One of the rare voices I really love is that of Jon B Higgins. I had heard about him even while growing up in a remote part of Karnataka, he was that famous! It is absolutely remarkable that an American could master our traditional music and earn the title of "Bhagavatar" in a relatively short time. It is really sad that he died prematurely, in an automobile accident. Here is an interesting story about him singing in front of Lord Krishna in Udupi:
V. Thyagarajan, a friend and colleague of Jon Higgins, told this anecdote to SPAN magazine:
A party of musicians, Jon among them, went to Udipi to see the Krishna temple. The American wore a dhoti and a kurta as was his custom in Madras . . . but he was much too fair complexioned to be an Indian, and the priests would not let him enter the temple.... So Jon stood where Kanakadasa the untouchable had stood centuries ago, to catch a glimpse of the idol from a distance as best he could. His musician friends stood with him, refusing to go inside the temple if Jon was not allowed. Then it occurred to one of them to ask Jon to sing the famous song, "Krishna, nee begane baro,” a composition in Kannada.... When the air was filled with the vibrant melody of his splendid voice there was no keeping away the crowds that gathered around to hear him. The priests, astonished, begged the singer to come in, and what Kanakadasa could not achieve, the foreigner did.
Some useful links:
http://www.indiangyan.com/clinton/arts_festivals.htm [the above story is taken from here]
http://dpnelson.web.wesleyan.edu/higgins.html
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