The man behind some of Mappilapattu’s enduring tunes

Kozhikode Aboobacker, who died in Kozhikode at the age of 80, was the composer of several popular Mappilapattu songs and a musician who belonged to the golden age of music in the city.

He collaborated with Malayalam cinema’s legendary melody composer MS Baburaj and accompanied KJ Yesudas when he first performed in Kozhikode. In fact, there is a famous photograph of that performance at the Town Hall where you could see Aboobacker playing bongo drums and Baburaj playing harmonium, along with Archie Hutton on guitar and CM Vadiyil on violin.

Few pictures speak volumes about the musical tradition of Kozhikode like this picture. There is no talk of Aboobacker turning it into Mappilapatta, a genre of music that continues to enjoy popularity. A few decades ago, such songs were even more popular. Some of these albums – ie audio cassettes – like Kathu Pattu sold in large numbers.

The biggest hits in Mappilapattu included some tracks by Aboobacker. Karayanum parayanum (sung by Yesudas) and Yatheeminathani (KS Chithra) were particularly popular. These songs are among the more melodious ones in the genre and were part of the album Mailanchipattukal Vol. 5, released by Tharangini in 1989.

At that time, Mappilapattu’s songs had a tremendous response and had performances, led by the likes of VM Kutty and Vilayil Valsala (Faseela). And Aboobacker’s songs were regularly played on these programs.

Aboobacker has indeed played a role in the growth of Mappilapattu who has given some quality songs with excellent poetry and mellow music.

Published – 01 Sep 2026 20:34 IST