Clarence Wijewardena

Vithana Kuruppu Arachchilage Clarence Arthur Somasinghe Wijewardena (3 August 1943 – 13 December 1996) commonly known as Clarence Wijewardena (ක්ලැරන්ස් විජේවර්ධන) was one of the most respected musicians in Sri Lanka, as per his popularity and contribution to revolutionize the Sri Lankan Sinhala Pop Music who pioneered the use of electric guitar in Sinhala music.This was in the 1960s and is often named as the father of Sri Lankan pop music - having influenced performers in ranging from W. D. Amaradeva, Premasiri Khemadasa to Athula Adhikari.His music is often characterized by simple melodies built around a melody that features the electric guitar - this style may be best illustrated by the song Malata Bambaraku Se.