Amar Singh Chamkila Biography 
Amar Singh Chamkila commonly known by his stage name Amar Singh Chamkila was a popular Punjabi singer, songwriter, musician, and composer. His duets with his beloved wife, Amarjot were immensely popular. "Pehle Lalkare Naal" was his top hit song. His devotional hits include - "Baba Tera Nankana" and "Talwar Main Kalgidhar Di". The widely popular Punjabi song, "Jatt Di Dushmani" sung by many singers was written by him, though it was never recorded in Amar Singh’s voice. Unfortunately Chamkila and Amarjot, and two members of their band were murdered on March 8, 1988. Chamkila was only 27 year old then. This high-profile murder still remains an unsolved puzzle!
Amar Singh Chamkila was born as Dunni Ram Singh in a poor family on July 21, 1960 near Ludhiana. He did his schooling from Gujar Khan Primary School in Dugri. He dreamt to become an electrician, but worked in a cloth mill. He learned to play the harmonium and dholki. He later used to accompany popular Punjabi singers like K. Deep, Mohammad Saddiq and Surinder Shinda. During this time he worked as a lyricist. It’s rumoured that as a lyricist as he couldn’t make good earnings, he started singing. He got married to Amarjot and has two daughters. One of his daughters is to release a music album in her voice with her father’s songs.
He adopted the stage name Amar Singh Chamkila and recorded 8 songs with Surinder Sonia. The album was released in 1979. Lyrics were also written by Amar, which became equally popular as its singing and made Amar an established artist. The following year, he teamed up with another singing partner, Usha followed with his future wife the same year. She was a divorcee then. By the early 1980s, Chamkila and Amarjot had recorded hugely successful LPs on the HMV label and they toured many foreign countries. Both Chamkila and Amarjot were gunned down as they exited their vehicle on March 8, 1988 to perform in Mesumpur, Punjab. Though several reasons have been put forward, the puzzle is yet to be solved!
Published: N/A
Updated: April 04, 2014
