An early television pioneer who was a popular performer in Santa Cruz and the Santa Cruz Mountains communities in the 1950s is the subject of a new documentary film.
Known as “Korla Pandit,” the musician called “the godfather of exotical music” is the subject of the film, which is to be shown early next year in a benefit for the Scotts Valley Historical Society.
Although it didn’t become widely known until after his death, Korla Pandit lived most of his adult life in an elaborate but successful deception.
Born in 1921 in St. Louis Missouri, John Roland Redd was one of seven children born to a black Baptist Minister and his Creole wife. Seeking more musical opportunities he moved to Los Angles in 1939. At first he played jazz and Rhythm and Blues, but soon found as a black man he could be more successful as “Juan Rolando.”
His next stage persona was “Cactus Pandit,” and he played for Roy Roger’s cowboy singing group, “Sons of the Pioneers.”
It wasn’t until he met his wife, Beryl June DeBeeson, a Disney animator, that he adopted the persona of “Korla Pandit,” complete with turban, head jewel and hypnotic stare. To an audience unfamiliar with Indian culture he seemed mysterious and exotic. His “official biography” stated he was born in New Delhi, India, was Hindu, and had a Brahman father and a French Opera singer mother. By 1949 the handsome Pandit had his own weekly live television show.
In all he recorded 900 shows for KTLA television playing “Music of the Exotic East” for his show “Korla Pandit’s Adventures in Music.” For all those shows he never once spoke a word. His biggest musical exposure came in 1951 when he was hired to play the organ for short fill-in spots filmed for local television stations around the country
Ironically, during a contract dispute over compensation for the film clips another musician, the (then) unknown Liberace, was hired to replace Korla.
By the mid 1950s Korla was no longer on television but continued to make live appearances, speak as a guest lecturer and teach classes. Around 1953 to 1961 Sentinel Newspaper articles and other sources report he played at various local venues in Felton, Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz, KSCO Radio, the Coconut Grove at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Scotts Valley, the Miss California Pageant 1957, and the opening of the Rio Del Mar Shopping Center in Aptos in 1961. His biggest venue in Santa Cruz County was in 1954 where he played an outdoor concert for 5,000 at the dedication of the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park in Felton.
Over his lifetime Pandit recorded 13 albums, many of which can still be found and purchased today. Several organ performances can also be seen on YouTube. During the Tiki-Lounge music revival in the 1990’s he enjoyed another period of popularity and made a cameo appearance in the movie Ed Wood. After his death in 1998 and then his wife’s death in 2005, the facts about his true identify were disclosed.
Today he is remembered as a musician, composer, entertainer, and television pioneer.
