Desmond Kelly | Sooriya Records

“REMEMBERING CLARENCE” – By Des Kelly

May 22, 2022 by shamilka

He was certainly one of the very best Singer/ Songwriters that Sri Lanka was proud to call their own.

Clarence Wijewardena wrote many songs, most of them, at the request of friends who, in turn, had friends wishing to record a “Clarence-song”.

This writer was already in Australia, when Clarence wrote a song entitled “Dilhani”, dedicated to the baby- daughter of yet another friend, no doubt. It wasn’t known to many folk that Clarence wrote his song-lyrics in a simple exercise book, that most Sri Lankans would remember as a relic of their School days. He wrote many songs, so there were many exercise books, and in addition, at the beginning of each song, being a Catholic, he would also write a special little prayer, asking God to help him complete the song. This was the simple God-fearing guy that I consider myself to be very unlucky, not to have met personally.

However, another famous female Singer by the name of Indrani Perera, with a band named the “Moonstones” had recorded “Dilhani” which I first heard in Melbourne in early 1963. It was a beautiful version of this great song which reminded me very much, of the Country I had just migrated from and made me quite emotional just listening to it.

I decided to use the beautiful music that Clarence had written, compose my own English lyrics and called the song ” My lovely Island Home” Before I recorded it, I wrote to Clarence Wijewardena and asked for his written permission to use his music, and was very happy when he wrote back, giving his permission & so I recorded my version, always giving him due credit for his music.

Clarence Wijewardena has since passed on, but his beautiful music will live on, forever, and my only regret is that I never did get the chance to meet him and shake his hand, congratulating him on so many songs that he had written. Unfortunately, all the exercise books containing his lyrics got burned in a house fire, but the memories and melodies linger on, Clarence. God bless you, my friend, and may you rest in peace with the same God whose help you called on, so often.

Desmond Kelly

(Editor-in-Chief).

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“CALYPSO BAILA GREATS” – By Des Kelly

May 8, 2022 by shamilka

Desmond Kelly, La Ceylonians, Noel Ranasinghe

He wasn’t large in stature, but he would stand there in the centre of his musical group known as the “La Ceylonians”, over-large straw hat on his head, simple open-necked shirt, with the inevitable sarong, generally worn by most Sri Lankans and barefoot, clutching either an acoustic guitar or a banjo-mandolin and singing songs, many of which he wrote himself.

Noel Ranasinghe was his name, and he came into prominence in the early 60s.

I did read a couple of stories about the La Ceylonians and was quite amazed to read that Noel and his group entertained audiences in many parts of the World. He actually promoted this Calypso type Baila more than several other bands did, in Ceylon at the time.

I happened to see Tharuna Jeewithe’ Ape’ Vinodayen on you-tube, quite by chance and decided to publish this great song on e’Lanka, dedicating it, in fact, to Noel who passed on aged 73, after a fairly long illness in 2015.

Rest in peace, Noel. I was not privileged to meet you in person, having left for Australia in 1961.

Your music, together with the La Ceylonians will always be popular with thousands of your fans, so rest easy, my friend. If you are a Sri Lankan, this song should bring back many memories. The presentation as a whole, is superb.

Desmond Kelly

(Editor-in-Chief).

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Melroy de Silva “GUITAR-JOHN” (REMEMBERED)

August 16, 2020 by shamilka

Desmond Kelly, Melroy De Silva

He was eighteen when I first met him at his Davidson Road home in Bambalapitiya. Handsome, rather chubby, as I remember him, already with the reputation of being an extremely good “guitarist”, Melroy De Silva was living right behind our little tenement home at 38, Lorenz Road, and if I remember correctly, it was his constant guitar-picking I heard, practically right over our back wooden fence, that made me want to meet this guy, so, one sunny day I decided to walk over to this house in Davidson Road and introduce myself to this guitar-picker. It was 1950, I had just turned fourteen in July of that year, played the Ukelele, and would sing to anyone who would listen, and loved music, especially what was termed “Country & Western”, in those good old days.

Found out that Melroy also loved the same type of music, and soon, we became very good friends. I have already written a well deserved tribute to this “Firefly”, now at rest, in Canada, so I do not intend to repeat myself. Still, I cannot believe that it is almost 1 year since John Melroy de Silva has passed-on. He was born on the 31st of December, 1932 and died on the 28th of January, 2018. As well as being the former leader of the “Fireflies” group in Ceylon, at that time, Melroy went on to be fondly remembered as “Guitar-John” in Vancouver B.C., where he continued to entertain everybody with, not just his guitar-picking, but also an endearing “Personality” who could make people smile.

As a guitarist, there have been, and there are still many players of this instrument who are considered to be “top-class”, and I would not doubt it for one second, BUT!!, It was a special “Latin-American” strum on any acoustic Spanish Guitar, that I remember Melroy de Silva for. NOBODY, and I mean NO-ONE would ever be able to match it. I consider myself to be a fairly good guitarist, quick to learn, etc., but I do remember watching this man’s right hand work magic on his “six-stringer” (at the time), watching for hours at a time, did, in fact learn to play these Latin/ Spanish songs, but was never able to accomplish that “special-strum” that Melroy seemed to manage so easily.

Melroy, as I have already said loved his C & W music, so while passing on his “memories” to his loved ones in Canada, I have decided to add two songs, recorded by the late great Hank Snow. Eventually, we ended up, thousands of miles apart, but Melroy, I will never forget you and the good times we had together, chasing all the pretty girls at the Lindsay Girls School in Bambalapitiya, serenading them, writing songs for them, etc., those WERE the days, I always say. God bless you, Melroy. eLanka AND Sri Lanka are proud of you.

Desmond Kelly
(Editor-in-Chief).

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“THE GOOD OLD DAYS” – By Des Kelly

May 21, 2020 by shamilka

Desmond Kelly

We go around these days, complaining about this & that, the latest being Corona Virus, the lockdown, the inability of going abroad on holidays, the this, & the that, WHY must this happen to US ???, etc., etc.,& most of us hark on what was termed the good old days, myself included, and yet, thinking about it, in fact, thinking about what people in general had to put up with, just from the date my dear Mother was born, is something else again.

This might shock some of you more sensitive readers, but, once read, you will have a much different perspective on what is happening all around you right at the moment.

The more you read folks, the more you learn. Covid 19 has already taken a big toll, and will continue to do so, until a Vaccine is found to combat it, but with the technology around today, it’s only a matter of time before we “ease the squeeze”, so to speak. Viruses will always be around however, they will never be wiped out, but they can, and they will be contained, provided we learn how to do this.

It is a whole different World out there, at the moment folks, but let me take you now, to what was supposed to be

“The good old days”.

Desmond Kelly.
(Editor-in-Chief) eLanka.

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”

A FIREFLY AT REST | Milroy De Silva

February 1, 2018 by admin

Desmond Kelly, Milroy de Silva, The Fireflies

He led “The Fireflies” band in Ceylon from 1963, a personal friend of mine, Milroy de Silva has passed on, in Vancouver, Canada, after a long illness, leaving family, friends & fans, deeply saddened by his death, at the age of 84. Milroy was indeed, a superb guitarist, self-taught, as most of us were in the good old days.

I remember the time when he lived in Davidson Road, Bambalapitiya, practically right behind our little tenement home in Lorensz Road, and this is where I first heard a “special-style” of acoustic guitar playing which left me spell-bound with the skill & expertise he displayed. A “latin-rhythm strum”that was as individualistic as the man himself, to be quite honest about it, I have never seen a “strum” like it. In addition, Milroy was a superb “lead-guitarist” as well. At the time, during the early 50’s Arthur “Guitar-Bogey” Smith played “Guitar-Bogey” just as well as Milroy de Silva. Note for note/chord for chord, there was no difference whatsoever. I would go to Milroy’s , sit there with him, watching those hands, playing his music, in absolute fascination. It was all acoustic “stuff” then. Electric guitars would be imported by “Harmonics” & Papa Menizies later, but Milroy & “yours truly” decided to manufacture our own amplifier in order to increase the sound of his “acoustic”.

We managed to find a couple of old “pakis-petti”, Melroy used his electronic ability, he had two old “speakers” from an ancient radio-gram and together, we produced the very first, not too handsome looking “amplifier” that Lorensz Road had seen. Melroy then took his acoustic guitar to Papa Menizies & Papa, always wanting to help people, put in the “finishing touch” to Milroy’s old acoustic, turning it into what was possibly the first electric/acoustic in Bambalapitiya. Milroy loved that guitar & not too much later his number one “fan” was going to use this same treasured instrument, to join a Circus Group that would be touring the Country for Donavan Andree. This was later though, but first,

There used to be a famous “girls’ school” named after some bloke by the exalted name of “Lindsay”. This was a Christian School where the “Head-Mistress” suddenly decided to run a Thursday afternoon “special” programme called the “Band of Hope” which would consist of around two hours of “Religous-Teachings” to the girl-students, some of whom had no hope at all, but were welcome there anyway. After the Band of Hope, the girls would be permitted to encourage any talented entertainers they knew to entertain them with music before they left for the evening to go home. There were several pianists, piano-accordian, & even a “mouth-organist” or two, known to various lasses at this School, to provide the said entertainment. Now & then, there would be a “vacant” Thursday afternoon, but Milroy de Silva & Desmond Kelly needed no encouragement to fill the vacancy. Milroy, with his guitar & Desmond with his Ukelele

would happily go down there, sing to, and entertain the girls, who, like any normal females of the time enjoyed being entertained. We had nearly all of the Lindsay Girls’ School lasses around us for the afternoon requesting their favourite songs and Milroy & Des enjoyed the attention they were getting, but had to sneak “out”, over the rear wall of the School, guitar, uke, & all to escape some of the boy-friends of some girls, waiting impatiently outside the front gate, to give these two imposters an unmerciful thrashing for taking up “their girls’ time”.

It was also here, where Milroy de Silva met a girl named Celonia and asked Desmond Kelly to write him a song dedicated to her. Desmond wrote it, titled “Celonia” of course, and Milroy loved it. He sang it to her, but eventually married a very pretty girl named Carmen. Desmond dated another very pretty girl named “Aloma”, but also ended up with another beauty (from another School) named Cynthia.

Milroy de Silva & Desmond Kelly were always very good friends. Then in 1952, Desmond Kelly was afforded the chance of joining this English Circus group to tour Ceylon with them. He had to audition for them before he got the job. However, the Circus Owner needed a guitar-playing singer on-stage, so what to do, men?, Desmond Kelly then borrowed that same old guitar from Melroy, for the weekend, taught himself to play the two extra “strings” involved, passed the audition and got the job. Milroy carried on in Colombo. He was already a very popular entertainer and found himself working, in the showbiz- industry egularly. There was hardly a large hotel or nightclub in Ceylon at the time, that we didn’t work for.

Unfortunately, I lost touch with him after our Circus show named The Continental Non-stop Revue ended, i joined the Royal Ceylon Navy, getting out in 1962 to migrate to Melbourne.

In the meantime, Milroy, still doing what he loved, formed his own band and called them his “Fire-flies”. He was indeed a superb musician, still, someone to whom many upcoming musicians went to, for advice, freely given. He was also an ardent fan of the old Country & Western icon Montana Slim,

singing and playing in the old style to the delight of hundreds of fans, wherever he performed.

He eventually left “Our Lovely Island Home”, like so many of us, to settle in Vancouver Canada. Here he was affectionately known as “Guitar John”, entertained, as we music-lovers do, until it becomes physically impossible to do so, and has finally “passed on” to continue singing and playing his guitar for the angels in heaven . A “personal” apology from me to you, Milroy, is that, although I did my very best to keep in touch with you, latterly, it became impossible to telephone you because you were frequently unavailable, in hospital, or just not home. No excuses on my part, but after coming to Australia, trying to do two & even three jobs at a time, working “shifts, 24/7, although I would have loved to have come to Canada, just to join your band and play the music we both loved, it was only wishful thinking on my part. Rest easy now, my friend. We had some great times together but now let me ask God to bless you & keep you, my sincere condolences to your entire family and this, my dedication to you, Milroy de Silva will show you that “Music & Memories” always go hand in hand.

Your pal, always,
Desmond Kelly.
“Squire of Sooriya”

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/

desmond-kelly

“REMEMBERING CLARENCE” – By Des Kelly

“CALYPSO BAILA GREATS” – By Des Kelly

Melroy de Silva “GUITAR-JOHN” (REMEMBERED)

“THE GOOD OLD DAYS” – By Des Kelly

The Nightingale Sings

ROCK N ROLL-COUNTRY STYLE

A FIREFLY AT REST | Milroy De Silva

Comedy is, as comedy does

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