By Kamanthi Wickramasinghe 

There has never been a dull moment at concerts organized by Damayantha Kuruppu – the man who elevated Sri Lanka’s showbiz industry to greater heights. This May, Sinhala music lovers will be in for a treat as Damayantha, fondly known as DK will be back on stage with his 50th anniversary show, reliving the music and memories throughout his 50 year journey. 

Having done his first concert in May 1975 at Navarangahala which also happened to be the first solo concert of late Milton Mallawarachchi, DK then went on to host shows for various local artistes such as Mignonne Fernando, Dalreen Suby, Mariazelle Goonetilleke, Desmond De Silva, Keerthi Pasquel, Vijaya Corea and Malcolm Andre in view of their landmark celebrations. To bring back memories of the first show in 1975 the upcoming show will start with songs performed by late Milton Mallawarachchi. The performance will be done by his son Ranil Mallawarachchi. There will also be a tribute to late Priya Sooriyasena performed by his son Lakshitha.

“This concert is done with the objective of reliving the 50 year journey since my first concert and also to honor singers who added color to the pop music scene in Sri Lanka. We will also remember legends such as Desmond De Silva, Ronnie Lietch and Sunil Perera at the upcoming show. The second half of the show would be songs by Super Golden Chimes and the Moonstones and we would mostly be performing Clarence’s compositions,” DK said in an interview with the Daily Mirror.  

DK’s initial inspiration to step into the showbiz industry had been ‘The Sooriya Show’, a concert that primarily featured artistes who recorded their songs with the Sooriya Label. DK recalls watching this show a few times and enjoying the performances. “Their shop was located near the Fort Clock Tower and it was like a meeting point for all musicians at the time,” DK said. “After my first concert in 1975 I went overseas. But I never took a break from music. When I returned I brought a whole lot of records because I love RnB and Soul. Then I did a radio programme called ‘The Beat Goes On’ on Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC). This was when we started to bring about a serious transition in the Sinhala music scene. In 1999 we did a tribute to Clarence Wijewardene.

My involvement in the music industry revolved around Clarence. He brought about a trend for people to enjoy and I was determined to keep that trend going. So far I have done close to upon 130 shows under different titles. The objective was to keep the Sinhala pop music scene alive. I have also organized fundraisers for different organisations and schools. I always wanted to provide the best kind of entertainment to the public. I was very fortunate to bring back three of the finest bands that Sri Lanka has produced - Jetliners, Spitfires and Amazing Grace. They came back after almost about 35 years,” he added. 

For DK, retirement is never an option as he is determined to maintain the flavor of music during the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s eras. A majority of the audience at DK’s shows are those who have enjoyed music composed by legends in the Sinhala music industry back in their teens. “There are many who bought tickets directly from me because they appreciate this kind of music,” he said. 

He was instrumental in bringing down several international artistes including Sir Cliff Richard, Daniel O’Donnell, Lobo, Platters and Tony Christie who performed in Sri Lanka. 

DK believes that a show is like a movie. “The ending of a film should be very strong. This is the same in a show. We had two great musicians who would end shows on a high note; Sunil Perera and Desmond De Silva and they always chose the last gig. But today we don’t have anybody to end a concert except Annesley Malewana. His songs such as Mango Nanda are evergreen hits that people love to listen in a live show. He developed concepts such as ‘Stars of the ‘70s’,” he added.

The main performers at the upcoming show would be Annesley Malewana and Ranil Mallawarachchi in addition to a stellar lineup of artistes including Mignonne Fernando, Dalreen Suby, Mariazelle Goonetilleke, Keerthi Pasquel, Bhathiya and Santhush and Donald Pieris. The compere for the show will be Clifford Richard while the music would be provided by Lasantha Kariyawasam and Vision. 

In conclusion, DK invites all Sinhala music lovers to make their way to the BMICH on May 17 to go down memory lane as he relives memories of his 50 year journey in the showbiz and music industry from 7pm onwards. 

For tickets and more details regarding the show contact Damayantha on 0777744950