Korla Pandit

Korla Pandit
Background information
Birth name	John Roland Redd
Also known as	Juan Rolando
Born	(1921-09-16)September 16, 1921 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Died	October 2, 1998(1998-10-02) (aged 77)[a] Petaluma, California, U.S.
Genres	Exotica
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instrument(s)	Piano and organ
Years active	1940–1998

Korla Pandit (September 16, 1921 – October 2, 1998),^[1][2][a] born John Roland Redd, was an American exotica musician, composer, pianist, and organist. After moving to California in the late 1940s and getting involved in show business, Redd became known as "Korla Pandit", a French-Indian musician from New Delhi, India. However, Redd was actually a light-skinned African-American man from Missouri who passed as a native of India.

A pathbreaking musical performer in the early days of television, Redd is known for Korla Pandit's Adventures In Music; the show was the first all-music program on television. He also performed live and on radio and made various film appearances, becoming known as the "Godfather of Exotica". Redd maintained the Korla Pandit persona—both in public and in private—until the end of his life.

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