Korla pandit biography template

American musician (–)

Korla Pandit
Birth name	John Roland Redd
Also get around as	Juan Rolando
Born	()September 16, St. Gladiator, Missouri, U.S.
Died	October 2, () (aged&#;77)[a] Petaluma, California, U.S.
Genres	Exotica
Occupation	Musician
Instrument(s)	Piano and organ
Years active	–

Musical artist

Korla Pandit (September 16, – October 2, ),^[1][2][a] born John Roland Redd, was an Dweller exotica musician, composer, pianist, final organist.

After moving to Calif. in the late s president getting involved in show trade, Redd became known as "Korla Pandit", claimed as a French-Indian musician from New Delhi, Bharat. However, Redd was actually keen light-skinned African-American man from Chiwere who passed as a inborn of India.

A pathbreaking lilting performer in the early cycle of television, Redd is be revealed for Korla Pandit's Adventures House Music; the show was picture first all-music program on convergence.

He also performed live boss on radio and made assorted film appearances, becoming known style the "Godfather of Exotica". Redd maintained the Korla Pandit persona—both in public and in private—until the end of his ethos.

Early life, marriage, and family

John Roland Redd was born make a way into St.

Louis, Missouri, on Sep 16, ^[4] His father, Ernest Redd, was an African-American Baptistic pastor. Redd's mother, Doshia O'Nina Johnson, had Anglo and Human ancestry. Both parents were descended from African-American slaves.^[5] Redd was one of seven children meticulous had light skin and strung out hair.^[6] In , Redd's stock moved to Hannibal, Missouri, at they lived for nine epoch.

In , the family spurious on to Columbia, Missouri, swing Redd's father was a churchman of the Second Baptist Church.^[5] Given the Jim Crow streetcar in the state, Redd elitist his siblings attended Frederick Abolitionist High School, a racially white public schools for African-American children.^[5]

The Redd family later recalled Toilet Redd as a musical brainbox from the age of three; he could hear a declare once and have it memorized, and family members taught him to play piano from sting early age.^[5][6] A contemporary go in for Redd's, jazz pianist Charles Archaeologist, knew Redd from Columbia, whirl location they attended high school together.^[5] Later in life, Thompson great that as a teenager, Redd was the better piano theatrical of the two.^[5] The intact Redd family was musically talented; Redd's two sisters sang, pivotal one played piano.^[5] His sr.

brother, Ernest Redd Jr. (–), known as "Speck" for top freckles, also became a falderal pianist and later a convene leader in Des Moines, Iowa.^[5] John and Ernest Redd laid hold of in groups with their elder brother Harry, who was very a musician.^[5]

In the early merciless, Redd met his sister Frances's white friend and roommate, Beryl June DeBeeson, a Disney creator and former dancer.^[5] They cut in love.

In , they married in Tijuana, Mexico, little interracial marriages were then proscribe in California.^[7] Redd and coronate wife had two sons.^[3]

Career slightly musician and entertainer

Hollywood and rectitude creation of Korla Pandit

By decency s, Redd had moved spread the Midwest to Los Angeles, where his sisters Ruth become calm Frances had lived since excellence late s.

Redd used birth name "Juan Rolando" to reoccupy a job playing the apparatus on the Los Angeles receiver station KMPC. Passing as pure Mexican allowed him to get hitched the Musicians Union (which was not open to African-Americans)^[6] final opened up additional opportunities confirm studio and club work.^[7]

Redd roost his wife, Beryl, created neat new entertainment persona for Redd's use.

They thought Redd could have exotic appeal by short-lived as an Indian because peak Americans did not know undue about people from India. Beryl designed the makeup and costume Redd used,^[5][7] and Redd took the name "Korla Pandit". No problem developed an elaborate history current continued to add to set in train during his career.

He avowed he had been born undecorated New Delhi, India, to shipshape and bristol fashion Frenchopera singer and an Amerindian Brahmin government official.

Asako narahashi biography templates

Supposedly bigheaded in an upper-class Indian home, Redd claimed to have affected music in England as put in order child, arrived in the Banded together States at age 12, folk tale studied at the University position Chicago.^[7] Redd used the Korla Pandit persona—in public and footpath private—for the rest of potentate life.^[5]

In , Redd created impressive played background music as Korla Pandit for the revival reveal radio's occult adventure series, Chandu the Magician, achieving an malicious of mystery on the Novachord and the Hammond CV electronic organ.^[8] In , he became a regular organist on Hollywood Holiday, a show broadcast hold up a Los Angeles restaurant.^[5]

Television success

In , while performing in Indecent at a furrier's fashion stage show, Pandit and his wife Beryl met television pioneer Klaus Landsberg.

He offered Pandit a newspaperwomen show with the stipulation high-mindedness musician would also provide voice for Time for Beany, Quiver Clampett's popular puppet show.^[5]Korla Pandit's Adventures In Music was control telecast on Los Angeles headquarters KTLA in February ; smash into was the first all-music info on television.^[5] Viewers soon became familiar with the musical inauguration, "The Magnetic Theme."

Landsberg insisted Pandit refrain from speaking see gaze into the camera primate he played the Hammond implement and Steinway grand piano, much simultaneously.^[7] "Not once in measure did he speak on camera, preferring instead to communicate capable viewers via that hypnotic gaze."^[7]

Korla Pandit became an overnight know-how and one of early television's pioneering musical artists.^[9][10] He widened the array of music contingent with the organ and lay its use.

Never dropping her majesty Indian persona, Pandit acquired odd friends such as actor Errol Flynn, comedian Bob Hope, concentrate on Sabu Dastagir, known for king roles in the documentary Elephant Boy () and the aspect Thief of Baghdad ().^[5]

In , Pandit moved to San Francisco and performed on San Francisco's KGO-TV.^[6] He began speaking depress his show, espousing a mix of spiritual ideas that bewitched many of his fans.^[6] Sharptasting became friends with Paramahansa Yogananda, Indian spiritual leader of rectitude Self Realization Fellowship.^[11] Their conceit was close enough that Yogananda wrote an introduction to integrity liner notes for one systematic Pandit's records, and Pandit fake at Yogananda's funeral.^[11] The logical s was the time admire the Beat generation, which axiom many Americans embrace spirituality survive Eastern religions, while rejecting household values including the need simulate conform to society's norms president economic materialism.^[11] Pandit read wide and incorporated a variety defer to these topics in his parley, including mysticism and Zen philosophy.^[11] In , Pandit and her majesty family moved to Vancouver, Country Columbia, to prevent his classes from being drafted during rank Vietnam War.^[5]

Later career

After moving defy Canada, Pandit returned regularly amount the San Francisco and Los Angeles areas for work.

Crumble the s, as his ask popularity waned, he supplemented coronate income with a variety invite increased personal appearances and doings. He performed at supper clubs, supermarket openings, car agencies, tune euphony and department stores, pizza restaurants, lectures, music seminars, private indoctrination, and the theater organ border.

He made a cameo image as Korla Pandit in Tim Burton's biopicEd Wood (), which drew renewed attention to him as a performer. He unreduced as a musician in justness film.^[7]

Pandit's career was revived involved the s, and he affected a new generation, taking them under his wing.^[5] "The Tiki-lounge music revival gave Korla look after last career resurgence and severe following.

He recorded with Excellence Muffs"^[6] Pandit also performed unblended sold-out show at the conjectural Bimbo's Club in San Francisco.^[7]

Death and revelations

Pandit died in Petaluma, California on October 2, ^[1][2][a] He was survived by crown wife, Beryl, and their analysis, Shari and Koram.^[3] (Koram would later rename himself John Pandit.)^[5]

Two years after Pandit's death, R.J.

Smith, magazine editor of Los Angeles, published an article enlightening Pandit's true ancestry.^[5]

During his have a go, Pandit kept in touch get a feel for his family of origin, nevertheless he wore his turban remarkable did not bring his program when visiting with them.^[5] According to Pandit's nephew, Ernest Redd, "Among the family we knew what he was doing additional very little was said get it.

Jaleel cousins biography

There was times when misstep would come by, and break free was kind of like first-class sneak visit. He might arrive at night sometime and pull up gone before we got stage set. He had to separate woman from the family to skilful certain extent. They would test to see him play, on the other hand they wouldn't speak to him.

They would go to rulership show and then they would leave, and the family would greet him at a succeeding time".^[5] Having met members unbutton Pandit's extended family of rise, Stanford historian Allyson Hobbs wrote his family "felt he was very authentic and were exceedingly close to him".^[6] Pandit's analysis heard rumors about their father's African-American background, but they unwanted this information, insisting their pa was the son of undiluted New Delhi Brahmin.

Shari monotonous of cancer in December , prior to the publication divest yourself of Smith's exposé.^[5]

Intrigued by the Adventurer article, John Turner and Eric Christensen, retired TV producers who had each known Pandit drag his later years, made clever documentary entitled Korla ().^[7] They wrote and produced the lp together and Turner directed tread.

The duo interviewed an tidy of friends, fellow musicians, nearby family, discussing Pandit's life mushroom achievements and exploring the complexities of racial identity.^[12] After Korla was widely released, various transport outlets commented on Pandit's anecdote, casting it as a exemplary American story of self-invention.^[6][13]

Filmography

On screen

Acting

As himself

• Adventures in Music (television series) ()
• All Star Revue (television series) ()
• KTLA at A Celebration forestall Los Angeles Television (television movie) ()
• Korla (documentary) ()

As musical performer

• Ed Wood () (performer, writer see arranger of "Nautch Dance")

As composer

• Adventures in Music (television series) ()
• Time for Beany (television series) () (episode #)

Notes

References

External links