Summary
Kandiah Kamalesvaran AM (Tamil: கந்தையா கமலேஸ்வரன்; born 13 November 1934), better known by his stage name Kamahl, is a Malaysian-born Australian singer and recording artist. His highest-charting Australian single, "Sounds of Goodbye" (1969), reached the top 20 on the Kent Music Report singles chart. Another single, "The Elephant Song" (1975), peaked at number one in both the Netherlands and Belgium. Generally, his repertoire comprises adult contemporary music.[citation needed]
Kamahl | |
|---|---|
 Kamahl in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kandiah Kamalesvaran |
| Born | 13 November 1934 Kuala Lumpur, (then in Selangor), Federated Malay States |
| Origin | Australia |
| Genres | adult contemporary |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 1958–present |
| Labels | |
Early life edit
Kamahl was born in Selangor (now known as Kuala Lumpur), Federated Malay States to Ceylonese Tamil and Malaysian Indian Hindu parents, the second eldest of six children,[1] in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur. His father was head of the local Tamil music school.[1] Kamahl studied at the Victoria Institution. He arrived in Adelaide, South Australia, in April 1953,[2] to receive a higher education at King's College (later renamed Pembroke School).
Music career edit
At his early public performances, from 1958, he shortened his name to Kamal, but successive masters of ceremonies announced him as "camel"; so he changed its spelling to Kamahl.[1] Rupert Murdoch was an early important sponsor and tipped Kamahl £10 at an Adelaide concert in December 1958 and encouraged him to move to Sydney.[1] Without asking, Murdoch arranged for Kamahl to perform a six-week season at the Australia Hotel in Sydney.[3] After that season, he boarded with the Murdochs for two years.[1] Kamahl was a finalist in the Sydney Eisteddfod Sun Aria in 1966 singing Verdi's "Ella giammai m'amò" and Mussorgsky's "Farewell and Death of Boris".
Kamahl co-wrote and sang the theme song for a feature film, Journey Out of Darkness, made through the services of Supreme Sound Studios in Paddington, Sydney, and filmed in Orange, New South Wales.[4] He also appeared in the film, acting as an Aboriginal Australian.[5]
He has performed at the London Palladium[6] and Carnegie Hall[7] as well as pubs and clubs throughout Australia.
His first album, A Voice to Remember, was released in Australia in October 1967. He released singles and albums in the United States, Canada, Britain, New Zealand, South America, India, Singapore, Malaysia and Germany (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",[8] (composed and produced by Hans van Hemert) reached number one on the Dutch Top 40, the Nationale Hitparade (currently Single Top 100)[9] and the Belgian BRT Top 30.[citation needed] This song was part of the soundtrack of a World Wildlife Fund TV documentary. In 1978, Billboard reported "The Elephant Song" was the biggest selling single ever in Sweden.[10]
He has been in the Australian music industry over for fifty years and during that time has made some memorable TV and film appearances, as well as concerts. 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.
In 2005, he has made appearances as a judge on The X-Factor and has a sponsorship deal with Coca-Cola. On 19 September 2007, he appeared on The Chaser's War on Everything on ABC TV where he sang for a "newly-wed couple" who turned up uninvited at 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[when?] years, Kamahl has released albums through ABC Music. A compilation Christmas album entitled Peace On Earth,[11] and a three-CD collection of favourites entitled Heart and Soul: For Lovers Of Life.[12]
Television appearances edit
In 1988, Kamahl appeared in a television commercial for Dilmah tea.[13] In 2007, he made commercials for the Australian cable channel Fox8, advertising its WWE programming.[14]
In 2009, he criticised the Australian TV show Hey Hey It's Saturday for its treatment of him during his appearances. His feelings were revealed to the Australian public shortly after Harry Connick, Jr. complained of a "black faces" skit for the show's "Red Faces" segment.[15] In April 2021, the former compere Daryl Somers wrote a lengthy apology to Kamahl and to those who found the show's content offensive.[16]
Kamahl appeared in an episode of the Australian TV quiz show Spicks and Specks, first broadcast on 8 September 2010.[17]
In 2011, Kamahl made a cameo appearance on Swift and Shift Couriers as a phone store employee.[18]
In 2012, Kamahl made appearances in Prime's show The Unbelievable Truth.[19] In May 2013, an Australian drama, Offspring, broadcast an episode which had Kamahl in a minor role as a medical specialist.[20]
Personal life edit
In 1967, Kamahl married an Indo-Fijian woman, Sahodra, of whom his family did not approve. "There was no way my parents would've given their blessing."[1] They have two children, Rajan (born c. 1969) and Rani (born c. 1971).[21] Rani had a brief singing career which reached its peak in the late 1990s.
In November 2021, Kamahl revealed that he and Sahodra had separated after 55 years of marriage.[22] He cited social media addiction as the cause of their separation, telling A Current Affair: "I'm Twittering day and night, and now, I'm paying a terrible price for it."[23] As of 2024, he remains an avid Twitter user who speaks out on a variety of political issues, with the vast majority of his tweets being criticism of Donald Trump.
Discography edit
In 1985, the Chicago Tribune reported Kamahl as having sold "more than 20 million records worldwide" and "76 gold and 14 platinum records".[24] In a 2007 press release, Kamahl's records were said to have achieved gold and platinum status over 80 times.[25] In 2018, Port News reported Kamahl as having recorded more than 30 albums and earned "more than 100 gold and platinum records".[26]
Studio albums edit
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
Certification | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [27] |
NED [28] |
NZ [29] |
SWE [30] | |||
| A Voice to Remember |
|
— | — | — | — | |
| Dreams of Love |
|
7 | — | — | — | |
| Sounds of Kamahl |
|
13 | — | — | — | |
| Peace on Earth |
|
— | — | — | — | |
| Kamahl |
|
40 | — | 1[A] | — |
|
| Friend |
|
— | — | — | — | |
| I Think of You |
|
— | — | — | — | |
| Encore |
|
35 | — | — | — | |
| Let It Be Me |
|
69 | — | — | — | |
| The Elephant Song |
|
— | 1 | — | 3 | |
| If I Give My Heart to You |
|
— | — | — | — | |
| Christmas with Kamahl |
|
— | 6 | — | — | |
| Save the Oceans |
|
— | 2 | — | — | |
| Lovin' Kind |
|
61 | — | — | — | |
| Love Is a Beautiful Song |
|
65 | — | — | — | |
| Portrait of My Love |
|
80 | — | — | — | |
| Smile |
|
— | — | 3 | — | |
| She Believes in Me |
|
99 | — | — | — | |
| Treat Her Like a Lady |
|
— | — | — | — | |
| Somebody Loves You |
|
— | — | 4 | — | |
| This Love We Share |
|
— | — | — | — | |
| Love United |
|
— | — | — | — | |
| You Are Everything |
|
— | — | — | — | |
| Precious Words and Soothing Songs |
|
28 | — | — | — | |
| Anything for Love |
|
30 | — | — | — | |
| How Great Thou Art |
|
— | — | — | — | |
Live albums edit
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [27] |
NZ [29] |
SWE [30] | ||
| Kamahl in London |
|
— | — | — |
| Kamahl at the Opera House |
|
16 | — | 38 |
| Live at Carnegie Hall |
|
19 | 16 | — |
| Kamahl on Tour |
|
— | 17 | — |
Charting compilation albums edit
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
Certification | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [27] |
NED [28] |
NZ [29] | |||
| Chanson D'Amour |
|
— | 9 | — | |
| You Bring Out the Best |
|
79 | — | — |
|
| 20 Greatest Hits |
|
— | — | 17 | |
| Always on My Mind |
|
48 | — | — | |
| This Love We Share |
|
17 | — | — | |
| Miracles and Old Toy Trains |
|
70 | — | — | |
| 25th Anniversary Album |
|
9 | — | — | |
| The Elephant Song – Zijn 18 mooiste songs |
|
— | 45 | — | |
| The Ultimate Collection |
|
— | — | 34 | |
Charting singles edit
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [27] |
BEL [33] |
NED [28] |
NZ [29] | ||
| 1969 | "Sounds of Goodbye" | 19 | — | — | — |
| "You've Got to Learn" | 39 | — | — | — | |
| 1970 | "All I Have to Offer You (Is Me)" | 49 | — | — | — |
| 1971 | "100 Children"/"Danny Boy" | 34 | — | — | — |
| 1972 | "Love Is a Mountain" | 86 | — | — | — |
| 1973 | "Shame" | 93 | — | — | — |
| 1974 | "Our Love Song" | 56 | — | — | — |
| 1975 | "The Elephant Song" | 55 | 1 | 1 | 38 |
| "Chanson d'Amour" | — | 26 | 20 | — | |
| "White Christmas" | — | — | 10 | — | |
| 1976 | "Save the Oceans of the World" | — | — | 14 | — |
| 1978 | "What Would I Do Without My Music" | — | — | — | 32 |
| 1980 | "Save the Whale" | — | — | 24 | — |
| 1981 | "Before You There Was Nothing" | 96 | — | — | — |
| "Hey There Lord" | 100 | — | — | — | |
Notes
- ^ Kamahl peaked at number 1 in NZ in 1978
Awards and recognition edit
- 1994 – Member of the Order of Australia[34]
- 1998 – Australian Father of the Year award
- 2004 – Australian Centenary Medal
In May 2006, he received another Australian honour when he was included in "Our Entertainers of the 20th Century". The award was organised by the Variety Club of Australia, the top entertainers of the century included Kylie Minogue, Dame Joan Sutherland, Jack Thompson and Graham Kennedy.[35]
Mo Awards edit
The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Kamahl won three awards in that time.[36]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result (wins only) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Kamahl | Daily Telegraph Readers Award | Won |
| 1983 | Kamahl | Daily Telegraph Readers Award | Won |
| 1984 | Kamahl | Daily Telegraph Readers Award | Won |
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f Thompson, Peter (15 August 2005). "Kamahl". Talking Heads. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Archived from the original on 22 May 2006. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
- ^ "Item details for: D596, 1953/5561". National Archive of Australia. 3 July 2018. Archived from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
- ^ Shane Maloney; Chris Grosz (November 2010). "Rupert Murdoch & Kamahl". The Monthly. Archived from the original on 15 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
- ^ Richard Kuipers. "Curator's notes Journey Out of Darkness (1967)". Australian Screen Online. Archived from the original on 15 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
- ^ "Journey out of Darkness film poster". Oz Movies. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- ^ "Shirt worn by Kamahl". collection.maas.museum. Archived from the original on 2 August 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
- ^ "Kamahl responds to Daryl Somers's regret over Hey Hey humiliation". www.abc.net.au. 31 March 2021. Archived from the original on 2 August 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
- ^ Lyrics and audio for The Elephant Song Archived 19 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Kamahl – The Elephant Song". Dutch Charts (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2009.
- ^ "International Talk" (PDF). Cashbox: 46. 26 August 1978. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 November 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
- ^ "Kamahl – Peace On Earth". ABC Music. 12 November 2012. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
- ^ "Kamahl – Heart and Soul". ABC Shop. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
- ^ "Brand Kamahl sings on". The Australian Financial Review. 4 July 2013. Archived from the original on 26 September 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
- ^ FOX8 – Promo – WWE Vs Kamahl 'Spit' on YouTube
- ^ McCabe, Kathy; Byrnes, Holly (9 October 2009). "Livid Kamahl has had enough of Hey, Hey It's Saturday". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. Archived from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
- ^ "Daryl Somers apologises to Kamahl after controversy over racism". The Feed. Archived from the original on 29 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ "Spicks and Specks – 8:30pm Wednesday, September 08 2010". ABC Television. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 11 November 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2010.
- ^ Swift & Shift Couriers Season 2 Episode 2
- ^ "The Unbelievable Truth". Yahoo7 Television. Yahoo 7 Australia. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
- ^ David Knox (28 May 2013). "Look who's acting in Offspring this week…". TV Tonight. Archived from the original on 8 June 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
- ^ Schluter, Kevin (16 December 1981). "You Wanted to Know with Kevin Schluter". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 49, no. 28. p. 143. Archived from the original on 25 January 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Bond, Nick (15 November 2021). "Showbiz veteran Kamahl reveals he and wife Sahodra have separated". News.com.au. News Corp. Archived from the original on 15 November 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
- ^ Halls, Brady. "Kamahl speaks out about the addiction that caused his marriage bust up". A Current Affair. Channel Nine. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "KAMAHL AIMS TO CHARM AUDIENCES". Chicago Tribune. 21 February 1985. Archived from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
- ^ "Kamahl To Perform Concerts Across NZ". Scoop New Zealand. December 2007. Archived from the original on 9 July 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
- ^ "Kamahl performs at Port Macquarie's Glasshouse for one night only". Port News. 19 January 2018. Archived from the original on 4 April 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
- ^ a b c d Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 163. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- ^ a b c "Kamahl Dutch Charts". dutchcharts. Archived from the original on 14 March 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Kamahl NZ chart". charts.nz. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
- ^ a b "Kamahl Swedish chart". swedishcharts. Archived from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Billboard. 26 August 1978. p. 46. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 November 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021 – via World Radio History.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Kent Music Report No 341 – 5 January 1981 > Platinum and Gold Albums 1980". Kent Music Report. Archived from the original on 8 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021 – via Imgur.com.
- ^ "Kamahl at Belgien Charts". Ultratop. 14 September 2020. Archived from the original on 14 August 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
- ^ "Search Australian Honours". It's an Honour. Archived from the original on 15 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
- ^ "Variety Entertainers of the Century". Geocaching. Archived from the original on 15 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
- ^ "MO Award Winners". Mo Awards. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
External links edit
- Kamahl's official website
- Some information about Kamahl about when he was young in Malaysia, from the Victoria Institution
- Kamahl performing "My Home" in 2015 at the age of 80 in Newcastle, NSW, Australia