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Rukshan Perera (born 17 June 1956) is a Sri Lankan-born singer-songwriter, record producer, international recording, television star, and a multi-instrumentalist.


Biography

He was born in Colombo, to a musical family. Rukshan got his first piano lesson at age five from his mother, a well known music teacher/church organist for fifty years in
Moratuwa Moratuwa () is a large municipality on the southwestern coast of Sri Lanka, near Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. It is situated on the Galle–Colombo (Galle road) main highway, south of the centre of Colombo. Moratuwa is surrounded on three sides ...
. Rukshan became a self-taught guitarist and formed his first family band at the age of ten and performed over
Radio Ceylon Radio Ceylon ( ''Lanka Guwan Viduli Sevaya'', , ''ilankai vanoli'') is a radio station based in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) and the first radio station in Asia. Broadcasting was started on an experimental basis by the colonial Telegraph Departme ...
. He was educated at the
Royal College, Colombo Royal College, Colombo also known as; Royal Colombo, Colombo Royal College or Colombo Royal) is a Single-sex education, boys' school located in Cinnamon Gardens, Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Started by Joseph Marsh (priest), Joseph Mar ...
. As a young teenage musician, Rukshan Perera joined a group as a keyboardist whilst still a school boy at Royal College, fronted by Sri Lanka's 'King of Pop'
Clarence Wijewardena Vithana Kuruppu Arachchilage Clarence Arthur Somasinghe Wijewardena Justice of the peace#Sri Lanka, JP (, ; 3 August 1943 – 13 December 1996), known professionally as Clarence Wijewardena, was a Sri Lankan singer, composer and musician. Consi ...
and his partner
Annesley Malewana Annesley Malewana () ( Sinhala: ඇනස්ලි මාලේවන) is a Sri Lankan musician. Often considered "The Prince of Sinhala Pop", Malewana is well known for being a master of contemporary Baila worked with popular musical bands The ...
. The group known as the 'Super Golden Chimes' went on to reach the heights of success in
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
. The 'Super Golden Chimes' received constant airplay over the airwaves of Radio Ceylon and subsequently the
Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation The Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) (, ''Shrī Lankā Guvan Viduli Sansthāva'', , ''Ilangkai Oliparappuk Kūṭṭuttāpaṉam'') came into existence on 5 January 1967 when Radio Ceylon became a public corporation. Dudley Senanayak ...
making them household names on the island and across South Asia. He has also played with The Esquire Set, Serendib and the 'Golden Chimes' group. Rukshan plays the guitar, harmonica, piano and several other instruments. The Sunday Times newspaper in Sri Lanka noted that 'Rukshan Perera is an accomplished, highly experienced and insanely talented musician.' Rukshan Perera is a well known Jazz artist who has also mastered 'Sinhala acapellas'. The Sunday Island newspaper in
Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...
observed that his (music) repertoire ranged from pop,
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
,
blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
to fusion and
a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...
, renditions and being a multi-instrumentalist, he enthralled the audience with his virtuosity, playing guitar, piano, flute and harmonica.' He lived in the United States for almost three decades. Rukshan took a break from music, threw himself into an academic career, acquired a bachelor's degree in Information Systems, added a Masters in Business Administration, and joined the consumer product company Philip Morris as an IT Manager. At a concert in New York sponsored by Philip Morris he played along with well-known jazz names. He was the only novice and he survived creditably and then performed on an off including a gig with the Sri Lankan bassist Hussain Jiffry. Having lived in the United States since 1980, Rukshan Perera decided to return to the land of his birth. Rukshan Perera has recorded two CD albums and performed 'live' concerts in Sri Lanka and around the world including the United States of America. He has also introduced 'harmony whistle' and 'harmony scatting,' not seen anywhere else. Whistling the melody and the harmony together is a rare talent that Rukshan possesses for which his name has even been proposed for the
Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...
by his fans.


Discography


Singles

* "Coming Home To You" * "Feel Like A Butterfly" * "I'll Keep Fighting" * "Just For You" * "Let's Make History" * "Nature's Calling" * "One Land For All" * "Reality" * "Something Is Happening" * "Sri Lankan Blues" * "What Time Is It?"


Albums

* ''Coming Home To You'' * ''Rukshan Perera – Live in Concert''


References


External links


The Official Website of Rukshan Perera

Coming Home To You – Rukshan Perera Music

Rukshan Perera Returns



A Show of original Compositions and No Frills







Top Sri Lankan Musician Rukshan Perera to play at Vernon Corea's Memorial Service
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perera, Rukshan 1956 births Living people Sri Lankan singer-songwriters 20th-century Sri Lankan male singers Sinhalese singers