With the rare excellence of his mellifluous voice, Jayachandran succeeded in elevating songs beyond the expectations of the lyricist & composer, and striking an emotional chord with the listener.
In a career spanning over six decades, he rendered over 16,000 songs in various languages.
Legendary life
March 3, 1944: Born in Ernakulam (The third son of Ravivarma Kochanian Thamburan of Tripunithura Kovilakam and Subhadrakunjamma of Paliyam Palace in Chendamangalam)
1958: Met Yesudas while they were participating in the state youth festival, won first prize for light music and mridangam
1966: Malayalam film debut as playback singer with song Manjalayil Mungithorthi from Kalithozhan
1967: Sang the evergreen Anuragaganam Pole, composed by M S Baburaj for Udhyogastha
1972: Honoured with Kerala State Film Award for best singer for Neelagiriyude Sakhikale from Panitheeratha Veedu
1973: Married Thrissur native Lalitha
1978: Received state award for Ragam Sreeragam from Bandhanam, composed by M B Srinivasan
1986: Won National Film Award for best male playback singer for Sivasankara Sarva Saranya Vibho from Sree Narayana Guru; acted in a Malayalam film for the first time. (Nakhakshathangal)
1994: Received Tamil Nadu State Film Award for best singer for Kathazham Kattu Vazhi from Kizhakku Cheemayile
1997: Honoured with Kalaimamani Award of
Tamil Nadu government
1998: Received third state award for Prayam Nammil from Niram
2001: Became first recipient of Swaralaya Kairali Yesudas award
2003: Won state award for Neeyoru Puzhayay from Thilakkom
2008: Sang in Hindi for the first time for the movie Ada..A Way of Life
2015: Won state award for his songs in Jilebi and Ennu Ninte Moideen
2020: Won J C Daniel Award, the highest award in Malayalam cinema, for outstanding contributions to the film industry
Awards galore
5 Kerala state awards, 4 Tamil Nadu state awards and 1 national award. Also won J C Daniel Award in 2020.
Jayachandran and Lalitha are parents to Lakshmi and Dinanath.