P. Jayachandran

Early life

Jayachandran was born in Bhadralayam, Ravipuram, Ernakulam, on 3 March 1944 and his family later moved to Irinjalakkuda. He is the third of five children of (both late) Ravivarma Kochaniyan Thampuran and Paliyath Subhadrakkunjamma.

Jayachandran married Lalitha from Thrissur in May 1973. They have a daughter and a son.

Career

Jayachandran graduated from Christ College, Irinjalakuda. He was a student of the Irinjalakuda National School, from where he received many prestigious prizes for playing the mridangam and light music in the State School Youth Festival. Jayachandran met Yesudas in 1958 when he participated in the state youth festival. Yesudas won the Best Classical Singer award and Jayachandran got the best mridamgist 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 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 Thaazhvazha, 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 Bandhanam, 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 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.

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 for his contribution to Tamil film music, he was honoured with the 1997 Kalaimamani award of the Tamil Nadu Government.

He was also a favorite of composer Vijaya Bhaskar and director Puttanna Kanagal in Kannada. Even though there would be one song of his in the movie these songs would standout for its melody. Notable songs are Hindustanavu, Chanda Chanda, Jeevana sanjeevana, Mandara Pushpavu neenu, Olavina Udugore Kodalenu, etc.

Despite his popularity, there is an argument that he was sidelined by film music composers throughout the 1980s and 1990s, though he still sang some hit songs during these periods.

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.

Notable songs

Malayalam music albums

Awards

Filmography

Jayachandran debuted in films by playing a pivotal character in K. G. George's Lekhayude Maranam Oru Flashback after 3 years played a very interesting role in Hariharan's Nakhakshathangal and later appeared in films after 26 years break in V. K. Prakash's Trivandrum Lodge, which stars Jayasurya in the lead role.