Biography:

Paliyath Jayachandran (3 March 1944 – 9 January 2025)[1] was an Indian playback singer and actor from Kerala. He collaborated with legendary composers, G. Devarajan, M. S. Baburaj, V. Dakshinamoorthy, K. Raghavan, M. K. Arjunan, M. S. Viswanathan, Ilaiyaraaja, Koti, Shyam, A. R. Rahman, M. M. Keeravani, Vidyasagar and M Jayachandran.[2] Over the course of his career, he recorded more than 16,000 songs in multiple languages and appeared in a few films.

In 1986, he won the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer and also won Kerala State Film Award five times. In 2020, he was awarded the J. C. Daniel Award, the highest award in Malayalam cinema, for his outstanding contributions to Malayalam cinema. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest expression singers in South India.[3] He also won 2 Tamil Nadu state film awards.

He died on 9 January 2025 in Thrissur after undergoing treatment for cancer.[4][5][6]

Early life

Jayachandran was born in Bhadralayam at Ravipuram, Kochi, on 3rd March 1944, and his family later moved to Irinjalakuda in Thrissur District.[7] He is the third of five children of the late Ravivarma Kochaniyan Thampuran, a member of the Cochin royal family, who was himself a musician, though never a professional singer, and the late Paliyath Subhadrakkunjamma, and also the second of their three sons.[8] His siblings are Krishnakumar (b. 1947) and Jayanthi (b. 1949).

Jayachandran was a student of the National High School, Irinjalakuda, from where he received many prizes for playing the mridangam and light music in the State School Youth Festival.[9] He then studied at the Christ College, Irinjalakuda, completing his degree in Zoology.[10]

Jayachandran married Lalitha from Thrissur in May 1973. They have a daughter named Lakshmi and a son named Dinanath, who also sang for films.[11]

Career

Jayachandran met K. J. Yesudas in 1958 when he participated in the state youth festival. Yesudas won the Best Classical Singer award, and Jayachandran won the Best Mridangist award in the same year.

Jayachandran has won one National Award, five Kerala State Awards and four Tamil Nadu State Awards. He has recorded songs in Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Hindi.

In 1967, he sang the evergreen song “Anuragaganam pole”, composed by M.S. Baburaj, for the film Udhyogastha, directed by P. Venu. Later together, P. Venu and Jayachandran produced more hits like “Ninmaniarayile” C.I.D. Nazir 1971 and “Malayala Bashathan” Prethangalude Thazhvara 1973. Jayachandran received the Kerala State Film Award for Best Singer in 1972 for the song “Neelagiriyude (‘Suprabhaatham’)” for the film Panitheeratha Veedu. Its music was done by M. S. Viswanathan. The year 1978 brought him another Kerala State award, this time for the song “Ragam Sreeragam” from the film Bandhana, composed by M. B. Sreenivasan. In 1985 he received the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer for the song “Sivasankara Sarva Saranya Vibho” from the film Sree Narayana Guru, composed by G. Devarajan. The song “Prayam Nammil”, from the film Niram, brought him a third Kerala state award in 1998. In 2015 he received the next state award for his songs in Jilebi and Ennu ninte Moideen 46th Kerala State Film Awards. In 1975, he sang for the Malayalam movie Penpada (with music by R. K. Shekhar) a song called “Velli then Kinnam Pol”, regarded as the first composition of the then 9-year-old Dileep Shekhar, now more widely known as A. R. Rahman.[12]

Jayachandran worked in close collaboration with the composer Ilayaraja, producing numerous popular hits in the Tamil language, including “Raasaathi Unna”, “Kaathirundhu Kaathirundhu” (both from the 1984 release Vaidhegi kaathirundhaal), “Mayanginen Solla Thayanginen” (from the 1985 release Naaney raaja naaney mandhiri), “Vaalkaiye Vesham” (from the 1979 release Aarilirundhu Arubathu Varai), “Poova Eduthu Oru” (from the 1986 release Amman Kovil Kizhakaaley) and “Thaalaattudhey Vaanam” (from the 1981 release Kadal Meengal). In 1994, he received the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Singer for the song “Kathazham Kattuvazhi” for the film Kizhakku Cheemayile, composed by A. R. Rahman. As a recognition of his contribution to Tamil film music, he was honoured with the 1997 Kalaimamani award of the Tamil Nadu Government.

Jayachandran was honoured with the Swaralaya Kairali Yesudas award at the beginning of 2001, which he was the first person to receive. The motive behind this award is to choose the best from the singers and lyricists, within a span of 30 years. He has sung nearly 1000 songs for Malayalam movies over the years, according to the MSI information database.

Jayachandran sang in Hindi for the first time in 2008 for the movie ADA…A Way of Life along with Alka Yagnik, with music scored by A. R. Rahman.

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