Shelton Perera

Shelton Perera (ෂෙල්ටන් පෙරේරා), born Thotagamage Shelton Perera, was a Sri Lankan singer, tabla player, and film music director, remembered for classical-leaning songs such as Egodaha Yanno, Maha Muhudu Wimane, and Budune. He worked in Sinhala music from the mid-1950s until his death in 1986.

Early life and training

Shelton Perera was born on 20 March 1939 in Colombo. He began as a percussionist, and his early formal training came at the Government Conservatory (1954 to 1955) under teachers including W. W. Rupasinghe and Lionel Edirisinghe. He later studied tabla at Marris Music College in India, where he was exposed to leading North Indian classical musicians.

Career

Perera built a reputation first as a tabla player before moving to the front of the stage as a vocalist, recording for the HMV label. His voice suited the classical and devotional registers of Sinhala song, and he ranged across lighter pop and film material as well. He entered cinema as a music director, and in 1985 he received the Sarasaviya Award for Best Singer for work on Sasara Chethana.

On 20 May 1980 he staged a concert titled Mihirathi Wasantha at the Tower Theatre in Colombo, the same title that survives as one of his recorded songs, hosted here as Mihirathi Wasantha (also listed as Mihirethi Wasantha Kaale).

Signature songs

Among the songs most associated with Shelton Perera are Egodaha Yanno, Maha Muhudu Wimane, and the devotional Budune. His catalogue also includes the narrative pieces Kawala Wilanda Jathi (Rodi Kella) and Amba Damba Naran (Ramayanaya), alongside Awasan Liyumai and Milana Malaki. He composed and sang Guwan Thotille, recorded with Sujatha Attanayake.

• Egodaha Yanno
• Maha Muhudu Wimane
• Budune
• Kawala Wilanda Jathi (Rodi Kella)
• Awasan Liyumai
• Mihirathi Wasantha
• Amba Damba Naran (Ramayanaya)
• Guwan Thotille

Family and legacy

Shelton Perera died on 18 September 1986 in Colombo at the age of 47. His son, the singer Sathish Perera, carried the family name into the next generation and recorded his own version of Egodaha Yanno before his death in 2012. Several of Shelton Perera’s recordings remain in circulation through reissue compilations, keeping his classical and devotional songs in front of Sri Lankan and diaspora listeners.