Sunny Benjamin John | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 1930 Karachi, Bombay Presidency, British India |
| Died | 5 June 2021(2021-06-05) (aged 90) Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan |
| Other names | S. B. John |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 1950 – 2010 |
| Employer | Radio Pakistan |
| Notable work | song in the 1959 filmSavera (1959) |
| Awards | Pride of Performance Award by thePresident of Pakistan in 2011 |
Sunny Benjamin John (Urdu:سنی بَینجمن جان; 1930 – 5 June 2021), popularly known asS. B. John (Urdu:ایس بی جان),[1] was a singer fromKarachi,Pakistan.[2][3]
He was educated atSt Paul's English High School, Karachi. He was married in 1957. He has four sons and a daughter.[3] Accompanied by his wife and two sons namely Robin and Glenn John, John used to sing gospel on Christmas Eve, on PTV. Two sons are musicians and one a singer.[4] His son, Glenn John was part of Pakistani pop music band - Guru's Trilogy. Indian film producerMahesh Bhatt re-recorded John's 1959 song 'Tu Jo Nahin Hai' in the voice of his son, Glenn John.[5] Bhatt also used this song in his 2006 released filmWoh Lamhe....[6]
He was born in Karachi and he started his singing career fromRadio Pakistan in 1950. His inspiration was his grandfather who was also a singer. His first music teacher was Pandit Ram Chandar Trivedi at the Kalyan Sangeet Vidyala.[3] When television was introduced in Karachi in 1967, John began singing gospel music on Christmas Eve onPakistan Television. He also performed in stage shows in Karachi. S. B. John rose to fame by recording popularUrdu poetry known asghazals in his vocals and music.[2]
His best known song was for the 1959 filmSavera "Tu Jo Nahin Hai, Tau Kuchh Bhi Naheen Hai". The composer wasMaster Manzoor Hussain, and lyrics were written by a renowned poet of Pakistan,Fayyaz Hashmi. This song also started the career as a music director ofM. Ashraf who went on to become a popular music director in thePakistani film industry.[7]
John almost missed out when he caught flu on the day of the recording. Fortunately Manzoor Hussain insisted he perform and was wowed by the result.[8]
John has been listed among the 20 best Pakistani ghazal singers of all time.[10]
In November 2019, he served as one of the judges on a panel of judges consisting of veteran musicians onObhartay Sitaray (Budding Stars) – an annual inter-school singing competition for students sponsored byThe Citizens Foundation of Pakistan annually.[11]
John led a retired life in Karachi[2] until his death on 5 June 2021.[3]