For over five decades, film music fans in South India shared a deep affection for a voice that permeated their homes and hearts like no other. SPB, as he is affectionately known, would have turned 80 on June 4. It is no surprise that celebrations are being held everywhere, even if we lost his physical presence a few years ago. In fact, it still feels surreal to speak of the legend in the past tense.

An engineering student with no formal training in music, SPB used to perform at film music shows, hoping for a breakthrough as a playback singer. A chance encounter with two legends — K.V. Mahadevan and M.S. Viswanathan — changed his destiny. He recorded ‘Ayiram nilave vaa’ (Adimai Penn) for K.V. Mahadevan and ‘Iyarkkai ennum ilaya kanni’ (Shanthi Nilayam) for nonpareil M.S. Viswanathan in the late 60s. The two hit songs — sung for two top stars, MGR and Gemini Ganesan — ensured that he never had to look back. It was a refreshingly unique voice — breezy, youthful, melodious, hummable and yet not high-voltage — as was the norm then. ‘Ayiram nilave vaa’ became the go-to song for aspiring singers at competitions then. So, SPB’s arrival was as effortless as his singing style. 

Between then and the 2020s, the juggernaut recorded over 50,000 songs (SPB himself contested it as an unverified exaggeration) and left most male voices of his era in the South, at a distant second or third place. At one time, he is also said to have recorded 10-12 songs a day. SPB lent voice to over 50 on-screen actors, including MGR, NTR, Sivaji, Rajinikanth, Kamal Hassan, Ajith Kumar, Vijay and many more recent lead actors. He sang for almost all the composers of his time, but his work with Ilaiyaraaja stood out. The duo fed off each other’s creative energy and contributed to mutual success unequivocally.

Though SPB had declared many times that Mohammed Rafi was his role model, he carved out his own style without imitating his idol. It would need a thesis to break-down the atomic elements that led to SPB’s exploits. Here is a teaser attempt — a silky, resonant bass voice; a vast multi-octave range capable of expressing diverse emotions, emulating classical nuances and sustaining infinite energy. He was the delight of all his composers. Legend MSV once referred to him as a ‘blotting paper’ who could absorb the creator’s ideas and even unspoken embellishments almost naturally. While SPB, perhaps, sang more songs in Tamil films, he was a polyglot who sang in over 15 languages. He worked hard to grasp the phonetic nuances of every language he sang in. For him, lyrics were sacrosanct, and he treated words with reverence. Hence, clarity of expression remained the hallmark of his singing.

It is almost impossible to single out the defining features of the vast number of songs he rendered, because he would often go beyond the composer’s blueprint to make them his own. That, in turn, reflected his remarkable ability to internalise every creation. A small cluster of songs reveals how effortlessly SPB could move through shifting moods and situations within a story. ‘Engaeyum eppothum’ (Ninaithale Inikkum), ‘Kamban emanthan’ (Nizhal Nijamakirathu), ‘Vaan nila nila alla’ (Pattinapravesam), ‘Uchi vahundeduthu’ (Rosappu Ravikkaikari), ‘Pani vizhum malarvanam’ (Ninaivellam Nithya),  ‘Povoma oorgolam’ (Chinna Thambi), ‘Nilave vaa’ (Mouna Ragam), ‘Mannil intha kadhal’ (Keladi Kanmani), ‘Oru nalum unai maravatha’ (Ejaman), ‘Ilamai itho itho’ (Sakala Kala Vallavan), ‘Vandenda paalkaran’ (Annamalai) and ‘Enakkoru kadhali’ (with MSV as co-singer). These span a spectrum of expression — from the gentlest to the most robust — across a couple of generations. SPB topped it off by switching to a fully classical performance in the 1980 film, Sankarabharanam, winning his first National award for ‘Om kaara nadhaanu’.

SPB also did a few cameos in films and was on par with full-time actors. He once remarked that his understanding of acting enhanced his ability to emote like the on-screen actor he was singing for. 

His success was not just about his exemplary singing; it also stemmed from his fine personal qualities — affable and humble. His fame never came in the way when one met him. K.J. Yesudas, a legendary singer and contemporary, once recalled how SPB served him a “room-cooked” hot meal at a Paris hotel after a show. Many actors and singers, too, always speak of how he endeared himself to them with his childlike humour and warmth.

In his later years, when SPB was no longer rushing from one studio to another recording songs, he turned to judging music reality shows on television. There, too, he left a deep impression on contestants with his gentle way of pointing out flaws and his generosity in appreciating their singing. He spoke to them like a friend, offering simple guidance. In doing so, he quietly reiterated that music is more than technique — it is a lived experience.

They say art emulates life, but in SPB’s case, his life seemed to emulate his art — marked by the same ease, open-mindedness and emotional sincerity that defined his singing.