Ever green Milroy
View(s):By Gamini Akmeemana
Pop musician Melroy Dharmaratne of Dharmaratne Brothers fame celebrated 50 years of life as an entertainer at an event held in his honour at the Nuwana Academy, Dalugama, Kelaniya, last week.
As guest speaker Thilakaratne Kuruvita Bandara noted in his key note address, Melory is a man of many parts and exceptional talents. Though he’s chiefly known to the general public as a key member of the 1960s-70s pop group ‘Dharmaratne Brothers,’ he has been active as a novelist, translator, dramatist, film script writer, song writer and composer of pop hits as diverse such as H. R. Jothipala’s ‘Durakathanayakin,” Milton Mallawaarchchi’s ‘Me Mai Gaha Yata,’ and child singer Shiromi Fernando’s ‘Konda Namagena.’
The Nuwana Academy’s arts circle managed a memorable musical evening with its members singing these hit songs, accompanied by a gifted group of musicians playing acoustic guitar, keyboards and percussion including tabla.
Speeches by Melroy and several guests provided fascinating glimpses into the past, including stories about other artists, how songs came to be written, and revealed that, among other things, Melroy has always been a good organizer and driving force behind many now forgotten artistic events.
Follow @timesonlinelk
comments powered by Disqus