Kamahl
| Kamahl | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kandiah Kamalesvaran |
| Born |
13 November 1934 Kuala Lumpur, Federated Malay States |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Labels |
Philips EMI Mercury Records Festival Records Dino Records Reader's Digest ABC Music |
Kamahl is the stage name of Kandiah Kamalesvaran AM (Tamil: கந்தையா கமலேஸ்வரன்; born 13 November 1934), a singer and recording artist active in Australia, perhaps best known for "The Elephant Song", and his repertoire of popular music.
Born in Kuala Lumpur to Tamil Hindu parents. He grew up in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, and studied at the Victoria Institution.
He arrived in Adelaide, South Australia in 1953 to receive a higher education at King's College (now Pembroke School)
At his first public performance in 1958 he shortened his name to Kamal, but the Master of Ceremonies announced him as "Camel". After that he changed the spelling to Kamahl.
As he made his way into the Australian music industry, Rupert Murdoch was an early important mentor. Murdoch tipped Kamahl £10 at a concert in December 1958 and encouraged him to move to Sydney. Without asking, Murdoch arranged for Kamahl to perform a six-week season at the Hotel Australia in Sydney. After that season, he boarded with the Murdochs for two years. Kamahl was a finalist in the Sydney Eisteddfod Sun Aria in 1966 singing Verdi's Ella giammai m'amò and Mussorgsky's Farewell and death of Boris.
It was about this time that he co-wrote and sang the theme song long-lost and best forgotten feature film called "Journey Out Of Darkness" made through the services of Supreme Sound Studios, Paddington, Sydney filmed around Orange in NSW. Directed by an American it premiered at the State Theatre Sydney, ran for about a week and was never seen or heard of again. This should be really be his 'first' recorded material and an original copy still exists in a private collection.
...
Wikipedia