Des Kelly | Sooriya Records | Sri Lankan Music

The Nightingale Sings

August 15, 2018 by admin

Des Kelly, Desmond Kelly, Nightingale, Rukmani Devi

What a beautiful title, especially for this songbird of Ceylon, Rukmani Devi, born Daisy Rasammah Daniels, a proud combination of Tamil(Rasammah), Daniels(Burgher), & the Colombo-Chetty Christian tradition, on the 15th of January, 1923, in the Central Province Village of Ramboda, Nuwara Eliya.

She was the second child in a family of six, loved music and singing from a very early age, spending most of her time standing by the family gramaphone and singing along with the songs that emanated from it. The very first song that she sang, in the presence of (Master) Rupasinghe, her music teacher, I suppose, was titled “Siri Buddha-gaya Vihare”, a classical Sinhala-song, when she was just 13 years old. He, the master, had a keen eye for talent, and before her professional singing career was launched, it was decided that she took the name RUKMANI DEVI(meaning Rukmani, Goddess of song), this career “took off”, and, as she became an adult, she began to look more beautiful, with each passing year, paving the way to a “Movie” career as well.

It was by no means easy, but when you are blessed with both beauty & talent, as Rukmani was, the result was that she became the first “Star” to grace the silver-screen of Ceylon. She was also the first “Sinhala movie queen to be featured in a showbiz magazine called “Film-fare”

She then married Eddie Jayamanne, whose elder brother, B.A.W.Jayamanne was a film director who used his sister-in-law as the “main-lead” in many of his films. In addition to all this, Rukmani Devi was cast as “Mayavathi” in a stage drama produced by Charles Dias. What interested me here, was that Mayavathi was in fact, Juliet, from Shakespeare’s

“Romeo & Juliet”, only, this time, a beautiful Ceylonese one.

Rukmani Devi went on to doing everything she wanted to do, singing, recording, acting and becoming world-famous.

She achieved many things, in what was eventually a tragically short life. She died in a motor accident, on the 28th of October 1978, at 55 years of age. To me, Rukmani was easily one of the loveliest women of that era, in Ceylon, and in addition to her film & stage roles, her public appearances, where everyone who saw her, loved her, for who she was, to me, “the nightingale sings” and this one, will never be forgotten. This is my tribute to her on behalf of eLanka.

Desmond Kelly.
“Squire of Sooriya”

ROCK N ROLL-COUNTRY STYLE

July 25, 2018 by admin

Des Kelly, Desmond Kelly, Rock N Roll

Australia, as a Country, is the great brown Land that many of us, Lankan/Aussies are lucky to be living in, at the moment. How it will be, in the future, is anybody’s guess.

Australia’s”Country Musicians”, while getting better, “As time goes by”, still have a long way to go, in comparison to their American counterparts. America, while boasting some of the greatest “names” in Country Music, also has had dozens of singers, bands & instrumentalists who were simply just “wannabes”, coming in from all over the World to “record”their songs in the U.S.of A, where, I believe, there are now more than 150 Radio Stations dedicated totally to “Country Music”. Tune in 24/7 for Country Music.

How wonderful, excepting for the fact that, right now, it is no longer called by it’s original name. It is now, dear reader,

“Modern-Country”, There is a song, strangely, but very well recorded by a Modern “Country-Man” named Alan Jackson.

He sings these words “Someone killed Country music, there on “Country Row”. How true it is.!, ” they even told the Possum, pack up & go on home, they’ve committed murder, right there, on Country Row”.

As I’ve done before, & will hopefully keep on doing, for eLanka, making our top website well worth watching and reading, I will choose “songs”that hopefully, will entertain our members even for a few minutes. This time, I have picked a song entitled “Fear of falling”. Donna Fisk, daughter of Gene Bradley Fisk, another Australian music fanatic, very popular in an earlier genre of Aussie Country music, and Michael Christian, a young singer/songwriter & superb guitarist, gives us this song, introduced by Bert Newton on the Channel 10 morning t.v.show. I cannot imagine a “sexier” beautiful Aussie female singing so well, accompanied by her partner, a handsome goodlooking young guy who also strums & plays his guitar, as I did, in the old days, two-stringed harmony “lead” & all, in a song I think, she wrote, a song you will want to hear (& SEE) over and over again. If any reader of eLanka wishes to “fantasize” on “Vertigo”, watch “The fear of falling”, Rock n Roll Country-Style.

Desmond Kelly.
“Squire of Sooriya”

Solve ME #2 answer

June 29, 2018 by admin

Break Aways, Des Kelly, Gabo, puzzle, solve me

Comedy is, as comedy does

May 4, 2017 by admin

Comedy, Des Kelly, Desmond Kelly

In what is termed “social-media” today, comedy, as such, takes a “back-seat” unfortunately. “porno- comedy” is very much in the forefront, everywhere. “butts, boobs, hookets & nudes”, transvestites and “gay dudes”, not “comedy” anymore, just crude.

My most recent “brush” with porno-comedy was when “someone out there”, quite probably a “Lankan” who liked “baila” took it upon themselves to include a female porno-model “dancing her butt off” to a recording of mine, done as a tribute to the “King” of Baila himself, the late great Wally Bastiensz.

I did this particular tribute to Wally, entitled “Baila Sellama (the baila-game), which included a few “Waada-Baila” verses, because Wally himself, taught me to sing baila (in competition) even before I became a teenager. He lived in Moratuwa, as I did, possibly “saw”, that here was a young “Lansia” who loved to entertain, and took it upon himself to teach me to sing these very popular baila verses, some of which I then sang to audiences who laughed as loudly as they applauded my efforts because, although I had no idea as to what I was singing about, the soft-kunuharapa verses kept my audiences happy. As I always say, people pay to see “entertainers”. The least we can do is to keep them happy, laughing & entertained.

This particular “baila-enthusiast” “borrowed” my tribute to Mr. Bastiensz (which is already featured in my “Especially for you” CD on e’Lanka you-tube), & featured a rather “tacky” female stripper “dancing” to Mr. Music’s singing! I am no prude, never have been, but I would like this person to know that “full nudity”, male or female, has never interested me. There I went, singing my heart out, especially for you, you idiot, “on-na ithin patangattha, baila-sell-ama” & it wasn’t “baila”, this sheila was doing. Her “movements” indicated that she was not al all interested in baila-dancing & this is what I take umbrage to. Wally (RIP), would probably be turning in his grave at this outrage.

Sorry, Wally, I’ve done my best, but the “prostitution” of your “baila-sell-ama”, as a close Mate of mine said, has been both tacky & rude. Now, had this “model” been wearing a “neglige”, it would have been far more interesting.

To go on, with comedy is, as comedy does, something else is happening with our social-media, these days. E’mails, abundantly featuring “jokes” that one has to “tickle” themselves, to laugh, are flying around, helter-skelter. There is nothing wrong with a joke that makes you crack a smile. These are sorely needed nowadays, but “subtle” jokes are the best ones. This being the case, “your’s truly” will endeavor to bring you, our readers a couple or three subtle jokes to brighten up your life. Here goes:-

“I keep fit by having a pint of milk every day. I also have this habit of bathing in milk.” Someone said

“pasturised’? I said “no, just up to my knees”.

A song, sung by a lout, about to be sent back to his own Country, from Australia. “I never felt more like singing the blues, (cos I never thought that I’d ever lose your love), I did, and now await deportation”.

English Comedian Les Dawson once said, “Clint Eastwood and I are so much alike, butch in the face of danger and utterly fearless. If, for instance, if I am threatened by such awesome thugs as my wife or her mother, I resort to the old Apache Indian trick of screaming abd begging for mercy”.

Source: http://elanka.com.au/comedy-comedy-des-kelly-star-elanka/

Poetry for Peace, Old Ceylon, my Island of dreams, The Butterfly

January 10, 2017 by admin

Ceylon, Des Kelly, Desmond Kelly, my Island of dreams, Old Ceylon, Poetry for Peace, Sri Lanka, The Butterfly

The predecessor of “song-writing” for me, has been “poetry”. From a very early age, not only did I enjoy reading good poetry, I started writing my own. Proudly, after coming to Australia, my poetry has not only been “accepted” Internationally, it has been “published” in a beautiful hard-back volume, “The Tide of Hours” featuring the best poets & poetry of 2003. As a result, I was “invited” to the U.S.of A. many times but, because of an extremely busy “work schedule” it was impossible for me to make it to America.

The following were a trio of “poems” of mine, submitted. One was “Poetry for Peace”(my advice to the World), & the other” Old Ceylon,my Island of dreams” (later composed as a song, with music added) & to begin with, was “The Butterfly”. Please read and hopefully, enjoy :-

“THE BUTTERFLY”
Like the wings of a butterfly, emerging at last
From it’s golden chrysalis, cocoon of the past
Comes the “getting of wisdom”, as I read a good book
Yes, they’re still available, if one cares to look
And watch, from our Planet, beautiful and vast
The wings of a butterfly, emerging at last

Now, see how this butterfly flutters-by, away
It’s life on Earth short, not much time to “stay”
But fulfils it’s reason for existence on Earth
Still, it’s beauty alone, to the beholder, is worth
More than treasures & wealth, mere money can buy
Is this, God’s creation of one butterfly

He’ll flutter his beautiful wings, till a mate
Flies directly below him, and she seals his fate
They “touch wings” together, & then, bye & bye
A golden chrysalis holds a new butterfly
The “moral” of this story, what man should aim for
Is to strive to continue, make love & not war

D.K.

“MY ADVICE TO THE WORLD”

Words are inadequate, phrases, too small
A World without peace, is a World, not at all
We live and we die, in a life-span too short
To “not love our neighbour”, as we have been taught
Matters not, in which Country, a person is born
Their homeland’s too precious, by strife, to be torn

Cause war means just one thing, insatiable greed
The desire for power, to own more than we need
Thus, millions have died, with more deaths to come
If we fight senseless battles, that can never be won
It’s high time the great flag of PEACE is unfurled
And that’s why I write, my “Advice to the World.

My “Advice to the World’, is an anthem of Peace
Only God is all-powerful, it’s Him we displease
When we glorify war, with it’s suffering & pain
Would you rather not sing a love-song again
With lyrics unending, music, sweet and true
I dedicate “Advice to the World”, and to you.

D.K.

“OLD CEYLON, MY ISLAND OF DREAMS”

Oh, to walk once again
On those sun-kissed white sands
Of that tropical Island shore
To feel the warm clasp
Of friendly brown hands
In welcome, wherever I go
This is my one & dearest wish
Impossible, though it now seems
To revisit the Country
In which I was born
Old Ceylon, my Island of dreams

To wander through Pettah
And it’s milling crowd
I know I’d be happy again
And though I’d be soaked
To the skin, I’d be proud
To stand in her monsoonal rain
To taste once again
Sweet “Kaju-pulung”
And gaze on a “cats-eye” that gleams
To hear Kandyan drums
And those sweet native songs
Of old-Ceylon, my Island of dreams

“CHORUS”(Sung)

These are my memories, sweet precious memories
These are my memories of yore
These are my memories, wonderful memories
I’ll take them with me, when I go

To see the clock-tower
In Colombo Fort
And walk all along
Galle-Face green
To watch all the lasses
Who now seem to sport
The brightest of
Bright colours seen
What I would’nt give
For a walk in the night
Neath a sky full of stars
And moonbeams
To watch a fire-fly try
To spread all it’s light
On old Ceylon, my Island of dreams

To reminisce gently
And, once again meet
All the old friends
I’m longing to see
And hear, once again
The fast rhythmic beat
Of the “Ruhunu Kumari”
As she wends her long way
Thru Lanka’s green Vales
By the rush of meandering streams
It’s a Country, so small
With a beauty, so rare
It’s old Ceylon, my Island of dreams.

“CHORUS” (Repeat)

The years of my child-hood
Were second to none
But have all slipped away
Far too fast
A million memories
I remember each one
My only regret? , they are past
The leopard, the elephant
The swift “flying-fish”
The smart fox & his wily schemes
I see them again, as I now close my eyes
Back in Ceylon, my Island of dreams.

Please Note Edited Lyrics & music to above song by:-

Desmond Kelly.

STRIFE OF THE SRI LANKAN HOUSEWIFE

October 15, 2016 by admin

Des Kelly, Desmond Kelly

How many times have we heard “stories” like this?!!

“My biscuits were too hard
Not like HIS Mother used to make
He didn’t like my curries
Or even the love-cake
The coffee wasn’t brewed right
Nor was HIS herbal-tea
The biryani was “not nice”
Nor was the mulligatawny
Shirt-buttons “missed” the button-hole
Tie knotted on askew
I didn’t mend his socks
Just like HIS Mother used to do”
I stood there, quite dumbfounded
While HE kept finding fault
“The eggs are NOT boiled right
Where IS the pepper & the salt”?
“I think I’m getting tired” I said
“I’m going to take a nap
Can’t blame your Mum for giving you
A thundering bloody slap
You’re just a great big grumble-bum
Who knows sweet bugger-all
And you can go and get your sleep
On the couch, out in the hall”
I’ve heard this lament, many times
It cuts just like a knife
When made by other women-kind
But certainly NOT my wife
Everything I’ve said above is true
I’m sure you will agree
The strife of many Lankan wives
Make them clamor to be free!

Desmond Kelly. K.F.C.
K.F.C. (Not an award, simply “Kelly From Colombo”)

Source: http://elanka.com.au/desmond-kelly/

AS TIME GOES BY

October 11, 2016 by admin

Ceylon, Des Kelly, Desmond Kelly, Old Ceylon

A beautiful old song from an era that spawned them.

Now, a “true story” with a difference.It was during the 1980’s in Melbourne. I had already been resident in my new Country for more than twenty years, now 48 years old, I had already been working here for 22 years, having started permanant/part-time employment less than a week after arrival. I still remember my very first job here, as a “mail-clerk” in Melbourne Town, rushing to the Spencer-Street railway station each morning to pick up the mail-bags from the “Southern-Cross” rail & “back at the office” sorting out the thousands of letters, cards, etc., (parcels were dispatched from another section), for the Australian Postal Service, then sending them off to each & every corner of this huge Land.

It was my “first job”, it was a great job & I enjoyed it.

This was “the thing” about Melbourne at the time. As far as employment was concerned, Melbourne was the destination of so many of us simply because, unless you were an absolute “no-hoper” there was NO EXCUSE for being unemployed.

The one & only “problem” as far as I was concerned was the fact that, even just being the autumn of 1962 at the time, travelling from Dandenong (where we lived), on what was fondly referred to, as the “red-rattlers”, it was bloody cold. I still remember a little flat in Garside Street, Dandenong, about 3 kms from the Dandy railway station, buying a bicycle to “ride” back home each evening after work, just about twilight time (those were the days when a bike was still “safe” locked up at a railway station) and dismounting with my hands clenched in a fist, frozen& unable to open up my fingers for a few minutes. 1962, Autumn/Winter was an unusually cold winter, even for Melbourne. I still remember the water-taps being frozen. Open the bloody things and nothing would come out for a while.

Anyway, to make a long story short, I “left” the mail-job after a while simply because of the inconvenience of travelling back & forth and secured employment as a “quality controller” at a place known as the South Australian Rubber Mills (S.A.R.M.) office in Dandenong. My greatest moment in this particular job was the fact that I had the unheard of, privilege to meet and shake the hand of the greatest batsman in the World, Sir Donald Bradman, who was a Director of the Rubber Mills, the head office of which was in South Australia, also the “home” of the legend, himself.

He came down to Dandenong for a “meeting” & this is where I got the chance to meet & speak with him. Being the “icon” he was, I expected hime to be aloof and stand-offish, but he was exactly the opposite. This only went to prove that, in my book anyway, “Top-Australians” tend to be the greatest ones like the “Don”, down-to-earth, humble people who knew how to make “new Australians” like myself welcome in his great Country. The couple of years I spent at S.A.R.M., was made fully worthwhile for me by that one meeting.

To me, he was the greatest Australian Cricketer, & to the entire World, he will ALWAYS be the greatest batsman, EVER. I will never forget you, Sir Donald Bradman, May you always rest in peace on the beautiful green cricket fields of Heaven.

It would be remiss of me not to mention a few other great Australians I have had the pleasure of meeting.

They included Graham Kennedy, Bert Newton, Bobby Limb, Reg. Lindsay, Johnny O’Keefe,(whose nephew, Andrew, would have to be the BEST thing that has ever happened to Channel 7 in Melbourne), & a veritable host of other T.V. “stars”, both male & female. These people, (entertainers, all of them) were top-class & I was privileged to know them and “work” with them.

Don Lane was an American who worked extensively in Melbourne television, was one “star” I was not fortunate to meet and another, unfortunately, was the “Man in the hat” the late, great, Slim Dusty.

It would be quite noticable to my readers that all the above folk were in “Show-biz” & yes, although I was told personally by Sir Roden Cutler V.C. who was the Ambassador fir Australia in Ceylon that I would definitely NOT reach the status of entertainment that I enjoyed back home in Lanka, so why did I wish to migrate? , I replied “I’ll give it my best shot, Sir”, and I am proud to say that I did just that in my new home.

So, although I always had to have a “regular job” in order to “feed my family”, “Show-Business” was ALWAYS a part-time money-earner for me. While I was on “top of the entertainment tree” in Ceylon, Sir Roden Cutler could have been quite right in his advice to me, but, proudly being an ex-Royal Ceylon Navy man, challenges have to be met in life and overcome. I was also a naturally stubborn character and the worse the challenge, the better I felt, having “a go” at it.

To get down to the “nitty-gritty”, I was the only “bread-winner” in my family in Australia. This was my own choice. With my “day-job”, later, to become shift-work, part-time & show-biz jobs, TV & “recording jobs”, organizing & running the BIGGEST Hotel talent-quest called “Search for a Star” for the Federal Hotel group, 7 nights a week, part-time “Security-jobs”, later still owning & running my D.K.Security Company, managing several other “entertainers” & bands and getting work for them, THERE HAD TO BE someone at home to look after our own family and this job was designated to my wife of 48 years, Cynthia, who did a very good job of bringing up our four children, Michael, Douglas, Michelle & Warren, a TEAM of four of the very best and four of whom I am extremely proud.

As time goes by, @ 80+ I have finally semi-retired as far as general employment is concerned anyway. I cannot go out anymore to “entertain” as I have done for 75 long years. I miss the company of hundreds of fans and friends but that’s o.k. I want them to remember me, as they saw me “on stage”, I have no regrets, simply many many memories, so, finally, I find myself writing for, what I hope will become a TOP household word in the electronic media. I have been so very lucky to have so many “firsts” in my life, I am now proud to “write” for all the Lankan Aussies everywhere as the “Star of eLanka” & I sincerely thank my good friend Neil Jayasekera for this chance. “As time goes by”,

Musically yours,
Desmond (Kelly From Colombo)

Source: http://elanka.com.au/desmond-kelly/

THE MEANING OF “SONG”

July 14, 2016 by admin

Bird Songs, Des Kelly, Desmond Kelly, Music, song

MILLIONS OF THEM HAVE BEEN WRITTEN,
PLAYED BY INSTRUMENTS, OR BEEN SUNG
TRILLIONS OF WORDS IN THEIR LYRICS,
COMPOSED FOR THE OLD AND THE YOUNG
WHAT’S THE TRUE MEANING OF “MUSIC”,
HOW COULD IT EVER BE WRONG?
READING MY WORDS WILL NOW TELL YOU,
EXACTLY, THE MEANING OF “SONG”.

“Music” is the only TRUE International Language in this World of ours. Even the tiniest corner of the Globe will, at some time, during its day or night, feature the music, song or dance common to that particular area and although the word “dance” is the odd one out, to do this, one MUST have “music” of some sort, even if it is just the beating of a drum or tom-tom.

It is said that music originated in Africa. I beg to differ. Granted, ancient drums in Africa told their people, for miles around, exactly what was happening that could affect their lives in some way, shape or form. Africans originally used “drums” to pass on messages just as the “telephone” was used later on. But, in my own opinion, African drums themselves, came much later on in history. Indeed, there was MUSIC, long before Africa was even heard of.

The “first” Music was, in fact, “BIRD-SONG”. Birds small, large, & even some huge ones were created by The Almighty with one purpose in mind, and this was to provide HIS Humans with Music. True, the ones of the “dinosaur age” just “squawked” unmusically, simply to attract a “mate”. So, what’s new? , THIS is happening right now. There are many “unmusical musicians” out there who don’t even know the meaning of music. They THINK that they are making music but all they really do is, make a loud noise. Then, they think that they are “the bees’ knees” because thousands of unmusical “fans” at their “concerts”, (mostly female) scream their little heads off at what I would term “MUSICK”, and it is quite possible that, as a result of all this “noise”, these “makers of musick” think that they are the best band in the Land. I certainly do not think so. WHO IS FOOLING WHOM?!

Getting back to the first “Music-Makers”. Our little feathered friends like the “Robins” in England, the “Bell-birds”, in Australia, “The Nightingale that “sang” in Barclay Square”, the Starlings, Thrushes & thousands of other little birds who sing so sweetly for us, lucky listeners, are, in fact, the “originators” of music, as far as I am concerned. These little makers of music give us a reason to live. There is NOTHING BETTER than to wake up on a spring morning to the sound of “bird-song” and I challenge anyone to beat that. Because I absolutely LOVE good music, I have decided to give you, my readers:-

“THE MEANING OF SONG”

(THINK ABOUT IT)

S stands for STORY, musically told
O stands for ORIGINALS, both brand new & old
N stands for NOSTALGIA, they often will bring
G stands for GREATNESS, some-thing you can sing

Desmond (Kelly From Colombo)

Source: http://elanka.com.au/desmond-kelly/

des-kelly

The Nightingale Sings

ROCK N ROLL-COUNTRY STYLE

Solve ME #2 answer

Comedy is, as comedy does

Poetry for Peace, Old Ceylon, my Island of dreams, The Butterfly

STRIFE OF THE SRI LANKAN HOUSEWIFE

AS TIME GOES BY

THE MEANING OF “SONG”

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