Johnson

Thattil Antony Johnson (26 March 1953 – 18 August 2011), popularly known as Johnson Master, was an Indian film score composer and music director who has given music to some of the most important motion pictures of Malayalam cinema, including those for Koodevide, Namukku Paarkkan Munthiri Thoppukal, Oru Minnaminunginte Nurunguvettam, Vadakkunokkiyantram, Perumthachan, Njan Gandharvan, Ponthan Mada, and Bhoothakkannadi.

Regarded as one of the finest composers in the industry, he was noted for his lyrical and expressive melodies together with simple but rich tonal compositions of thematic music.

Johnson is a recipient of National Film Awards twice and Kerala State Film Awards five times.

Johnson was born in Nellikkunnu near Trichur (Thrissur) in the state of Travancore-Cochin (now part of Kerala), on 26 March 1953.

His father, the late Thattil Antony, was a bank employee.

His secondary education was at St. Thomas School in Thope, Trichur.

Johnson was a singer in the choir of Nellikkunnu St. Sebastian's Church.

He obtained training in guitar and harmonium from his colleagues during this early periods itself.

He used to sing in youth festivals and musical shows and joined the orchestra team of some local troupes and played harmonium in many concerts.

He also used to sing in female voice in ganamelas (a stage show where film songs are sung by local or professional artists).

In 1968, Johnson and his friends formed a club named Voice of Thrissur.

Johnson was the main instrumentalist in the club where he played wide varieties of instruments – guitar, harmonium, flute, drums and violin.

Within a few years, the club became one of the most sought after musical troupes in Kerala, and had more than fifty members.

This club used to give accompaniment music to playback singers Jayachandran and Madhuri in their musical shows.

It was Jayachandran who introduced Johnson to G. Devarajan, one of the most prolific composers of South Indian cinema then.

After completing B. Com from St. Thomas College, Thrissur, Johnson started his career as an assistant to G. Devarajan in the 1970s, and debuted as an independent composer in late seventies with Aaravam.

He was a recurrent collaborator for directors Padmarajan, Bharathan, Sathyan Anthikkad, T. V. Chandran, Kamal, Lohithadas, Balachandra Menon and Mohan.

He has composed music for more than 300 Malayalam films, the most by any composer except for Devarajan.

He was the first music director from Malayalam cinema to be honoured with the National film Awards.

Devarajan literally adopted Johnson and brought him to Chennai in 1974.

Johnson bought an accordion, during this period, from R. K. Shekhar (A. R. Rahman's father), and began assisting Devarajan in filmscoring and composing.

Johnson began his independent career by composing the film scores of Bharathan's Aaravam (1978), Thakara (1980) and Chamaram (1980).

He composed his first soundtracks for the film Inaye Thedi, debut film of director turned still photographer Antony Eastman and actress Silk Smitha.

It was Devarajan himself, who suggested Johnson to the director.

Then came Bharathan's Parvathi and Balachandra Menon's Premageethangal.

Premageethangal was a notable success with four of its songs – "Swapnam Verumoru Swapnam", "Nee Nirayoo Jeevanil", "Muthum Mudipponnum" and "Kalakalamozhi" attaining cult status.

He came to prominence through his collaboration with Malayalam author and director Padmarajan.

Koodevide was their first venture, which had one of the most famous songs of Johnson "Aadivaa Kaatte", a pathbreaking song in Malayalam music history.

It was one of the first songs in Malayalam to so many western classical elements.

The song was born out of Padmarajan's need for a western song for his innovative film.

Song composition took place in Woodland's Hotel, Chennai.

Another notable feature of this song was the lyrics by O. N. V. Kurup, who for the first time wrote lyrics for a pre-composed song.

Johnson worked for 11 films with Padmarajan, including his last film Njan Gandharvan.

This productive collaboration saw the detailed screenplay and cinematography of Padmarajan become a fertile ground for expressive musical narration and thematic scores for Johnson.

This is seen in some of the greatest motion pictures of Malayalam cinema, like Nombarathipoovu (1987).

Another notable collaboration of Johnson was with director Sathyan Anthikkad, with whom he associated in almost 25 films.

He was able to provide some of his most popular songs with Anthikkad and this combo is widely accepted to be one of the greatest director-composer collaborations in Malayalam cinema.

Acclaimed Malayalam director Bharathan also collaborated with him in multiple films including Parvathy, Palangal, Ormakkayi, Kattathe Kilikkoodu, Ente Upasana, Oru Minnaminunginte Nurunguvettam, Ozhivukalam, Malootty, Chamayam and Churam.

His major other collaborations with directors include Mohan (Oru Katha Oru Nunakkatha, Sakshyam, Pakshe and Angane Oru Avadhikkalathu), Sibi Malayil (Kireedam, Chenkol, Dasaratham and Nee Varuvolam), Sreenivasan (Vadakkunokkiyantram and Chinthavishtayaya Shyamala), Lohithadas (Bhoothakkannadi, Kamal (Peruvannapurathe Visheshangal, Shubhayathra, Ee Puzhayum Kadannu and Paavam Paavam Rajakumaran), and Balachandra Menon (Shesham Kazhchayil, Premageethangal, Kilukilukkam, Kelkatha Shabdam and Nayam Vyakthamakkunnu).

He died of a heart attack in Chennai on 18 August 2011.