SP Balasubrahmanyam Death Anniversary: Remembering The Legendary Voice That Lives On

How can one forget legendary and iconic singer, composer, dubbing artist and actor SP Balasubrahmanyam? The deadly Covid has made us lose one of the finest musicians of India. He is fondly known as SPB and needs no introduction. Right from his melodious tunes to effortless crooning, he made every song into the most-celebrated one of the Indian cinemas. Well, today being his death anniversary, let’s have a look at his biography.

SPB passed away at the age of 74 on 25th September, 2020.

First, let us start off with SPB’s personal details… This celebrated legendary singer was born on June 4, 1946, in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, into a Telugu family. His father, S. P. Sambamurthy, was a Harikatha artiste, and thus music naturally became an important part of his childhood. Although SPB was deeply interested to pursue his career in music, he first completed his engineering and forayed into music industry. He completed his engineering in Anantapur and later participated in many music competitions. This made him caught the attention legendary musician of SP Kodandapani. Thus, he bagged his first major opportunity and hence had no look back.

Playback Singing Debut

SPB made his playback singing debut in 1966 with the Telugu film Sri Sri Sri Maryada Ramanna, with music composed by S. P. Kodandapani. What began as a humble beginning soon turned into an extraordinary career spanning more than five decades. He also crooned songs in Tamil and Kannada films as well and thus turned into the most-sought after playback singers in the industry.

SPB also collaborated with legendary music composers like Ilaiyaraaja, M. S. Viswanathan and A. R. Rahman along with working with several ace filmmakers and musicians across the Indian film industry.

One of the major turning points in his career came with the Telugu musical classic Sankarabharanam. Despite the technically demanding classical compositions, SPB delivered a memorable performance and won his first National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer. He went on to win the National Award six times for his singing across Telugu, Tamil, Hindi and Kannada cinema.

Well, SPB also made a remarkable impact in Bollywood. His Hindi breakthrough came with Ek Duuje Ke Liye, where his voice became an important part of the film's emotional appeal. He won the National Award for Best Male Playback Singer for the song “Tere Mere Beech Mein.”

Beyond Singing

SPB's talents were not restricted to playback singing. He also worked as a music composer, actor, producer and voice artist. He acted in several Telugu, Tamil and Kannada films and successfully explored different aspects of cinema.

His career is also remembered for his extraordinary recording ability. He sang in numerous Indian languages and was widely celebrated for the sheer scale of his musical output. His official biography highlights his work across several languages and his remarkable achievements as a playback singer.

Awards And Honours

• Padma Shri - 2001
• Karnataka Rajyothsava Award - 2008
• Padma Bhushan - 2011
• Padma Vibhushan – 2021
• Kalaimamani - 1981
• Honorary Doctorate Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University - 1999
• Honorary Doctorate Sathyabama University, Chennai - 2009
• Kalaprapoorna Honorary Doctorate Andhra University - 2009
• Honorary Doctorate JNTU Anantapur - 2010
• Kala Pradarshini Ghantasala Puraskar The Ghantasala family & Kala Pradarshini, Chennai – 2017
• 6 National Awards
• 1 Filmfare Award
• 1 - Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award – South
• 24 Nandi Awards
• 3 Karnataka State Film Awards

SP Balasubrahmanyam was married to Savitri, and the couple are blessed with two children, S. P. B. Charan and Pallavi. His son Charan is continuing his legacy and is a celebrated iconic singer in Tollywood.

Final Days

As said, SPB was all healthy until the deadly Covid created complications. Although his condition was stable initially, later his condition worsened and breathed his last on September 25, 2020, at the age of 74. This completely shattered Tollywood as we lost one of the finest singers of our country.

Years may pass, generations may change and musical trends may evolve, but SP Balasubrahmanyam's voice continues to remain evergreen. His songs still find a place in playlists, celebrations, films and the memories of music lovers.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ravali Hymavati

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K. Ravali Hymavathi being born in Hyderabad holds a strong command in the content writing field. She always sticks to her principles and holds a passion for ‘Entertainment’ and ‘Lifestyle’ write-ups. She earlier worked for Eenadu’s ‘EeYuva’ and started working for Hans India from a couple of years…

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