Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna

July 6

Mangalampalli Balamurali Krishna (transliterated variously as M. Balamuralikrishna, Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna, M. Balamurali Krishna; Telugu: మంగళంపల్లి బాలమురళిక్రిష్ణ) (b. Sankaraguptam, Andhra Pradesh, India, July 6, 1930) is a famous Carnatic Music vocalist and musician. He has also composed a number of songs.
Balamuralikrishna was named Murali Krishna at birth. Musunuri Suryanarayana Murty Bhagavatar, a distinguished Harikatha performer, gave the prefix 'Bala' to the young Muralikrishna. This title has stuck to him ever since. Balamuralikrishna was a child prodigy and started performing vocal concerts from the age of five. His father was a well known musician and could play the flute, violin and the veena and his mother was an excellent veena player. Balamuralikrishna thus began his musical career at a very young age. He soon mastered a variety of instruments. He can play the violin, viola, khanjira, veena, mridangam and other instruments. He has been awarded the All India Radio's "Top Grade" for seven different performance areas and is also the only musician ever to win National Awards in India for classical music, music direction and film playback singing.