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Via John Jung
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Rescooped by Skuuppilehdet from Stuff I Found Intriguing |
Scoop.it!
John Jung's curator insight,
July 8, 2016 1:17 PM
An amazing story of Korla Pandit, a pioneering 1949 musical entertainer on Los Angeles tv. His press release stated that Pandit was born in New Delhi, India, the son of a Brahmin government worker and a French opera singer. He wore a jeweled turban and never spoke during his over 900 performances of exotic Indian music, but often gazed hypnotically into the camera while playing an organ and piano keyboard. (He ended his show after a contract dispute, and opened the door for Liberace)
Yet, John Redd (aka Korla Pandit) was in fact an African American musician from Missouri who reinvented himself to counter the racism of the 1950s as a mystical Brahmin pianist and became a star and a crush for teen female fans.
John Turner and Eric Christiansen have produced a 2015 documentary of Korla Pandit's remarkable career, KORLATHEMOVIE.COM, in limited release at art film theaters.
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