SPB as he is populary known, was first introduced in Telugu films. His first
song in Tamil was Ayiram Nilave Vaa, for the film 'Adimai Penn', for
MGR. (SPB apparently sang the song Iyarkai ennum for the
film `Santhi Nilayam', before this.) For long he was not in the forefront of Tamil film music, though he was
popular in Telugu films. With the advent of Ilaiyaraja,
SPB's voice too blossomed
and today he is unquestionably the best(in almost every sense!)
known singer in South India(and perhaps, the whole of India!).
He has sung in 15 (or more?)
languages to date. He is also the most prolific singer in the film industry.
Even though he is more than 50 yrs of age, his voice seems to be getting
better day-by-day! He has scored music for a lot of films and is
also a successful actor of late.