mallawarachchi was a popular live attraction; at a time when there was no TV in Sri Lanka, his appearances at variety shows sponsored by the Ceylon Tobacco Company drew huge crowds. Mallawarachchi appeared alongside the Super Golden Chimes at the Super Concert 101/102 organized by Wijewardene. The one Last Song Milton is sung by Aga Rejiniya (Album Senehasa Buduwak). The first Teledrama Hima Kadalla Milton Sing of the song "Sanda Sulange Pawee"He died on March 10, 1998.

H.R. Jothipala

Hettiarachchige Reginald Jothipala   (Sinhala: එච්.අර්.ජොතිපාල; 12 February 1936 – 7 July 1987) was a prolific playback singer in the Sinhala cinema. He also worked as an opera singer. He died in July 1987 at the age of 51 years and 5 months. Jothipala lent his voice to all classes of actors ranging from Eddie Jayamanne, Ananda Jayaratne, Gamini Fonseka, Vijaya Kumaratunga, Sanath Gunathilaka, Tony Ranasinghe, Ravindra Randeniya and even several of the young generation of actors in Sri Lanka.

Jothipala was the undisputed choice in films that were made in the late sixties and through the seventies, the period during which he also began to act. Though Jothi was criticised for singing to the tunes of popular Hindi songs he also sang under the batons of Pandit W. D. Amaradeva, P.V. Nandasiri, Premasiri Khemadasa, Sarath Dassanayake and Milton Mallawarachchi.

He sang in hundreds of films including popular hits like Kasthuri Suwanda, Thushara, Sweeep Ticket, Hitha Honda Minihek, Kawuda Raja, Hondata Hondai, Wasana, Sangeetha and others. The award-winning singer also played some memorable roles in films including Ethulweema Thahanam, Sulalitha Sobani, Sujeewa, Sukiri Kella, Abirahasa, Bonikka, Shanthi and his own production Sumithuro'and "Obai Mamai".

Jothipala died in the first week of July in 1987.[6] Until death, he sang more than 3000 Sinhala songs and all of them were popularised equally and many more playback songs did not came into arena, due to production failures of films.

Priya Suriyasena

Priya Suriyasena is a Sri Lankan popular vocalist and lecturer in music who embarked his music career through the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) in 1972Suriyasena started his career in 1971 as a music teacher for Kelaniya Gurukula College whilst also as an on stage singer at the same time. After about 10 years of service Suriyasena left his teaching career giving priority to his music career.

The veteran music directors who conducted music for his songs were Lal Thenabadu, the late Sarath Dassanayake, Stanley Peiris, Sarath de Alwis, late Clarence Wijewardene and Ranjith Perera. Suriyasena directed music for songs such as 'Adaraniya Neranjana', 'Heta davase', 'Mata wasana', 'Sanda ma gawai', 'Mage samarum pothe', 'Ekama vidiye', 'Mohathaka suwa dena' and 'Gelawata banda wu muthu pote' (neckless tied to the neck). Some of the veteran vocalists who had their music directed by Suriyasena were M. S. Fernando, Anton Jones, Milton Mallawarachchi, Punsiri Soysa, Mervyn Perera, Gratien Ananda, late Mervyn Mihindukula, Chandralekha Perera, Freddie Silva and H R Jothipala. Priya suriyasena has composed famous Christian baila music hit dedicated to St Anthony (santha Anthony munituma) sung by Anton Jones.

At the beginning of 1990s Suriyasena was leaned towards cassette production business where he started "Luckshitha Trade Centre" and released cassettes of MS Fernando, Punsiri Soysa H.R Jothipala and Champa Kalhari.

He was also a play back singer in many films which were Mal kekulu in earlier 1980s, song 'Bindu bindu kandulu sala' duet with Shayami Fonseka and music directed by Sarath Dassanayake and produced by Sena Samarasinghe. Further he sang in many other films like 'Selinage Walawwa', 'Mudukkuwe Juliet', 'Hariyanakota ohama thamai', and 'Pina paduna da'. In 'Ethin Ethata' he sang a duet with Milton Mallawarachchi to the music direction of Sarath Dassanayake ("Kandan yannan ran mal mala dala") which won an award by "Sarasaviya" (Sarasavi Sammana) in the 1980s. In the film Suhada Sohoyuro he played a minor role. However, later Suriyasena gave up singing as a play back singer focusing only on stage. In 2006 he sang a duet "Gimhanaye" with Samitha Mudunkotuwa for the film 'Kalu Sudu Mal' as the male playback for Kamal Addaraaarachchi.