La Bambas was an influential

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

n music group, composed of Priya Peiris, Rolinson Ferdinando, Brian Fernando, Erinton Perera and Lasla Fernando. They were one of the first Sinhala groups to utilize a box guitar, and were popular in Sri Lanka during the late '1960s; their hits include "Cock-a-doodle-do", "Nuwara Menikela", "Himidiriye (Piyakaru Mala)" and "Lak Nadhee".

Formation

Brian Fernando was inspired to form the group after spotting an advertisement for a talent show in ''

The Ceylon Observer ''The Ceylon Observer'' was an English-language daily newspaper in Sri Lanka published by Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited (ANCL). It was founded in 1834 as ''The Observer and Commercial Advertiser'' and was published from Colombo. It ceas ...

''. Fernando drawing inspiration from Sinhala musicians like Noel Ranasinghe and the La Ceylonians in his music, called on his friends Lasla, Rolinson, and Priya to complete the band. They applied for the contest and received a letter from the pop group Mignonne and the Jetliners inviting them to audition for the show in February 1966."The story of La Bambas"
''Sunday Times''. Retrieved December 2, 2006. The auditions were successful, and the La Bambas appeared on stage for the first time on May 25, 1966, at the Coconut Grove inside

Galle Galle ( si, ගාල්ල, translit=Gālla; ta, காலி, translit=Kāli) (formerly Point de Galle) is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the southwestern tip, from Colombo. Galle is the provincial capital and largest city of Souther ...

Face Hotel. It didn't go as well as they wished, however, as they were booed and jeered off the stage.

Success and reunion

This was just a minor setback, and the La Bambas recovered to become one of the most popular Sinhala bands of the 1960s. After the band broke up, Priya Peiris pursued a solo career; in the early 2000s (decade), he represented the group at several nostalgia shows."Stars of 70s back on stage"
''Sunday Observer''. Retrieved December 2, 2006.

Radio Ceylon Radio Ceylon ( si, ලංකා ගුවන් විදුලි සේවය ''Lanka Guwan Viduli Sevaya'', ta, இலங்கை வானொலி, ''ilankai vanoli'') is a radio station based in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) and the first ...

, the oldest radio station in

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

helped popularise their songs.

Notes

{{Reflist, 2

External links

The La Bambas' page on Sinhala Jukebox

Collection of Sinhala Video Songs

La Bambas La Bambas was an influential Sri Lankan music group, composed of Priya Peiris, Rolinson Ferdinando, Brian Fernando, Erinton Perera and Lasla Fernando. They were one of the first Sinhala groups to utilize a box guitar, and were popular in Sri Lanka ...