P. B. Srinivas

P.B. Sreenivas
Dr. P.B. Sreenivas
Background information
Native name	ప్రతివాది భయంకర శ్రీనివాస్ (పి.బి.శ్రీనివాస్)
Birth name	Prativadi Bhayankara Sreenivas
Also known as	PBS, PB Srinivas, PB Sreenivos
Born	(1930-09-22)22 September 1930 Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh
Died	14 April 2013(2013-04-14) (aged 82) Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Genres	Playback singing, Carnatic music, Ghazal
Occupation(s)	Singer
Instruments	Vocalist
Years active	1951-2013

Prathivadi Bhayankara Sreenivas (22 September 1930 – 14 April 2013) was a veteran playback singer from India. He was born in Kakinada in East Godavri District of Andhra Pradesh. He had sung around 3000 songs in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Tulu and Konkani films. He was known for his playback singing in the Kannada, Telugu and Tamil film industries. He had sung in all the main languages of the country but it is in Kannada that he has the highest number of songs in his career. He died on 14 April 2013 at the age of 82 in Chennai.

Prathivadhi Bhayankara Sreenivas was born to Prathivadhi Bhayankaram Phanindraswamy and Seshagiriamma in Kakinada, East Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh. His father was a civil servant and his mother was a musician. His father wanted him to become a government officer and Sreenivas was awarded a B.Com(Bachelor of Commerce) degree and then passed the Hindi Visharad Exams of the South Indian Hindi Spreading Society (Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha).

In an interview, Sreenivas said that it was through his mother's singing that he knew of Indian classical music. During his educational days, he had a habit of hearing radio. Mohammed Rafi was his favourite singer. His uncle, Kidambi Krishnaswamy, was a drama artist and a singer. When Sreenivas was 12, Krishnaswamy gave him a chance to sing in a drama. When Phanindraswamy asked an astrologer about this, he told that Sreenivas did not have a bright future in music field. But, instead of believing in the astrologer's words, he believed in his son's confidence.