Chendrimada Biddu Appaiah – Music composer, Producer and Music writer

Chendrimada Biddu Appaiah from Kodagu is a music composer, producer and music writer. He was born in Bangalore in 1944 and spent his teen years listening to the rock and pop tracks of the 1960s, which were played out over Radio Ceylon, a popular channel. Biddu is easily the most successful Indian music producers on the international scene.

Family

Parents

• Father   Dr Appaiah
• Mother Cheppudira …

Wife

Sue

Children

• Zac-Son
• ZaZa-Daughter

Siblings

• Kutts Kuttappa
• Dechu Appaiah

Education

• Studied in Bishop Cotton Boy’s school,Bangalore

Books

• Curse of the Godman
• Made in India

Career

• He learnt to play the guitar and formed his own music group with a few friends. They sang popular numbers from the Beatles and Rolling Stones in many of Bangalore clubs. The group later disbanded, and Biddu continued on his journey for some time.
• In 1967, Biddu left for England and tried his luck as a singer, but things did not work out. He then decided to produce his own records. He started recording singles, but none of them ever received any mainstream success.
• His early recordings were just played in obscure clubs. His first breakthrough was with a Japanese Band called The Tigers. He recorded an English number called ‘Smile for Me’ written by the Bee Gees. The song became a huge hit in Japan.

Achievements

• Things started taking a turn for the better for Biddu in 1972 when he composed the music for a UK spy movie ‘The Embassy’. It was during this time that he started working with Carl Douglas, a Jamaican-born singer. Biddu recorded two singles by Carl Douglas, ‘Kung Fu Fighting’ and ‘I Want to Give You Everything’.
• Kung Fu Fighting was a huge international hit, and it sold eleven million copies and received Golden Certification status. It also won a Grammy for the Best Selling Singles.
• Biddu’s reputation started shooting up from then on and he went on to produce more huge hits, in 1976, he produced two albums: Rain Forest and Eastern Man. He won several awards for the album Rain Forest, and for the Song Writer of the Year. He began experimenting with electronic music and with Hi-NRG disco.
• In 1977 he brought out an LP titled ‘Life’, featuring Jamaican soul singer Jimmy James. The album included two smash hits ‘Disco Fever’ and ‘I’ll Go Where Your Music Takes Me’.
• In 1979, Biddu scored the music for a song in the Hindi movie, Qurbani. He composed the music for ‘App Jaise Koi’, sung by a 15 year old girl, Nazia Hassan.
• Biddu later signed up Nazia and her brother Zoheb and brought out the album ‘Disco Deewane’, which became a phenomenal hit across Asia and made Nazia Hassan a household name.

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