VALE DESMOND KELLY – By Jude Goonewardane
Appreciating Sri Lankan Musicians
Jude Goonewardane · ·
Rest in peace Des!
It is with a heavy heart I announce the passing of my dear friend Des Kelly in Dandenong, Melbourne Australia.
Desmond Kelly is a Ceylonese musician who has entertained in Sri Lanka and in Australia. He was born in Colombo in 1936. Kelly was one of a group of musicians who was discovered by Radio Ceylon, now the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. Radio Ceylon gave him a platform for his songs and announcers Vernon Corea and Christopher Greet played his compositions on their music programs – Radio Ceylon made him into a household name – not only in Sri Lanka but also in the Indian sub-continent. His pop hit Dream World was in the hit parades in both Ceylon and India. He has also been featured in the top entertainment column, EMCEE, published in the Ceylon Daily News in the 1960s.
Des Kelly is best known for pop hits such as Dream World, Cha Cha Baby, and The Reason Being. He migrated with his family to Melbourne, Australia in 1962 where he worked as an entertainer. Kelly also became an actor and appeared on TV shows such as Homicide, Hunter and The Flying Doctors for Crawford Productions and as a solo entertainer on some of the top television shows in Australia, such as In Melbourne Tonight, the Delo & Daly show and Reg Lindsay’s Country Hour which was produced in Adelaide, Australia. He is also known for a road safety song in Australia titled It’s You.
Des Kelly has also released CDs which include the popular Sri Lankan baila music and calypso songs.
Thank you sir for the entertainment throughout the years. May your soul rest in peace
Source: Wikipedia
