‘Thank You for the Music……’
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Sri Lanka lost two of her veteran singers during the last couple of weeks in April. Award winning musician Nimal Mendis of ‘Master Sir’ fame and C. L. Fonseka, both with roots in Moratuwa, passed way after a brief illness.
Nimal composed evergreen hits like ‘Master Sir’, ‘Nim Him Sewwa’, ‘Upul Nuwan Vidaha’, ‘Ran Tikiri Sina’, ‘Ganga Addara’ and several other songs, that rocked the Sri Lankan music scene in 70s and 80s. Nimal was one of a handful of Sri Lankan musicians to appear on the BBC television programme ‘Top of the Pops’ (1968). Mendis was a longstanding member of the Performing Rights Society and the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society of Great Britain.
Mendis was discovered in the late 1950s by Radio Ceylon, which dominated the airwaves in South Asia in the era.
Nimal revolutionised the local music scene blending them with various music styles was renowned the global music industry too. His last assignment as a composer came in Sumithra Peiris’ latest movie ‘Vaishnavee’, which is waiting to be released soon.
Veteran Singer, song writer, music director stage and tele drama actor C.L. Fonseka better known as ‘Sonny’ to his close friends, was called to rest last week.
C.L has been singing from the age of nine and went on to act on stage with personalities like the late ‘Rukmani Devi’ and later on in stage dramas such as ‘Rankada’ and ‘Dhamini’. He also provided music for the Song of Moratuwa titled ‘Siribara Moratu Game’ the theme song of the Moratuwa Arts Forum. C.L had the distinction of working with great names such as Pandith W. D Amaradeva, Austin Munasinghe, Anura Mahanama, Sunil Shantha, Thissa Siri Perera and emerged as a graded radio singer in 1952 during the early Radio Ceylon days.
Not many people are aware that ‘C.L’ is an accomplished western singer specialising in vintage songs and cowboy hits. He is blessed with an outstanding yodeling skill. - Sanath