Quick Facts
Biography
Mario Glory Rookantha Gunathilake (Sinhalese: රූකාන්ත ගුණතිලක) (born 5 September 1959) is a Sri Lankan singer and songwriter. He started his career as a solo singer in late 1980s. He frequently duets with his wife Chandralekha Perera. His daughter Raini Charuka Gunathilake is also a singer and an actress.
Rookantha is one of the most successful musicians in Sri Lankan disco industry. His albums have sold around 10,000 copies in Sri Lanka. He is known as the person who changed the Sri Lankan music industry in the 80s with his songs.
Life and career
Early years
Rookantha Gunathilake was born in Kegalle to a middle-class family in Sri Lanka. He loved music from a very young age. As a result, his parents sent him to a music teacher nearby to teach him to play the piano.
Rookantha once said in a radio interview that one of his music teachers at school was not that friendly and punished him several times for not using correct fingering in piano. Also, he found out that he is getting restricted to what the teacher wanted him to learn.
He attended St. Mary's College, Kegalle for primary education. He learned music at his school, St. Anthony's College, Kandy from great musicians such as Stanley Peiris and Cyril Brown.
Music
Rookantha Gunathilake originally pursued a career as a composer in 1976. In 1985, he found himself without a singer to provide vocals on one of his compositions, "Bambara Pahasa." He provided the vocals himself, beginning his career as a singer with a deadline hanging over him.
His fourth album "Charuka", named after his daughter Raini Charuka Gunathilake, was released in 1997.
The exclusive Concert of Rookantha and Chandralekha is "Ru Sanda Raye" which means "Beauty Moon Night". The first Concert was staged at The Elphinston Theatre in Colombo, Sri Lanka in February 1993. To-date it has been staged in many places in the globe such as Italy, France,Denmark,UK,USA and The middle eastern Bahrain. "Ru Sanda Raye" Concert has been staged more than 200 times and still counting.
Personal life
Rookantha is married to singer and former actress Chandralekha Perera. They have two daughters, Raini Charuka Goonatillake(born 10 April 1991) and Trinita Windy. Since December 2005, Rookantha and Chandralekha reside in New York City with their family.
Most recent tour Roo Sanda Raye took place in between 2005 and 2006.
The mega show of "Rookantha-Chandralekha Live at Stadium" was held in August 2007 at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium.
Discography
- Aadara Reka (1983)
- Bambara Pahasa (1988)
- Diganthaye (1992)
- Charuka (1997)
- Mayime Idan
- Rookantha Non-Stop (Ru hedu gee)
- H.R. Jothipala Tribute Album
Singles
| Solo Tracks | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Hitha Nawathuna Thana" | |
| 2. | "Sangawanna oya nil nuwan" | |
| 3. | "Kalakata passe" | |
| 4. | "Upaharaya" (Produced for ICC Cricket World Cup 2011) | |
| 5. | "Dura Atha" | |
| 6. | "Ithin Hadamu Api Aluth Ratak (Let's Make A New Country)" (Produced with Kasun Kalhara for the victory of New Democratic Front (Sri Lanka) at the Sri Lankan presidential election, 2015) | |