- published: 04 Jan 2013
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Amar Singh Chamkila (Punjabi: ਅਮਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਚਮਕੀਲਾ) (July 21, 1960 – March 8, 1988) was a controversial Punjabi singer, songwriter, and musician. His detractors lamented the vulgarity in his songs while his fans relished their sensual appeal. He was also among the major Punjabi live stage performers or Akhara singers. In his heyday, he was known to do three stage performances in a single day.
Amar Singh Chamkila was born as Dunni Ram on July 21, 1960 in the village of Dugri near Ludhiana, Punjab, India. He was born into a poor family and was from the Chamar caste. The youngest child of Kartar Kaur and Hari Singh, he was educated at Gujar Khan Primary School in Dugri. His aspirations of becoming an electrician were unfulfilled and he found work at a Ludhiana cloth mill.
With a natural aptitude for music, he learned to play the harmonium and dholki. Punjabi musician Surinder Shinda has said that in 1978, Chamkila approached him for the first time on a bicycle. When Shinda heard the 18-year-old Chamkila sing, he had finally found the protege that he had been looking for. Chamkila would go onto play alongside Punjabi artists such as K. Deep, Mohammad Saddiq and Surinder Shinda. He wrote several songs for Shinda and accompanied him as a member of his entourage before deciding to pursue a solo career. It is rumored that Chamkila was happy enough writing songs, but he wasn't earning enough money to look after his family, so had to start singing.