World News features 'Piyaneni,' the tribute song to Reverend Canon Ivan Corea, written by Sri Lanka's King of Pop, Clarence Wijewardena.
The World News website has featured the goonewj channel film, ‘Piyaneni,’ the Clarence Wijewardena hit song.
‘Piyaneni’ was written by Clarence as a tribute to Reverend Canon Ivan Corea, father of Radio Ceylon and BBC broadcaster Vernon Corea and Ambassador Ernest Corea, former Editor of the Ceylon Daily News. It is now on the World News website.
Sisters Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle are two of India’s legendary playback singers. They were born in the small hamlet of Goar in Sangli, Maharashtra, into the musical Marathi Family of Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar. They are now the toast of Bollywood. They have performed all over the world.
Millions tuned into Radio Ceylon to hear the music of Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bosle in the 1950s and 1960s on the All Asia Service and the Hindi Service of the radio station.
Vernon Corea presented 'London Sounds Eastern' on BBC Radio London 206
When Vernon Corea was asked to present ‘London Sounds Eastern’ on BBC Radio London 206 in 1976 he featured the filmi music of Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle and introduced them to new audiences in the capital.
Listen to the legendary sisters –
Lata Mangeshkar
Asha Bohsle
Cornershop recorded a hit single – a tribute to Asha Bohsle – A Brimful of Asha:
The Clarence Wijewardena classic hit, ‘Piyaneni’ is on youtube on the Goonewj Channel. Clarence wrote the song as a tribute to Vernon Corea’s father, the late Reverend Canon Ivan Corea. ‘Piyaneni’ went on to become a huge hit across South Asia.
The Sri Lankan music legend, the island’s King of Pop, the late Clarence Wijewardena, composed this massive hit, Piyaneni, in memory of Vernon Corea’s father, the late Reverend Canon Ivan Corea who championed the rights of the poor in Sri Lanka. Reverend Canon Corea was Vicar of St.Luke’s Church Borella and St. Paul’s Church Milagiriya. He worked tirelessly to support the poorest of the poor — the Rodiya Community in Sri Lanka.
Clarence Wijewardena
Clarence and Annesley Malewana recorded the song in the presence of Vernon Corea at Augie Ranaweera’s recording studio in Bambalapitiya, Colombo, in Sri Lanka in 1972.
Annesley Malewana
Wijewardena used the rhythmic pattern of the Bossa nova for ‘Piyaneni’.In the 1960s Clarence Wijewardena was mentored by the legendary broadcaster of Radio Ceylon, Vernon Corea who helped him to reach the pinnacle of fame in the music world in Sri Lanka. Vernon Corea also played the music of Clarence Wijewardena, Annesley Malewana and the Moonstones not only on his radio programmes on Radio Ceylon, but also on his popular programme ‘London Sounds Eastern’, on BBC Radio London in the late 1970s. He was invited by Clarence to write on a 1970s Lotus LP sleeve. Vernon Corea wrote: “We have all shared the treat of your lovely Lyrics, your tuneful compositions, your friendly presentation and your spontaneous sense of sharing with your followers, your treasury of talent. Keep going, keep growing, keep glowing”.
Reverend Ivan Corea as a Curate in the 1920s in Kurana, Katunayake in Sri Lanka.
Reverend Ivan Corea was a much loved priest who worked for the poor in Sri Lanka. Clarence Wijewardena had visited Vernon Corea’s residence in Maha Nuge Gardens in Kolpetty, Colombo in the 1960s and met Reverend Corea prior to his death in 1968. Maha Nuge Gardens was a power house in politics, music, broadcasting and commerce from the 60s and 70s and many distinguished members of Sri Lanka lived there. Vernon Corea lived at No.5 Maha Nuge Gardens.
Clarence Wijewardena and Annesley Malewana first visited Vernon Corea at 5 Maha Nuge Gardens in Colombo-3 in 1967. Their manager was Vernon's cousin, Sri Sangabo Corea who asked Vernon to help promote them over the airwaves of Radio Ceylon.
‘Piyaneni’ went on to become a hit in South Asia. Wijewardena’s partner Annesley Malewana who was a member of the ‘Moonstones’ and the ‘Super Golden Chimes’ has sung ‘Piyaneni’ across the world including London, Melbourne and Los Angeles. Annesley Malewana talked about the hit song ‘Piyaneni’ in a newspaper interview in Colombo, Sri Lanka:
“When we toured England in 1994 to hold musical shows, Vernon Corea who was in England requested me to sing this particular song. When I got on to the stage and started singing Vernon broke down and all of us were moved by this incident. Wherever we go, most people in foreign countries requested me to sing this song. Now I dedicate that song to my late father,” he said.
Source: Wikipedia and WordPress.com
Several books were published in 2010 by LLC Books in the United Kingdom and sold on Amazon and other sites which included information on Vernon Corea’s broadcasting career with Radio Ceylon/Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation and the BBC.
Sri Lankan Radio Personalities - Vernon Corea
British Radio Executives - Vernon Corea
British Personalities of Sri Lankan Descent
British Radio Presenters - Vernon Corea
Vernon Corea's met the former British Prime Minister John Major and the Sri Lankan cricket team at a reception in the Palace of Westminster in 2002.
Vernon Corea’s last public engagement was the in the summer of 2002. He was invited by Asitha Jayaweera to meet the former Prime Minister of Great Britain at a reception on the Garden Terrace of the House of Commons in the Palace of Westminster in honour of the Sri Lankan Cricket Team who had arrived to play a test series against England.
Vernon met former Prime Minister John Major and Sri Lankan test stars Aravinda de Silva, Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayewardene were very kind to him. He was frail and old but there were those who respected him and recalled his days in broadcasting at Radio Ceylon.
He remembered the kindness of Asitha Jayaweera, who like him was an Old Royalist and in fact captained the Royal College team in the Royal-Thomian encounter in the 1960s. It was Asitha Jayaweera who had invited Vernon to this event in the Palace of Westminster. Vernon thoroughly enjoyed the reception. He enjoyed talking to Dav Whatmore, telling him, ‘I knew your family.’
Sadly he passed away in New Malden on the 23rd of September 2002.
Read the Daily News Sri Lanka article on the reception hosted by Lord Naseby in the House of Commons in 2002:
Sri Lankan cricketers are always exciting says former British PM
By Sa’adi Thawfeeq
Former British Prime Minister John Major recalled the exciting brand of cricket that is familiar with Sri Lanka and said they always played entertaining cricket.
Major, a keen cricket follower wished the Sri Lankan team led by Sanath Jayasuriya all success on their tour of England when he spoke at a tea reception hosted by Lord Naseby at the House of Commons on Monday.
Major was one of the speakers who toasted the team.
Lord Naseby was formerly known as Michael Morris when he was deputy speaker in the House of Commons before he was elevated to the House of Lords. He is at present the Chairman of the British-Sri Lankan group in Parliament and a good and true friend of Sri Lanka. He also worked in Sri Lanka some years ago. England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Tim Lamb who was also present on the occasion, said that he was pleased that Sri Lanka were finally playing a series of three Tests and also wished the team all success on the tour.
Sri Lanka’s previous four tours to England comprised only of one-off Tests and Lord Naseby has been one of the active campaigners for a three-Test series in England. Among the 175 guests who attended the function were Sri Lanka’s new High Commissioner to the UK, His Excellency Faisz Mustapha and his wife, Land Minister Rajitha Senaratne, and MPs from the House of Commons. According to BCCSL UK representative committee chairman Dr. Daya Panditha-gunawardena there was a large media present at the occasion which included the two main British TV channels, Sky TV and Channel 4. BBC Radio and representatives from all the major British newspapers were also present. Film crews from Sri Lankan TV stations Rupavahini and Sirasa were also present. Dr Panditha-Gunawardena both welcomed and thanked everyone present as well as all those who helped to make the event a success, especially Lord Naseby. He specially welcomed His Excellency Faisz Mustapha, who was attending his first official function as High Commissioner and wished him a successful term of office in the UK. Dr. Panditha-gunawardena also thanked Dilmah tea company for their help and for the financial sponsorship.Dilmah tea was served at the reception and there was an advertising area for their product. Every guest received a gift of Dilmah tea. Dilmah are the official sponsors of the Sri Lanka cricket team. Captain Jayasuriya and Sri Lanka team manager Chandra Schaffter also spoke.
“The tea reception at the House of Commons was very successful and I have had a number of congratulatory messages for a highly successful afternoon,” said Dr. Panditha-gunawardena.
He said this was the first time that a Sri Lanka cricket team had been hosted to tea in the House of Parliament. The cricket team and officials were shown around the House of Parliament by Lord Naseby himself, who acted as guide.
RAINED OFF Sri Lanka’s one-day friendly fixture against Sir Paul Getty’s XI at Wormsley (Sir Paul Getty’s ground, about 30 miles north-west of London) on Tuesday was unfortunately rained off.
Their next fixture is a 3-day game against British Universities which commenced at Northampton yesterday.
Usha Uthup
Usha Uthup, formerly Usha Iyer is India’s Queen of Pop. They say she introduced the western pop music influence to Indian music.
India’s singing sensation Usha Uthup has said her single greatest influence was Radio Ceylon. The radio station ruled the airwaves in South Asia in the 1950s and 1960s. Usha Uthup grew up in India listening to the All Asia Service of Radio Ceylon. The iconic Ameen Sayani who was also a presenter with the station, gave her the opportunity of singing on the Ovaltine Music Hour over the airwaves of Radio Ceylon. Usha, with her powerful voice, has entertained audiences all over the world but her first break in entertainment was with Radio Ceylon. The All Asia Service and the Hindi Service of the station played her music across the Indian sub-continent.
She met Vernon Corea at Radio Ceylon when she travelled to Colombo in the lates 1960s and 1970s. She has performed in Colombo and she was interviewed over the airwaves of Radio Ceylon by Vernon. They became friends and years later whenever she visited London in the 1980s, she was a regular visitor to Vernon Corea’s office at the BBC which was located in what is now The Langham Hotel in Central London in the United Kingdom.
Usha Uthup was a frequent visitor to Vernon Corea's office at the BBC Langham which was situated in the 1980s, in what is now The Langham Hotel in London opposite BBC Broadcasting House.
Usha Uthup has the rare distinction of singing Sinhala baila music. She has been interviewed by Vernon Corea on his popular radio programme ‘London Sounds Eastern,’ on BBC Radio London 206.
Vernon Corea interviewed Pandit Ravi Shankar on his popular radio programme, 'London Sounds Eastern' on BBC Radio London 206.
Pandit Ravi Shankar is the world’s greatest sitarist, he is a maestro and has been on countless albums. The Beatles respected him so much and learnt how to play the sitar from Ravi Shankar himself during their visits to India. He became so well known in the West as a result of this musical partnership. George Harrison called Ravi Shankar the Godfather of World Music.
George Harrison of the Beatles called Ravi Shankar the Godfather of World Music
Ravi Shankar’s music was first featured in the late 1950s and 1960s on Radio Ceylon. His sitar influence with George Harrison came through on songs played by the Beatles on the Commercial Service of Radio Ceylon.
Vernon Corea interviewed Pandit Ravi Shankar in London in the 1960s for his popular radio programme, ‘London Sounds Eastern,’ on BBC Radio London 206. ‘London Sounds Eastern’ had a cult following across Britain’s capital. Ravi Shankar talked about his music on the radio programme.
President John F.Kennedy in the Oval Office at the White House with a delegation from Ceylon in 1961. It was President Kennedy who despatched Duke Ellington to Ceylon, on a goodwill tour of the Far East.
It was 1963, President John.F Kennedy thought it would be a good idea to win the ‘hearts and minds’ of people in the Far East through the medium of music and jazz in particular. President Kennedy appointed ‘Duke’ the legendary American Jazz pianist, Duke Ellington as his Music Ambassador.
Duke Ellington in Ceylon in 1963.
Duke Ellington was despatched to the Far East on a goodwill tour under the patronage of the U.S.State Department. Duke Ellington and his famous orchestra went to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Egypt, India, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Persia (now Iran), and Turkey.
Duke Ellington met Vernon Corea in a studio at Radio Ceylon in 1963
Duke Ellington arrives for his sell out concert in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) seated on a Triumph Herald. Sri Lankan broadcaster Vernon Corea and his family were in the audience in 1963.
Click on the link below to see a photograph of the Governor-General of Ceylon William Gopallawa, leaving the Duke Ellington Concert in 1963 at the Racecourse:
Duke spent a few days in Ceylon and performed to a packed stadium in Colombo. South Asia’s leading radio station, Radio Ceylon was a ‘must visit’ for Duke Ellington so Duke was whisked to Torrington Square for interviews and a concert in the auditorium.
Vernon Corea was a real jazz enthusiast. He was an accomplished jazz pianist and he played by ear. He enjoyed listening to ‘Satchmo’ the great Louis Armstrong. He included the music of Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington on his radio programmes on Radio Ceylon.
Vernon met Duke Ellington in a studio at Radio Ceylon and the great man even autographed one of his records for Vernon. He took his children with him to meet Duke Ellington, the Corea Family were also present at the amazing concert in Colombo in 1963.
Far East Suite - the Duke Ellington album - Kandyan dancers and caparisoned elephants in the Kandyan Perahera on the front cover.
Duke Ellington thrilled audiences in Colombo. After his visit he released an album called the Far East Suite to commemorate his goodwill tour of the Far East. The front cover of his album, Far East Suite included pictures of Kandyan dancers and a caparisoned elephant from the Kandy Perahera.
Chamikara WEERASINGHE
CONTRARY to its nowadays’ apparently diminished and rather muted disposition as a commercially well-established art form, jazz was Sri Lanka’s most acclaimed and urbanely widespread style of music in the 40s and 50s.
Although one hardly gets to hear any jazz being played in the city’s famous pubs, sports clubs or night clubs any more than a beat group playing one or two jazz songs from a podium as of today, the spicy sounds of the Caribbean and Mexico were once gaining wider notice in the country’s big hotels.
Burgeoning Jazz sessions were taking place at the Galle Face Hotel in Colombo, the Taprobane and the Mount Lavinia Hotel.
The musicians were all European nationals for there was no local jazz bands or musicians in Sri Lanka during those early years of post-independence. Most of these European bands resembled Swing or Big Bands in the US while some of them resembled the characteristics of Territory Bands that were playing jazz in smaller United States cities.
There were no electronic keyboards or electric guitars available at the time of the development of jazz. The instruments in use were pianos, clarinets, harmonicas, oboes, saxophones, trumpets, drums and semi acoustic-guitars.
Vernon Corea 1927-2002 
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