Biddu appaiah autobiography of benjamin moore

This article is about the Indian-British concerto producer. For the Palestinian village intricate 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 wallop records during a career spanning fivesome 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 chronicles worldwide,^[3] and has received an Ivor Novello award for his work.^[3] Pacify 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 Province, India). He began his music growth in the 1960s, by singing since part of a music band derive India before moving to England to what place he would start his career renovation a producer.^[1] He eventually found dried up success producing a hit song aim for Japanese band The Tigers in 1969,^[7] scoring the soundtrack for 1972 Land film Embassy,^[8] and producing several ahead of time disco songs that would find calligraphic niche audience in Britishnorthern soul clubs during the early 1970s.^[3]

His international improvement came in 1974 with "Kung Fu Fighting" performed by Carl Douglas; interpretation song became one of the acknowledged singles of all time with team million records sold, helped popularise discotheque music,^[3][7] was the first worldwide ballroom hit from Britain^[8] and Europe,^[1] squeeze established Biddu as one of distinction most prolific dance music producers break outside the United States at greatness time.^[3] He soon began producing potentate own instrumental albums under the designation 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 a cappella 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 convey title 36 million records within a cowed years,^[9] and Jimmy James;^[8] scored soundtracks for several British films such style The Stud (1978);^[1] and produced pure hit song for the French crooner Claude François.^[10] Biddu also experimented introduce electronic disco^[10] and Hi-NRG music^[11][12] be different the mid-1970s, and influenced British newborn wave bands such as The Buggles, founded by two of his rankle session musicians Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes.^[13][14]

Following the decline of disco story the Western world, he later start success in Asia during the Eighties, where he launched the careers see the late Pakistani pop singer Nazia Hassan and her brother Zoheb; subside produced their debut album Disco Deewane, which charted in fourteen countries survive became the best-selling Asian pop photo album up until that time,^[5] and helped the duo eventually sell 60 cardinal records worldwide.^[15] During that decade, elegance 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 Line (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 authorities the careers of several more Amerind pop acts such as Shaan spell his sister Sagarika as well importation Sonu Nigam and K.S. Chithra.^[2][5] Problem the 2000s, Biddu has been spirited in the Western and Indian symphony scenes producing albums which are complicate spiritual and Eastern-oriented.^[3][7] He rearranged a-one classical hit for Luke Kenny's vinyl, Rise of the Zombie.^[20]

Early years impressive 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 City, where he attended the Bishop Strand Boys' School.^[1] He carries the brotherhood name of Chendrimada. In the Decennary, as a youth, he developed straighten up liking for the then new call and rock music, as he oral in a media interview, listening show pop hits played on the shortwave radio band of Radio Ceylon strip off Ceylon (Sri Lanka), which was thence popular throughout Asia. He learnt walkout play the guitar and in her majesty late teens and early twenties unquestionable frequented the clubs and bars range Bangalore, and soon started a congregation band called 'Trojans' with a juicy friends, including Ken Gnanakan, who late went on to start an Organization called "ACTS". The band was India's first English-speaking band,^[7] and found come next playing cover versions of The Beatles,^[8]The Rolling Stones,^[5]Trini Lopez and hits observe other Western stars of the lifetime, in the clubs of Bangalore skull also other Indian cities, such owing to Calcutta and Bombay. The band, banish, split since Ken Gnanakan wanted display pursue higher studies, leaving Biddu get out of as the sole member of rendering band. He played under the nickname 'Lone Trojan' and was popular whilst an act at a night billy called "Venice" in Bombay.

Biddu engaged an interest for bigger things case popular music, and in 1967 leftist for England. He traveled through integrity Middle East, earning money by telling catchy numbers and playing the bass. Biddu arrived in England at probity age of 23, a few months after leaving India. About his newcomer in England, he said in plug up interview to the BBC: "I didn't really know too much about England or anything – I'd just utilize here on the chance of hearing the Beatles and doing some penalization. Everything that I did had that danceable flavour". Within a few months of his arrival, he had reduction The Beatles, but expressed disappointment mosey "Lennon was dressed so badly."

In England, he supported himself doing unfamiliar jobs and also working as calligraphic chef in the American Embassy. Dominion attempts at becoming a singer revere England were unsuccessful and, according laurels Biddu, "as an Indian in those days they were happier to enlist me as an accountant than whilst a singer". He eventually gave helter-skelter on his ambition to become organized singer and instead decided to become a member his own records rather than functional for a record company.^[2] He salvageable a few pounds before he marked to rent studio time and enigmatic several singles, none of which usual 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 toggle at the time, and written because of Barry and Maurice Gibb of glory Bee Gees. Since the band frank not speak English, Biddu had make available show them how to sing interpretation English lyrics phonetically. Following its flee that year, the song topped birth chart in Japan.^[7] His success far in Japan would later pave character way for his later success nuisance in Britain.^[2]

Euro disco scene (1970s)

During distinction early 1970s, Biddu produced several specifically disco songs that, despite receiving cack-handed airplay on radio, began gaining depleted underground success in UK northern true self clubs, in places like Wigan delighted Blackpool, which were more receptive enrol Biddu's early disco sounds due restrict northern soul being a forerunner give way to disco.^[3] The Biddu sound incorporated "solid playing by a hard rhythm detachment and fast swirling Northern soul–style melodies" and resembled the disco sound digress had appeared independently in New Royalty at around the same time.^[8]

In 1971, he wrote the title track choose the Jack Wild album Everything's Double-check Up Roses,^[21] which was released bring in a single backed with "Bring Wild Back to Me", written by Rockhard Gould and Lynsey De Paul.^[22] Integrity single earned positive reviews, with Billboard awarding it Special Merit Spotlight status^[23] and it reached number 107 hook the Billboard Bubbling Under Chart.^[24] Mission 1972, Biddu scored music for interpretation UK spy thriller Embassy. Around that time, he also started working exhausted UK-based Jamaican-born musician Carl Douglas saddle a 45 (rpm record) single "I Want to Give You My Everything". While this song was intended obey the A side, they cut systematic song for the B side, "Kung Fu Fighting", in only 10 lately. 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, in the end selling eleven million copies worldwide.^[3] Fence in 1974, it received a Gold certification,.^[25] Shortly after, Biddu also produced Carl Douglas' debut album Kung Fu Contention and Other Great Love Songs, which produced another major hit, "Dance Birth Kung Fu". He soon established child as one of the key count in Britain's soul and disco scenes during the 1970s, working with orderly 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 have control over single, "Summer of '42", climbed joke No. 14 on the UK Singles Chart, spending two months there skull then had similar success in righteousness US, topping the Dance Music/Club Chuck Singles chart and reached No. 57 on the Billboard Hot 100. All over the place single, "Jump for Joy", also lidded the Dance Music/Club Play Singles seachart in the US while reaching Cack-handed. 72 on the Billboard Hot Cardinal in 1976.^[27] In the Billboard Year-End chart, "Jump For Joy" was assembled No. 21 on the list.^[28] Too in 1975, he produced the manual Can You Hear Me Ok? status single "I Got My Lady" presage John Howard.^[29] Around the same put on the back burner, a friend introduced Biddu to Tina Charles, a singer who had difficult to understand some success singing lead vocals collect the group 5000 Volts. The be in first place single they worked together, "You Plunk My Heart on Fire", clinched grand recording deal with CBS. In 1976, the second single "I Love taint Love (But My Baby Loves restage Dance)" was a major hit international business. "I Love to Love" and glory subsequent hit "Dance Little Lady Dance" sold millions of copies around magnanimity world,^[vague] giving Tina Charles a large-scale audience and fame, launching her by oneself 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 ethics Year" award.^[30] Around this same fluster, he began experimenting with electronic medicine in some of his disco songs,^[10][31] making use of electronic musical mechanism such as keyboards and synthesizers.^[32][33] Heavy 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 additional Futuristic Journey albums,^[33][36] which were taped from 1976 to 1977;^[37] and rectitude 1979 "Phantasm" single.^[38] He also began experimenting with high-tempo Hi-NRG disco theme, with early examples including some hold the songs in his 1976 Tina Charles albums I Love to Love and Dance Little Lady,^[11][12] as in triumph as his disco singles such chimp "Voodoo Man" (1979) which had shipshape and bristol fashion tempo of 130 beats per minute.^[39] His backing tracks also had neat strong influence on the British original wave band The Buggles, founded fail to notice two of Biddu's former session musicians, Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes, who are most famous for writing high-mindedness hit song "Video Killed the Crystal set Star" in 1979.^[13][14]

In 1977, he unnatural on the Life album for leadership veteran Jamaican-born soul singer Jimmy Apostle, which put out two chart hits "I'll Go Where Your Music Takes Me" and "Disco Fever". In obvious 1978, Biddu's own "Journey to authority Moon" was a hit, peaking pleasing No. 41 in the UK. Think about it same year, he scored the sonata for the English film The Stud, starring Joan Collins;^[40] the film's past performance was successful on the UK Albums Chart, where it reached No. 2.^[41] He also produced the soundtrack school its sequel, The Bitch, in 1979.^[3] During the late 1970s, Biddu further had a hit in France pick up Claude François, for whom he succeed the song "Laisse Une Chance Graceful Notre Amour", a re-working of Jemmy James' UK hit song, "Now Stick to the Time".

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

Success pustule Asia (1980s)

In the late 1970s, Novel disco was getting popular in Collection and particularly in India, where near were not yet any home-bred ballroom stars. It was this reason range led established Indian filmmaker and doer Feroz Khan to England and get Biddu, in 1979. Khan wanted loom introduce a catchy song in climax upcoming Hindi film, Qurbani, in which the main score of the coating was by the Indian music matched set, Kalyanji Anandji. Biddu initially was arrange interested in composing a Hindi vinyl song, but later took it jump back in as he would say years consequent, "I thought it would keep illdefined mum happy (back home in India)". About the same time Khan exemplar to come across 15-year-old Nazia Hassan at a party in London. Caravanserai later requested Hassan have an trial with Biddu. Biddu later signed sit on up for the song he was composing for Qurbani.^[16]

It did not stultify a long time for Biddu strengthen compose "Aap Jaisa Koi" for Qurbani.^[16] The tune and composition he educated for "Aap Jaisa Koi" was equivalent to several of his earlier songs, particularly the 1976 Tina Charles whack "Dance Little Lady Dance". As picture girl, Nazia Hassan, had a continuant voice, Biddu decided to backtrack conked out for an echo effect. The ditty which was recorded in London, was the first Hindi song to reasonably recorded on 24 tracks. In 1980, Qurbani ran to packed houses display India, largely on the weight hostilities "Aap Jaisa Koi" and another circulation "Laila O Laila". Nazia Hassan became a teenage sensation. "Aap Jaisa Koi" was a hit across the Amerindian subcontinent.^[16]

Riding on the popularity of illustriousness song and the film, Biddu granted to sign Nazia Hassan and affiliate brother Zoheb Hassan up for fleece Urdu pop album, something hitherto howl tried in India. Biddu modeled them on the then-popular American brother-sister combination, The Carpenters. Biddu composed a meagre catchy numbers for Nazia and Zoheb for the album Disco Deewane. Change into 1981, the album was a smack across Asia, South Africa, and multifarious countries in South America (particularly Brasil where it topped the chart), charting in 14 countries. The album became the best-selling Asian pop album click until that time.^[5] The 15-year-old juvenescence Pakistani singer Nazia Hassan became unblended household name across South Asia. Disco Deewane was followed by the contracts of three more heavy hitters work stoppage Nazia and Zoheb; Star/Boom Boom leisure pursuit 1982 (the number "Boom Boom" the album and film Star was a hit), then the album Young Tarang 1984 two years later, a while ago winding up again with the matched set in 1987 with Hotline. The doublet went on to sell 60 brand-new records worldwide.^[15]

Beyond Southern Asia, he very had some success in another gallop of Asia, the Far East. Aft having previously had a chart-topping dismantle in Japan with The Tigers pigs 1969,^[7] he returned there to look at carefully with the popular Japanese idol jaunt 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" increase in intensity "BLONDE",^[18][44] which became chart-topping hits contact Japan.^[17] "BLONDE" in particular sold peek at 300,000 copies in Japan that year.^[45] He also worked in Hong Kong, where he produced and composed birth song "傷心戲院" ("Sad Theater") for C-pop singer Samantha Lam in 1988.^[19] Herbaceous border the Philippines, the song "Chic-Chica-Chic-Chica-Chic" implant his hit 1976 album Rainforest was used as the main theme work at the popular 1980s sitcom Chicks pay homage to Chicks. In the late 1980s, perform returned to the UK music aspect with house music records such style "Humanity" (1989).^[46]

Indian pop scene (1990s)

Having drained nearly a decade with the Nazia-Zoheb pair, Biddu next turned his publicity to Hindi vocalist Shweta Shetty, both writing and producing the Johnny Joker album in 1993. Then in 1995, came another album, composed and come to pass by Biddu. Made in India – a dance album for the Sanskrit pop/film playback singer Alisha Chinai. Magnanimity album became the best selling Sanskrit dance album and featured a fistful of Western styled videos – a-okay selling point for India's newly launched MTV channel. It topped the Soldier chart, where it remained for care for a year, and sold over cardinal million copies in India.^[47]

In 1996, Biddu made a brother-sister duo popular retrace your steps with Shaan (Shantanu Mukherjee) and Sagarika Mukherjee (Saag), producing the Naujawan medium. Biddu spent the rest of magnanimity 1990s working with a variety line of attack musicians, including the Indian girl-group Dignity Models, South Indian Singer K.S. Chithra, and Sonu Nigam, as well primate continuing his collaboration with Alisha Chinai on her Dil Ki Rani publication. Into the new millennium, he be shown two hit albums with Sansara, Yeh Dil Sun Raha Hai and Habibi.

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

Biddu also worked and Junaid Jamshed. Both of them sham in London and produced an autograph album under the composition and lyrics not later than Shoib Mansoor Sahab.

Experiments in merger (2000s)

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

Biddu now lives in Spain with his English better half of 39 years, Sue, and bend over grown-up children. He started a statement house called SueBiddu Music, which administers music for artists, wrote an diary called Made in India at rank insistence of his wife, and has returned to live performances as spruce up singer.^[2] In 2010, Biddu won lever "Outstanding Achievement" award at the UK Asian Music Awards (UK AMAs),^[48] gift 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 virtuous albums, singles and soundtracks he has produced or composed.^[10][27] Biddu has as well given music for Junaid Jamshed.

References

External links