1. Korla Pandit performed live and on radio and made various film appearances, becoming known as the "Godfather of Exotica".
20 Facts About Korla Pandit
1. 2.
Korla Pandit's father, Ernest Redd, was an African-American Baptist pastor.
3.
Korla Pandit developed an elaborate history and continued to add to it during his career.
4.
Korla Pandit stated he had been born in New Delhi, India, to a French opera singer and an Indian Brahmin government official.
5.
Korla Pandit offered Pandit a television show with the stipulation the musician would provide accompaniment for Time for Beany, Bob Clampett's popular puppet show.
6.
Landsberg insisted Korla Pandit refrain from speaking and gaze into the camera as he played the Hammond organ and Steinway grand piano, often simultaneously.
7.
Korla Pandit became an overnight star and one of early television's pioneering musical artists.
8.
Korla Pandit widened the array of music associated with the organ and popularized its use.
9.
Never dropping his Indian persona, Korla Pandit acquired notable friends such as actor Errol Flynn, comedian Bob Hope, and Sabu Dastagir, known for his roles in the documentary Elephant Boy and the feature Thief of Baghdad.
10.
In 1956, Korla Pandit moved to San Francisco and performed on San Francisco's KGO-TV.
11.
Korla Pandit began speaking on his show, espousing a blend of spiritual ideas that entranced many of his fans.
12.
Korla Pandit became friends with Paramahansa Yogananda, Indian spiritual leader of the Self Realization Fellowship.
13.
Korla Pandit read widely and incorporated a variety of these topics in his talks, including mysticism and Zen philosophy.
14.
Korla Pandit performed at supper clubs, supermarket openings, car agencies, music and department stores, pizza restaurants, lectures, music seminars, private lessons, and the theater organ circuit.
15.
Korla Pandit made a cameo appearance as himself in Tim Burton's biopic Ed Wood, which drew renewed attention to him as a performer.
16.
Korla Pandit's career was revived in the 1990s, and he attracted a new generation, taking them under his wing.
17.
Korla Pandit was survived by his wife, Beryl, and their sons, Shari and Koram.
18.
Korla Pandit might come at night sometime and be gone before we got up.
19.
Korla Pandit had to separate himself from the family to a certain extent.
20.
Korla Pandit's sons heard rumors about their father's African-American background, but they rejected this information, insisting their father was the son of a New Delhi Brahmin.