T. K. Murthy
Thanu Krishna Murthy (born 13 August 1922), better known as T. K. Murthy, is an Indian mridangam player. A Padma Shri and Sangeetha Kalanidhi awardee. Personal life. Murthy was born on 13 August 1922, to Thanu Bhagavathar and Annapurni. Murthy started playing mridangam at the age of eight, without any formal training. When Thanjavur Vaidyanatha Iyer, a mridangam virtuoso and the founder of the Thanjavur style of mridangam, happened to listen to Murthy performing at a concert, he was impressed and decided to train Murthy. Vaidyanatha Iyer took Murthy to Tanjore, where Palghat Mani Iyer and Thambuswami  (brother of eminent Carnatic vocalist T. M. Thiagarajan), were also undergoing training. Murthy's family was full of court musicians and he is the fifth generation of musicians. The family has been in music continuously for 7 generations now. His son T.K. Jayaraman was a music composer at All India Radio and grandson Karthikeya Murthy is a film music composer. Career. Murthy made his debut at the age of eleven, at Coimbatore, in a concert of Musiri Subramania Iyer with Karur Chinnaswami Iyer on violin and Tanjore Vaidyanatha Iyer on mridangam. Murthy has performed in more than 15,000 concerts. In  a career spanning over 80 years, Murthy has accompanied eminent artistes from several generations. Some of the notable artistes with whom Murthy has performed include Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar, Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, Chembai Vaidhyanatha Bagavathar, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, M. S. Subbulakshmi, Madurai Somasundaram, D. K. Jayaraman, M. Balamuralikrishna, Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan, Lalgudi Jayaraman, T. V. Sankaranarayanan and U. Srinivas. Although Murthy is a staunch follower of the Thanjavur style of mridangam, he was highly influenced by the artistry of the legendary Palani Subramaniam Pillai of the Pudukottai school of mridangam playing. This blend of the Thanjavur and Pudukottai schools has become the  hallmark of T.K.Murthy's special style. His style also incorporates highly calculative patterns delivered with striking clarity and suddenness. Recognition. Murthy has received honors and awards including the following: He was the Asthana Vidwan in Trivandrum Palace. He is a graded "National Artiste" of Prasar Bharathi.