Jothi, the inimitable vocalist

Ruwini JAYAWARDANA

New trends eclipse the lifestyle of the society each era but significantly it is the creations which hold value and dedication, oozing with an ample amount of talent that survive for decades. The songs of legendary vocalist H R Jothipala is a good example to prove this fact. 25 years had passed since his melodious voice was put to rest, his popularity never ceased to die.

He was known as the inimitable playback voice behind many of the songs of the silver screen of his time. He holds the record as the playback vocalist who had rendered his voice for the most number of songs in history of Sinhala cinema, the number amounting up to 330 films. The last film which included one of his tracks was Supiri Balawatha which was released the year before.

Jothi was a product of St. Lawrence College, Maradana, and St. John's College, Dematagoda. Interestingly he had never pursued music as a subject, neither at school nor after completing his studies. Rather he was in the habit of spending his time at tea kiosks in the area listening to other vocalists as his family did not possess a radio. Though he himself never dreamt of succeeding to such heights, his passion for music swept him in the right track.

His entrance to the scene was hard earned as he had to face a number of hardships and slights on the hard earned journey.

Some criticised the youth for singing to the tunes of popular Hindi hits and still more did not believe in his potential as a vocalist. He began on a small scale by singing duets with Wasantha Sandanayake and G S B Rani Perera at SLBC before gradually emerging as the star. Though his debut as a playback singer was in Cyril P Abeyratne's ‘Surathalee’ with the hit song ‘Siriyame Sara’, the talented youth had recorded a track for the late Sirisena Wimalaweera's ‘Podi Putha’. The song was mysteriously slashed from the film and Jothi had been in the brink of committing suicide when he went with his friends to watch the film at the theatre.

Later when ‘Surathalee’ producer Jabir A. Cader wished to hear one of his songs so that he could decide on him for the movie, Jothi almost passed out on the opportunity as he did not possess enough money to launch a record.

Fortunately for him veteran musician Stanley Omar came to the rescue. He helped him out of financial difficulties and this act of goodwill made way for a much-awaited break for the budding young musician. With ‘Siriyame Sara’ becoming a hit overnight, Jothi was on his way to stardom. It did not take him long to top the charts and achieve a huge fan base. He also clinched the label of possessing an excellent screen voice, a title that no one else had been able to replace up to date.

Jothi worked under a number of reputed directors of the island and had lent his voice all classes of actors ranging from Eddie Jayamanne, Ananda Jayaratne, Gamini Fonseka, Vijaya Kumaratunga, Ravindra Randeniya, Sanath Gunatilleka to the younger generation of actors like Damith Fonseka and Lal Weerasinghe. One of the highlights of his career was the opportunity to work with the doyen of Sinhala cinema, Dr. Lester James Peries in the historical ‘Sandeshaya’.

He sang the evergreen number ‘Pruthugeesikaraya’ to the melody composed by reputed musician Sunil Santha according to the lyrics penned by veteran lyricist Arisen Ahubudu.

One significant aspect linked with Jothi's melodious voice is that it transcends time. He had the capacity to sing at a range of pitches and he had the talent to mould his individuality through his numbers. Though many musicians of the past and present tried to imitate him they never quite succeeded in their effort.

Not limiting his talents to singing the much sought after vocalist had even ventured towards acting. His debut shot was in a group scene in ‘Daskama’ in 1958.

Jothi clinched two Sarasaviya awards as the best playback singer in 1982 for ‘Sara Sande’ in ‘Mihidum Sihina’ and in 1985 for ‘Palu Susanaya’ in ‘Obata Divra Kiaynnam’. He also bagged the award for the most popular singer for several years.

Jothi married Blossom Winter, a nurse by profession, and the couple had four daughters. He died at the age of 51 on July 7, 1987.