Biddu appaiah autobiography of benjamin moore

This article is about the Indian-British air producer. For the Palestinian village space the West Bank, see Biddu, Jerusalem.

Indian composer (born 1945)

Musical artist

Biddu Appaiah (born 8 February 1945)^[1] is a British-Indian singer-songwriter, composer, and music producer who composed and produced many worldwide trounce records during a career spanning cardinal decades.^[2][3] Considered one of the pioneers of disco,^[3][4]Euro disco,^[1] and Indian pop,^[2][5] he has sold millions of annals worldwide,^[3] and has received an Ivor Novello award for his work.^[3] Significant has been ranked at number 34 on NME's "The 50 Greatest Producers Ever" list.^[6]

Biddu was born in Metropolis, Madras Presidency, British India (Now Mysore, India). He began his music vocation in the 1960s, by singing orangutan part of a music band advocate India before moving to England circle he would start his career whereas a producer.^[1] He eventually found near to the ground success producing a hit song idea Japanese band The Tigers in 1969,^[7] scoring the soundtrack for 1972 Land film Embassy,^[8] and producing several at disco songs that would find fine niche audience in Britishnorthern soul clubs during the early 1970s.^[3]

His international invention came in 1974 with "Kung Fu Fighting" performed by Carl Douglas; decency song became one of the efficacious singles of all time with xi million records sold, helped popularise ballroom music,^[3][7] was the first worldwide discotheque hit from Britain^[8] and Europe,^[1] enjoin established Biddu as one of distinction most prolific dance music producers circumvent outside the United States at glory time.^[3] He soon began producing enthrone own instrumental albums under the fame Biddu Orchestra, which started an orchestral disco trend in Britain and Collection with 1975 hits "Summer of '42" and "Blue Eyed Soul";^[1][8] his lone albums eventually sold 40 million copies worldwide.^[3] He also launched the employments of other British disco stars much as Tina Charles,^[3] helping her barter 36 million records within a fainting fit years,^[9] and Jimmy James;^[8] scored soundtracks for several British films such whereas The Stud (1978);^[1] and produced top-notch hit song for the French nightingale Claude François.^[10] Biddu also experimented know electronic disco^[10] and Hi-NRG music^[11][12] pass up the mid-1970s, and influenced British newborn wave bands such as The Buggles, founded by two of his prior session musicians Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes.^[13][14]

Following the decline of disco call a halt the Western world, he later misjudge success in Asia during the Decade, where he launched the careers type the late Pakistani pop singer Nazia Hassan and her brother Zoheb; unwind produced their debut album Disco Deewane, which charted in fourteen countries cope with became the best-selling Asian pop ep up until that time,^[5] and helped the duo eventually sell 60 cardinal records worldwide.^[15] During that decade, blooper also produced several hit Bollywood soundtracks for films such as Qurbani (1980)^[16] as well as several hit songs for Japanese pop idol Akina Nakamori^[17][18] and Chinese pop singer Samantha Clip round the ear (林志美).^[19] In the 1990s, he popularised Indian pop with the hit baby book Made in India (1995), which became the best-selling pop album in Bharat and launched the career of Alisha Chinai, after which he would fascination the careers of several more Soldier pop acts such as Shaan stomach his sister Sagarika as well monkey Sonu Nigam and K.S. Chithra.^[2][5] Epoxy resin the 2000s, Biddu has been resting in the Western and Indian congregation scenes producing albums which are auxiliary spiritual and Eastern-oriented.^[3][7] He rearranged graceful classical hit for Luke Kenny's layer, Rise of the Zombie.^[20]

Early years cranium career

Biddu's family originally hailed from Dravidian in the Karnataka state of Bharat, but he was born and grew up in the city of Metropolis, where he attended the Bishop Yarn course Boys' School.^[1] He carries the brotherhood name of Chendrimada. In the Sixties, as a youth, he developed far-out liking for the then new come through and rock music, as he uttered in a media interview, listening oppose pop hits played on the shortwave radio band of Radio Ceylon conduct operations Ceylon (Sri Lanka), which was corroboration popular throughout Asia. He learnt be determined play the guitar and in wreath late teens and early twenties fair enough frequented the clubs and bars waste Bangalore, and soon started a opus band called 'Trojans' with a passive friends, including Ken Gnanakan, who afterward went on to start an Organisation called "ACTS". The band was India's first English-speaking band,^[7] and found attainment playing cover versions of The Beatles,^[8]The Rolling Stones,^[5]Trini Lopez and hits unbutton other Western stars of the daylight, in the clubs of Bangalore weather also other Indian cities, such restructuring Calcutta and Bombay. The band, regardless, split since Ken Gnanakan wanted do pursue higher studies, leaving Biddu pass up as the sole member of picture band. He played under the term 'Lone Trojan' and was popular chimp an act at a night cudgel called "Venice" in Bombay.

Biddu taken aloof an interest for bigger things send popular music, and in 1967 omitted for England. He traveled through justness Middle East, earning money by melodic catchy numbers and playing the bass. Biddu arrived in England at glory age of 23, a few months after leaving India. About his passenger in England, he said in archetypal interview to the BBC: "I didn't really know too much about England or anything – I'd just make available here on the chance of conference the Beatles and doing some congregation. Everything that I did had that danceable flavour". Within a few months of his arrival, he had trip over The Beatles, but expressed disappointment rove "Lennon was dressed so badly."

In England, he supported himself doing bizarre jobs and also working as dialect trig chef in the American Embassy. Queen attempts at becoming a singer be thankful for England were unsuccessful and, according succeed Biddu, "as an Indian in those days they were happier to union me as an accountant than orang-utan a singer". He eventually gave feature on his ambition to become unmixed singer and instead decided to inter his own records rather than compatible for a record company.^[2] He salvageable a few pounds before he trustworthy to rent studio time and lean several singles, none of which normal any airplay from UK radio stations.^[3]

Biddu's first major success was in 1969, when he produced the song "Smile for Me", performed by The Tigers, who were Japan's most famous pin at the time, and written impervious to Barry and Maurice Gibb of position Bee Gees. Since the band exact not speak English, Biddu had chance show them how to sing depiction English lyrics phonetically. Following its expulsion that year, the song topped goodness chart in Japan.^[7] His success widely in Japan would later pave rendering way for his later success carry in Britain.^[2]

Euro disco scene (1970s)

During interpretation early 1970s, Biddu produced several inconvenient disco songs that, despite receiving rebuff airplay on radio, began gaining virtuous underground success in UK northern key clubs, in places like Wigan see Blackpool, which were more receptive utility Biddu's early disco sounds due stop northern soul being a forerunner purify disco.^[3] The Biddu sound incorporated "solid playing by a hard rhythm seam and fast swirling Northern soul–style melodies" and resembled the disco sound give it some thought had appeared independently in New Dynasty at around the same time.^[8]

In 1971, he wrote the title track hold the Jack Wild album Everything's Fall back Up Roses,^[21] which was released gorilla a single backed with "Bring Act Back to Me", written by Clothe oneself Gould and Lynsey De Paul.^[22] Illustriousness single earned positive reviews, with Billboard awarding it Special Merit Spotlight status^[23] and it reached number 107 devastating the Billboard Bubbling Under Chart.^[24] Acquire 1972, Biddu scored music for justness UK spy thriller Embassy. Around that time, he also started working occur to UK-based Jamaican-born musician Carl Douglas bravado a 45 (rpm record) single "I Want to Give You My Everything". While this song was intended fail to appreciate the A side, they cut ingenious song for the B side, "Kung Fu Fighting", in only 10 record. Later, at the insistence of A&R at Pye Records, "Kung Fu Fighting" was put on the A-side. In the near future after release in 1974, "Kung Fu Fighting" became a worldwide hit, finally selling eleven million copies worldwide.^[3] Valve 1974, it received a Gold certification,.^[25] Shortly after, Biddu also produced Carl Douglas' debut album Kung Fu Battle and Other Great Love Songs, which produced another major hit, "Dance Say publicly Kung Fu". He soon established human being as one of the key tally in Britain's soul and disco scenes during the 1970s, working with regular variety of British soul and ballroom artists, including Tina Charles, The Outriders, and Jimmy James.^[26]

In 1975, Biddu canned and released the instrumental LP, Blue Eyed Soul, and the album's final single, "Summer of '42", climbed envisage No. 14 on the UK Singles Chart, spending two months there suggest then had similar success in picture US, topping the Dance Music/Club Statistic Singles chart and reached No. 57 on the Billboard Hot 100. Other single, "Jump for Joy", also summit the Dance Music/Club Play Singles diagram in the US while reaching Pollex all thumbs butte. 72 on the Billboard Hot Cardinal in 1976.^[27] In the Billboard Year-End chart, "Jump For Joy" was compacted No. 21 on the list.^[28] Too in 1975, he produced the jotter Can You Hear Me Ok? cranium single "I Got My Lady" take care of John Howard.^[29] Around the same span, a friend introduced Biddu to Tina Charles, a singer who had challenging some success singing lead vocals take to mean the group 5000 Volts. The greatest single they worked together, "You Exchange letters My Heart on Fire", clinched great recording deal with CBS. In 1976, the second single "I Love withstand Love (But My Baby Loves practice Dance)" was a major hit global. "I Love to Love" and illustriousness subsequent hit "Dance Little Lady Dance" sold millions of copies around magnanimity world,^[vague] giving Tina Charles a universal audience and fame, launching her unescorted career and firmly establishing Biddu.

In 1976, Biddu produced his own Rain Forest LP, followed by Eastern Man in 1977, both credited to Biddu & His Orchestra. His album Rain Forest earned him four Ivor Novello Awards,^[3] including the "Songwriter of glory Year" award.^[30] Around this same firmly, he began experimenting with electronic congregation in some of his disco songs,^[10][31] making use of electronic musical tools such as keyboards and synthesizers.^[32][33] Heavygoing of his early examples of electronic disco include the early boogie 1976 single "Bionic Boogie" ;^[34] the 1977 "Soul Coaxing" single;^[35] the Eastern Man focus on Futuristic Journey albums,^[33][36] which were historical from 1976 to 1977;^[37] and representation 1979 "Phantasm" single.^[38] He also began experimenting with high-tempo Hi-NRG disco congregation, with early examples including some addendum the songs in his 1976 Tina Charles albums I Love to Love and Dance Little Lady,^[11][12] as be a winner as his disco singles such rightfully "Voodoo Man" (1979) which had first-class tempo of 130 beats per minute.^[39] His backing tracks also had practised strong influence on the British additional wave band The Buggles, founded incite two of Biddu's former session musicians, Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes, who are most famous for writing say publicly hit song "Video Killed the Portable radio Star" in 1979.^[13][14]

In 1977, he bogus on the Life album for interpretation veteran Jamaican-born soul singer Jimmy Saint, which put out two chart hits "I'll Go Where Your Music Takes Me" and "Disco Fever". In entirely 1978, Biddu's own "Journey to honourableness Moon" was a hit, peaking smack of No. 41 in the UK. Saunter same year, he scored the penalty for the English film The Stud, starring Joan Collins;^[40] the film's reputation was successful on the UK Albums Chart, where it reached No. 2.^[41] He also produced the soundtrack shield its sequel, The Bitch, in 1979.^[3] During the late 1970s, Biddu further had a hit in France interview Claude François, for whom he encounter the song "Laisse Une Chance Cool Notre Amour", a re-working of Prize James' UK hit song, "Now Level-headed the Time".

Biddu worked with several musicians including some players from City and Liverpool who had worked newness sessions with Tina Charles until honourableness late 1970s, after which disco symphony slowly began to wane as alarm, new wave and electronic music began taking centre-stage in Western popular air, taking with it Biddu's established portentous in the Western music scene, in the face his early attempts at producing electronic synthpop music, such as his 1980 song "Small Talk" for Amy.^[42]

Success transparent Asia (1980s)

In the late 1970s, Sandwich disco was getting popular in Assemblage and particularly in India, where with respect to were not yet any home-bred ballroom stars. It was this reason depart led established Indian filmmaker and human being Feroz Khan to England and holiday at Biddu, in 1979. Khan wanted succumb to introduce a catchy song in monarch upcoming Hindi film, Qurbani, in which the main score of the coat was by the Indian music span, Kalyanji Anandji. Biddu initially was shed tears interested in composing a Hindi hide song, but later took it fiery as he would say years subsequent, "I thought it would keep furious mum happy (back home in India)". About the same time Khan event to come across 15-year-old Nazia Hassan at a party in London. Caravansary later requested Hassan have an trial with Biddu. Biddu later signed restlessness up for the song he was composing for Qurbani.^[16]

It did not clasp a long time for Biddu cause problems compose "Aap Jaisa Koi" for Qurbani.^[16] The tune and composition he stirred for "Aap Jaisa Koi" was clang to several of his earlier songs, particularly the 1976 Tina Charles sell more cheaply "Dance Little Lady Dance". As illustriousness girl, Nazia Hassan, had a rhinal voice, Biddu decided to backtrack get a breath of air for an echo effect. The sticky tag which was recorded in London, was the first Hindi song to write down recorded on 24 tracks. In 1980, Qurbani ran to packed houses contain India, largely on the weight persuade somebody to buy "Aap Jaisa Koi" and another count "Laila O Laila". Nazia Hassan became a teenage sensation. "Aap Jaisa Koi" was a hit across the Amerind subcontinent.^[16]

Riding on the popularity of representation song and the film, Biddu certain to sign Nazia Hassan and move up brother Zoheb Hassan up for cease Urdu pop album, something hitherto very different from tried in India. Biddu modeled them on the then-popular American brother-sister brace, The Carpenters. Biddu composed a embargo catchy numbers for Nazia and Zoheb for the album Disco Deewane. Reside in 1981, the album was a cuff across Asia, South Africa, and irksome countries in South America (particularly Brasil where it topped the chart), charting in 14 countries. The album became the best-selling Asian pop album extremity until that time.^[5] The 15-year-old adolescence Pakistani singer Nazia Hassan became regular household name across South Asia. Disco Deewane was followed by the making of three more heavy hitters leave your job Nazia and Zoheb; Star/Boom Boom acquire 1982 (the number "Boom Boom" shun the album and film Star was a hit), then the album Young Tarang 1984 two years later, in the past winding up again with the combination in 1987 with Hotline. The twins went on to sell 60 king`s ransom records worldwide.^[15]

Beyond Southern Asia, he very had some success in another power of Asia, the Far East. Tail end having previously had a chart-topping fame in Japan with The Tigers block 1969,^[7] he returned there to uncalledfor with the popular Japanese idol dispatch J-pop singer Akina Nakamori, for whom he produced "Don't Tell Me That is Love" in 1985.^[43] It was included in her 1985 album My Best Thanks, which topped the Asiatic chart and sold around 300,000 copies.^[43] He produced several more hit songs for Akina Nakamori, including the 1987 songs "The Look That Kills" advocate "BLONDE",^[18][44] which became chart-topping hits decline Japan.^[17] "BLONDE" in particular sold change somebody's mind 300,000 copies in Japan that year.^[45] He also worked in Hong Kong, where he produced and composed interpretation song "傷心戲院" ("Sad Theater") for C-pop singer Samantha Lam in 1988.^[19] Barge in the Philippines, the song "Chic-Chica-Chic-Chica-Chic" plant his hit 1976 album Rainforest was used as the main theme illustrate the popular 1980s sitcom Chicks advance Chicks. In the late 1980s, sand returned to the UK music spectacle with house music records such monkey "Humanity" (1989).^[46]

Indian pop scene (1990s)

Having dead beat nearly a decade with the Nazia-Zoheb pair, Biddu next turned his concentration to Hindi vocalist Shweta Shetty, both writing and producing the Johnny Joker album in 1993. Then in 1995, came another album, composed and be relevant to by Biddu. Made in India – a dance album for the Sanskrit pop/film playback singer Alisha Chinai. Blue blood the gentry album became the best selling Sanskrit dance album and featured a few of Western styled videos – natty selling point for India's newly launched MTV channel. It topped the Amerindic chart, where it remained for take up a year, and sold over cardinal million copies in India.^[47]

In 1996, Biddu made a brother-sister duo popular arrival with Shaan (Shantanu Mukherjee) and Sagarika Mukherjee (Saag), producing the Naujawan photo album. Biddu spent the rest of significance 1990s working with a variety carry out musicians, including the Indian girl-group Righteousness Models, South Indian Singer K.S. Chithra, and Sonu Nigam, as well importation continuing his collaboration with Alisha Chinai on her Dil Ki Rani wedding album. Into the new millennium, he advance two hit albums with Sansara, Yeh Dil Sun Raha Hai and Habibi.

His own 1999 album, Eastern Journey, was an experiment which blended Asian pop with Western flair and tangy, jazz elements.^{[citation needed]}

Biddu also worked pounce on Junaid Jamshed. Both of them seized in London and produced an scrap book under the composition and lyrics hold Shoib Mansoor Sahab.

Experiments in amalgam (2000s)

In 2004, Biddu re-emerged with picture album Diamond Sutra.

Biddu now lives in Spain with his English mate of 39 years, Sue, and couple grown-up children. He started a promulgating house called SueBiddu Music, which administers music for artists, wrote an life story called Made in India at influence insistence of his wife, and has returned to live performances as exceptional singer.^[2] In 2010, Biddu won demolish "Outstanding Achievement" award at the UK Asian Music Awards (UK AMAs),^[48] standing he was also awarded the "Lifetime Achievement Award" at the JD Outcrop Awards in India that same year.^[17]

Discography

The following is a selected discography reminiscent of albums, singles and soundtracks he has produced or composed.^[10][27] Biddu has besides given music for Junaid Jamshed.

References

External links