KAMAHL

Kamahl is the stage name of Kandiah Kamalesvaran (Tamil: கந்தையா கமலேஸ்வரன்; born 13 November 1934), an Australian singer and recording artist, perhaps best known for "The Sounds Of Goodbye'', and his repertoire of popular music. Born in Kuala Lumpur to Tamil Hindu parents, Kamahl is of Sri Lankan Tamil heritage. He grew up in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, and studied at the Victoria Institution. He arrived in Adelaide, South Australia in 1953 to receive a higher education at King's College (now Pembroke School). At his first public performance in 1958 he shortened his name to Kamal, but the Master of Ceremonies announced him as "Camel". After that he changed the spelling to Kamahl. As he made his way into the Australian music industry, Rupert Murdoch was an early important mentor. Murdoch tipped Kamahl £10 at a concert in December 1958 and encouraged him to move to Sydney. Without asking, Murdoch arranged for Kamahl to perform a six-week season at the Hotel Australia in Sydney. After that season, he boarded with the Murdochs for two years. Kamahl was a finalist in the Sydney Eisteddfod Sun Aria in 1966 singing "Ella Giammai M'Amo" Verdi and "Farewell and Death of Boris" Moussorgsky. Kamahl has performed at the London Palladium and Carnegie Hall, as well as pubs and clubs throughout Australia.

His first album was 'A Voice to Remember', which was released in Australia in October 1967. He has released singles and albums in the United States, Canada, Britain, New Zealand, South America, India, Singapore, Malaysia and Germany (the last in German, as well as in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Scandinavia. From 1967 onwards in Australia his records, tapes and CDs were primarily on the Philips label, but he also recorded on EMI, Mercury, Festival, Dino and Reader's Digest. In 1975, his single, "The Elephant Song" (composed and produced by Hans van Hemert) hit the #1 spot on the Dutch Top 40, the Nationale Hitparade (currently Single Top 100) and the Belgian BRT Top 30. This song was part of the soundtrack of a World Wildlife Fund TV documentary. He has been in the Australian music industry for sixty years, and throughout that time has made some memorable TV and film appearances, as well as concerts. In 1982 Queen Elizabeth II asked him to give a Royal Command performance in Brisbane for the Commonwealth Games there. In 1984, he sang with Cathy Lee Johnson at the L.A. Variety Telethon.

He was one of the first people to appear in concert at the Sydney Opera House. He was a particularly popular guest on the variety show Hey Hey It's Saturday. In 2004 he appeared at the Big Day Out rock festival, and the year before he had cameos in the Australian films Harvie Krumpet and Fat Pizza. He collaborated with the Wiggles for some of their performances, showing his inter-generational appeal. His latest album is 'Imagine the World in Unison' as of 2003. He also made appearances as a judge on The X-Factor and had a sponsorship deal with Coca-Cola. On 19 September 2007 he featured on The Chaser's War on Everything on ABC TV where he sang for a 'newly-wed couple' who turned up uninvited on his door. In early 2008, Kamahl reunited with his old school, Pembroke (then Kings College), and went on tour in the United States with the Pembroke Symphony Orchestra. In recent years, Kamahl has released albums through ABC Music. A compilation Christmas album entitled 'Peace On Earth', and a three-CD collection of favourites entitled 'Heart and Soul: For Lovers Of Life'.

SINGLES

''The Impossible Dream / Island In The Sun'' 1968 Philips
''Sounds Of Goodbye (#19) / I Could Try'' 1969 Philips
''You've Got To Learn (#39) / Run Wild, Run Free'' 1970 Philips
''All I Have To Offer You (Is Me) (#49) / How Do You Say Goodbye'' 1970 Philips
''The World The Way I Want It / Silent Night'' 1971 Philips
''One Hundred Children (#34) / Danny Boy'' 1971 Philips
''Love Is A Mountain (#86) / For The Good Times'' 1971 Philips
''Jesu Christo / My World Keeps Getting Smaller Everyday'' 1972 Philips
''If You Don't Know Now / And I Love You So'' 1972 Philips
''So Lucky / Yesterday's Sunshine'' 1972 Philips
''End Of A Rainbow / Friends'' 1973 Philips
''Shame (#93) / The Boy From Dundee'' 1973 Philips
''Our Love Song (#56) / River Song'' 1974 Philips
''Chanson D'Amour / Addio'' 1975 Philips
''Diamond Ring (A Demain) / When The Snow Is On The Roses'' 1975 Philips
''If I Give My Heart To You / When You're Not Near'' 1975 Philips
''There I've Said It Again / You'll Never Miss A Woman (Till She's Gone)'' 1975 Philips
''The Elephant Song (#55) / A Daisy A Day'' 1975 Philips
''Rainbow / Nothing More'' 1976 Philips
''She's Not Easy / Sing A Song Of Love'' 1976 Philips
''White Christmas / Silent Night'' 1977 Philips
''If You Were A Song / Doesn't It Show'' 1977 Philips
''Picking Up The Pieces Of My Life / Please Be Gentle'' 1977 Philips
''Oh Happy Day / Love Is A Beautiful Song'' 1977 Philips
''What Would I Do Without My Music / The Tree'' 1978 Philips
''I Just Make Believe You Love Me / Smile'' 1978 Philips
''You Decorated My Life / Six Ribbons'' 1979 Philips
''Treat Her Like A Lady / Smile'' 1980 Philips
''Before You There Was Nothing (#96) / Save The Whale'' 1981 Philips
''Christine, She's A Woman Now / No Charge'' 1981 Philips
''Hey There Lord (#100) / There'll Never Be Another You Babe'' 1981 Mercury
''Hey There Lord (Short Version) / Hey There Lord (Long Version)'' 1981 Mercury
''Ain't It Time You Tried Love / Make The World Go Away'' 1982 Mercury
''The Love She Found In Me / Wonderland'' 1984 Festival
''The Greatest Love Affair / Everything I Own'' 1985 Festival
''In The Middle Of The Night / Love United'' 1985 Festival
''You Are Everything / Truly'' 1985 Festival
''Prayer For Christmas / The Lord's Prayer'' 1986 Festival
''My Home / Australia'' 1988 Festival

EPs

'Kamahl' 1970 Philips
'Christmas With Kamahl' 1971 Philips
'All I Have To Offer You' 1973 Philips

ALBUMS
'A Voice To Remember' 1967 Philips
'Dreams of Love' (#7) 1969 Philips
'Peace on Earth' 1970 Philips
'Sounds Of Kamahl' (#13) 1970 Philips
'Kamahl' (#40) 1971 Philips
'Kamahl In London' 1972 Philips
'Friends' 1973 Philips
'Kamahl At The Opera House' 1974 Philips
'I Think Of You' 1974 Philips

'Christmas With Kamahl' 1975 Philips
'Let It Be Me' (#69) 1975 Philips
'Encore' (#35) 1975 Philips
'Live At Carnegie Hall' 1976 Philips
'If I Give My Heart To You' 1976 Philips
'Love Is A Beautiful Song' (#65) 1977 Philips
'Lovin' Kind' (#61) 1977 Philips
'Portrait Of My Love' (#80) 1978 Philips
'Around The World' 1978 Philips
'Kamahl On Tour' 1979 Philips

'She Believes In Me' (#99) 1979 Philips
'Treat Her Like A Lady' 1980 Philips
'Always On My Mind' 1982 J&B
'Somebody Loves You' 1982 Mercury
'You Are Everything' 1985 Festival
'Precious Words And Soothing Songs' (#28) 1990 Dino
'Anything For Love' (#30) 1993 Dino
'Imagine The World In Unison' 2003 Rajon

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamahl

http://top100singles.blogspot.com.au