Korla Pandit

Korla Pandit was an American musician, composer, pianist, and organist, known as the "Godfather of Exotica". Born in St. Louis, Missouri, he moved to California in the 1940s, where he crafted an artistic identity as an Indian musician. In 1949, he debuted on television with "Korla Pandit's Adventures In Music", the first all-music program on TV. Throughout his career, he released several albums, including "Plays Music Of The Exotic East" and "The Grand Moghul Suite". His music blended jazz with exotic influences, impacting the exotica genre. Pandit maintained his Indian persona until his death in 1998.