SP Bala Subrahmanyam dies at 74: Lesser-known facts about the veteran singer

Veteran Singer SP Bala Subrahmanyam, who was battling Covid-19 since last month and was put on life support for deteriorating health died today at MGM Healthcare in Chennai. For the last one month, SP Bala Subrahmanyam was making the headlines due to his health conditions.

Initially in August, he was admitted to the hospital with mild symptoms of Covid-19. He underwent few surgeries and his health was improving. But a few days back, hospital authorities released a notice stating that MGM SPB's condition has deteriorated and he is on 'maximal life support'.

Sripati Panditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyam fondly known as SP Bala Subrahmanyam or Balu was a gem for the entertainment industry. Along with being a versatile playback singer, he was also an accomplished music director, actor, dubbing artist and film producer.

With a celebrated career spanning over more than 5 decades, SPB achieved the status of a living legend. He has blessed the audiences with his melodious voice, not only in Tamil but also in Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and popularity in Hindi. As the powerhouse of talent SP Balasubrahmanyam bids us adieu, Here are some of the lesser-known fact from his illustrious career:

1. Born in Konetampet village in the state of Tamil Nadu on 4th June 1946, SP Balasubrahmanyam had artistic genes flowing in his blood. His father late SP Sambamurthy was primarily a harikatha artist who also took parts in the play.

2. Although he developed an interest towards music at an early age and had learned some of its notation too, he enrolled in JNTU College of Engineering, Andhra Pradesh with the aim of becoming an engineer.

3. He dropped out of studies due to typhoid but later on joined the institution of engineers in Chennai as an associate member.

4. SPB's made his debut as a playback singer in 1966 lending his voice for Telugu film 'Sri Sri Sri Maryada Ramanna' whose background score was given by his mentor SP Kodandapani.

5. He was the leader of a light music group which had Ilaiyaraaja, another legendary music director and singer playing harmonium & Baskar and Gangai Amaran on percussion and guitar respectively.

6. He holds the Guinness world record for recording the highest number of songs by a singer with over 40,000 songs in 16 languages.

7. He once recorded 21 songs in Kannada over a span of 12 hours for composer Upendra Kumar.

8. A goldmine of talent, Bala Subrahmanyam also holds the distinction of having won 6 national awards across 4 different languages. His song "Tere Mere Beech Me" for the 1981 movie Ek Duje Ke Liye won him his national award in Hindi.

9. He has lent his voice to many superstars over the year including Rajnikanth, Kamal Haasan, Salman Khan, Gemini Ganeshan and many others. In 2013 with the title song for Shahrukh Khan starrer "Chennai Express" he marked his return to Bollywood after almost 15 years.

10. Amongst his many talents, SPB is also an accomplished voice-over artist. He dubbed for 7 out of the 10 characters in Telugu version of Kamal Haasan's "Dasavthaaram", he had also provided dubbing for the titular character in Telugu version of Ben Kingsley's "Gandhi".