Female Singers of Vintage Era

‘The stormy petrel of the Indian screen’: Shanta Apte

Shanta Apte February 24, 2020

A tribute to Shanta Apte on her 56th Remembrance Day (b. 23 November 1916/1918 – d. 24 February 1964) I became aware of Shanta Apte quite late compared to her contemporary Kanan Devi about whom I was quite familiar from my very young radio listening days. Today I know that Shanta Apte was to Pune/Bombay […]

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The Swar Kokila Kanan Devi

Kanan Devi April 22, 2016

A tribute to Kanan Devi (22 April 1916 to 17 July 1992) on her birth centenary The most important female pillar of the New Theatres, an enormously popular actor-singer of Bengali and Hindi films at the dawn of the film industry, having received the best actress awards a number of times, Padmashree, Gold Disc from […]

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Naushad-C Ramchandra duel for Amirbai Karnataki

Amirbai Karnataki March 15, 2015

A tribute on the 50th death anniversary of Amirbai Karnataki (c.1906 – 3 March 1965) (As her death anniversary was too close to my scheduled post on Holi songs, I am posting my tribute to Amirbai Karnataki, with her songs by Naushad and C Ramchandra, with some lag.) Which is the most popular Amirbai Karnataki […]

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Down the memory lane with ‘Anil Da’

Anil Biswas with Sharad Dutt December 25, 2014

Wishing Merry Christmas to all with guest article by Sharad Dutt concluding Anil Biswas Centenary Celebrations (SoY celebrated 2014 as the Centenary Year of Anil Biswas with a guest article by his daughter, Shikha Biswas Vohra on the New Year Day, remembering him as a father and a maestro. This was followed by singer-specific posts on […]

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The Doyenne of Vintage Era: Khursheed

Khursheed November 1, 2014

A tribute in her Centenary year I realised somewhat late that Khursheed’s Birth Centenary (b. 14 April 1914, d. 18 April 2001) fell this year. But she is such a prominent singer of the Vintage Era that I had to pay my tribute with her selected songs. Vintage Era refers to not only a period […]

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Songs of Yore completes four years

Songs of Yore completes four years June 7, 2014

With a tribute to Juthika Roy I have often said I started blogging स्वान्तः सुखाय. As Songs of Yore completes four years today, I find I have become a little less selfish. Now I do a lot of things that are suggested and driven by the readers. And, you don’t need a preacher to tell […]

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The incredible brother-sister in music: Anil Biswas’s songs for Parul Ghosh

Anil Biswas and Parul Ghosh May 27, 2014

Continuing Anil Biswas Centenary Year celebration with his songs for Parul Ghosh as a tribute to her I can’t think of a weightier brother sister-duo in Hindi film music. Obviously, Mangeshkars’ dominance is unparalleled, but they are primarily ‘sisters’; Hridaynath’s footprint is very negligible on film music, whereas Anil Biswas is a Titan. Parul Ghosh […]

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New Theatres’ romance with Prem

Thumbnail image for New Theatres’ romance with Prem May 29, 2011

Best love songs of Vintage Era I have been in the New Theatres mood since I wrote my last post on Pankaj Mullick. BN Sircar established New Theatres in Calcutta in 1931, i.e. the same year the first talkie Alam Ara was released in Bombay. Music has been an integral part and a defining feature […]

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