B. Gopalam
Encyclopedia
Boddu Gopalam (1927–2004) was a singer and music director of South India
n films and All India Radio
.
He was born at Tulluru
in Guntur district
of Andhra Pradesh
, India
. His father Ramadasu, was also a musician and an exponent of Harikatha
. Gopalam learned vocal music and playing the violin under Varanasi Brahmayya Sastry in Vijayawada
.
, singing the songs of Devulapalli Krishna Sastry and Viswanatha Satyanarayana
, he met and married a fellow singer named Renuka.
He began working in Telugu films on the invitation of Tatineni Prakasa Rao. He has worked with directors such as Ghantasala Venkateswara Rao, T. V. Raju, and Saluri Rajeswara Rao. He later became an independent music director for the film Nala Damayanthi in Telugu and Kannada. He also sang in few Telugu films as a playback singer
.
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
n films and All India Radio
All India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
.
He was born at Tulluru
Tulluru
Tulluru, or Thulluru, is a mandal in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, India with a population of about 8,000. It is 4 km from Krishna River.-Geography:...
in Guntur district
Guntur district
Guntur district is located in Andhra Pradesh along the east coast of Bay of Bengal. The district has a coastline of around 100 kilometers. Guntur City is the largest city in the district and administrative center of Guntur District. The district is a major center for learning.-Etymology:There are...
of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. His father Ramadasu, was also a musician and an exponent of Harikatha
Harikatha
Harikatha , otherwise called Katha Kalakshepa is a form of Hindu religious discourse, also known as Katha storytelling format, in which the story teller explores a religious theme, usually the life of a saint or a story from an Indian epic.Harikatha is a composite art form composed of story...
. Gopalam learned vocal music and playing the violin under Varanasi Brahmayya Sastry in Vijayawada
Vijayawada
Vijayawada is the third largest city in Andhra Pradesh, India, located on the banks of the Krishna River and bounded by the Indrakiladri Hills on the West and the Budameru River on the North. The city is located in the Krishna District, about from the state capital Hyderabad.Vijayawada literally...
.
Career
Gopalam was an active member of the Praja Natya Mandali in Guntur district and campaigned in favour of the poor and downtrodden. He was closely associated with Vemulapalli Srikrishna and Sheik Nazar. While working as a vocalist at All India RadioAll India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
, singing the songs of Devulapalli Krishna Sastry and Viswanatha Satyanarayana
Viswanatha Satyanarayana
Viswanatha Satyanarayana , popularly known as the Kavi Samraat , was a modern Telugu poet.He was a disciple of the Tirupati Venkata Kavulu duo...
, he met and married a fellow singer named Renuka.
He began working in Telugu films on the invitation of Tatineni Prakasa Rao. He has worked with directors such as Ghantasala Venkateswara Rao, T. V. Raju, and Saluri Rajeswara Rao. He later became an independent music director for the film Nala Damayanthi in Telugu and Kannada. He also sang in few Telugu films as a playback singer
Playback singer
A playback singer is a singer whose singing is prerecorded for use in movies. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras, while the actual singer does not appear on screen.-South Asia:...
.
Filmography
- Sri Krishnarjuna YudhamSri Krishnarjuna YudhamSri Krishnarjuna Yudham is a 1962 film in Telugu and Tamil languages directed by Kadiri Venkata Reddy. It stars N. T...
(1963) (playback singer) - Nala Damayanti (1957) (Composer)
- PalletooruPalletooruPalletooru is a 1952 Telugu film directed by Tatineni Prakash Rao . This Silver Jubilee film has set a new trend for many more rural based films with good informative themes. Cheyetti Jai Kottu Telugoda, patriotic song by Ghantasala Venkateswara Rao was very popular during those days of...
(1952) (playback singer)