Alston Koch is a

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

born Australian - Sri Lankan singer-songwriter, film producer, record producer and actor. After gaining international success in the late 1970s, he was often described in the Australian and Asian media as "Asia's King of Pop" or "Pop King of Asia". He has performed worldwide and achieved success in countries including Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, India and Sri Lanka. He received certificates of recognition from the

California State Senate The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature (the lower house being the California State Assembly). The state senate convenes, along with the state assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. ...

and

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

for improving the lives of communities in America.

Biography

He migrated to Sydney, Australia, where he was successful in the music industry while recording for RCA/Laser Records and the TV network Channel 9's "Living Sound" recording label. In Australia, he formed his band Dark Tan and recorded three international hits on the

RCA RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...

label. He has performed internationally with Dark Tan, S-witch, and as a solo artist. One notable appearance was during The Stars & Stripes Concert in 1976, performing under the

Sydney Harbour Bridge The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, spanning Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour from the Sydney central business district, central business district (CBD) to the North Shore (Sydney), North ...

on a floating pontoon for Radio 2SM. Rock Brains Of The Universe and music historian

Glenn A. Baker Glenn A. Baker (born 28 July 1952) is an Australian journalist, commentator, author and broadcaster known for his vast knowledge of rock music. He has written books and magazine articles on rock music and travel, interviewed celebrities, manag ...

have said that Koch and Dark Tan were the originators of

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

music in Australia. Since 1975 Koch has released 21 singles and 4 albums through record labels such as RCA, BMG, EMI and Sony. In 1986 Koch was selected and commissioned by the Australian Task Force to write, produce and perform the

America's Cup The America's Cup is a sailing competition and the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one from the yacht club that currently holds the trophy (known ...

album ''The Kookaburra Connection''. Its theme song "Kookaburra" was released as a single and music video broadcast during the race. His first self written major hit, "Disco Lady", earned him his first gold record. The song also won him and Dark Tan the Best New Talent at the 1979 International Disc Jockey Association Awards. In the same year, Dark Tan also won Australia's ''

Observer An observer is one who engages in observation or in watching an experiment. Observer may also refer to: Fiction * ''Observer'' (novel), a 2023 science fiction novel by Robert Lanza and Nancy Kress * ''Observer'' (video game), a cyberpunk horr ...

'' newspaper's Best Disco Band award. The ''Daily Mirror'' (Australia) presented them with the Best Disco Band Award in 1978 and the producers of the Channel 10 TV show ''Thank God it's Friday'' presented the band with a

gold disc Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

during the performance of "Disco Lady". Koch received his first

ARIA In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...

accredited award for Melissa's " Read My Lips" (1990). He also received three gold awards and one platinum award from ARIA and a gold disc from RCA/Laser Records in 1978 for "Disco Lady". Alston Koch with British Minister of State Barbara Follett and Adviser to the U

Alston Koch with British Minister of State Barbara Follett and Adviser to the U

Since 2007, he has been the Ambassador for Tourism for Sri Lanka. In the same year, Koch wrote and performed an official song for the Sri Lankan cricketer

Muttiah Muralitharan Deshabandu Muttiah Muralitharan (born 1972) is a Sri Lankan cricket coach, businessman and former professional cricketer. Averaging over six wickets per Test match, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the ...

In 2008, Koch wrote a song about climate change for a

World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland that regulates and facilitates international trade. Governments use the organization to establish, revise, and enforce the rules that g ...

presentation in London. The song was also presented by Geoffrey Lipman Chairman of ICTP to world leaders at the 'Live the Deal Climate Change' conference in Copenhagen. Koch was the goodwill ambassador for the campaign, and the song was promoted globally by ICTP in their campaign for green growth. Barbara Follett, a UK government minister, described it as a "gift in song to the world suffering due to climate change". Koch has sung the national anthem at

One Day International One Day International (ODI) is a format of cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of fifty overs, with the game lasting up to 7 hours. The World Cup, generally held every four yea ...

cricket matches and the

Boxing Day Test The Boxing Day Test match is a cricket Test match held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, involving the Australia national cricket team and an opposing national team that is touring Australia during the southern summer. It begins annually on ...

. In 2009, he was appointed to the committee for the

2011 Cricket World Cup The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, while the latter hosted World Cup matches for the first time. India won the tournament, defeating Sri Lanka by six wickets in the 2 ...

tournament staged in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and was the official goodwill ambassador for the tournament. In 2010, he was inducted into the Hard Rock Hotel's Hall of Fame at a ceremony in

Pattaya Pattaya is a city in Eastern Thailand, the second-largest city in Chonburi province and the List of municipalities in Thailand, eighth-largest city in Thailand. It is on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about southeast of Bangkok, and h ...

, Thailand, when the album, ''Kookaburra'' was installed on the venue's 'Golden Wall of Memorabilia'. In April 2012 his latest album ''Don't Funk With Me'', written and produced by Alston & the Sherifs, debuted at No. 42 on the ARIA Top 50 Albums chart, eventually peaking at No.16. He became the first Australian artist to launch a single at an international cricket final when his song "Soul Sounds" (from ''Don't Funk with Me'') was launched during the Australia vs. Sri Lanka final.

Discography

Singles

* "Don't Stop it Now" (written by

Errol Brown Errol Ainsworth Glenstor Brown MBE (born Lester Errol Brown; 12 November 1943 – 6 May 2015) was a British-Jamaican singer and songwriter, best known as the frontman of the soul and funk band Hot Chocolate. In 2004, Brown received the Ivor N ...

) Koch and Dark Tan, iving Sound RecordsChannel 9) - AUS #100 * "Kings Of Soul" (Written by Alston Koch & Dark Tan) RCA/Living Sounds (Channel 9 ) * "All the People Sing this Song" (written by Alston Koch and Darktan) aser* "Disco Lady" (written by Alston Koch and Chris Connelly) AUS #70 * "Island in the Sun" (Written by Alston Koch) RCA/Laser Records * "Gimme That Banana" CA/Cinevoxurope * "Closer to the Phone" (RCA Records) * "Vanishing Lady" (RCA Records) * "Danny Boy" (RCA/Laser Records) * "20 MILES" (Powderworks/EMI) * "Kookaburra" MI* "Midnite Lady" (Written by Alston Koch /Alan Stirling) (EMI) Laser * "Try Again" MI /Titanic) Aust. Mega (Scandinavia) EMI /SONET (U.K) * "Never Felt This Way Before" [BMG/RCA* "With S-witch: I Want Your Love" [BMG/RCA] U.K * "It's A Shame" (Written By Alston Koch) BMG/RCA Ariola * "Sensual Motion" (Written by Alston Koch ) BMG/RCA Ariola * "MURALI" (Written by Alston Koch & Jarred Wilson) Creative Vibes Records * "Soul Sounds" feat The Sherifs (Sony) * "Don't Know Why" (Sony)Australia/Pacific & Rightrack Records (U.K) * "Trees Of Babylon" (Sony) Lifestyle

Albums

* ''After Darktan'' CA* ''Alston and the Freemantle Doctor'' MIKOOKABURRA * ''Move To The Rhythm'' (Alston Inc) BMG Crescendo (India & South East Asia) * ''Don't Funk With Me'' MESony

Honours

Member of The Grammy Academy (U.S.A)
Member of The Australian Performing Right Association.(APRA)
Ambassador for Climate Change (I.C.T.P)
Ambassador for Sri Lanka Tourism
Member of PPCA (Performing & Publishing Copyright Association of Australia)
Member of AMCOS (Australasian Mechanical Copyright Organisation)
Ambassador for FAMILY FILM AWARDS (USA) for Australia
Ambassador for The ARTS FOR PEACE FOUNDATION (U.S.A)
Award for the Global Entertainer of the Year 2018 - Ada Derana Sri Lankan of the Year.

Filmography

*Lead Actor in the Film '' According to Mathew'' :Alston played the lead role opposite Bollywood star

Jacqueline Fernandez Jacqueline Genevieve Fernandez (born 11 August 1985) is a Sri Lankan actress based in India. She has worked in Indian films, predominantly in Hindi, besides appearing in reality shows and music videos. Fernandez was born and raised in Bahrain. ...

. *Executive Producer for ''Impact Earth'', a Hollywood movie released worldwide in 2015 for Alta Vista Entertainment *Associate Producer: '' The Road from Elephant Pass'' (2011)

Gallery

File:Alston Koch At Hard Rock Cafe.JPG, Koch is displayed on a banner in front of

Hard Rock Cafe Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a chain of theme restaurant, theme bar-restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos, hotels and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll ...

. File:Tony Abbott with Alston Koch.JPG, Koch is with

Tony Abbott Anthony John Abbott (; born 4 November 1957) is an Australian former politician who served as the 28th prime minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia and was the member of parli ...

in 2012. File:Platinum Award for Alston Koch.JPG,

's Platinum Award for Alston Koch. File:Alston Koch with Salman Khan and Riteish Deshmukh.jpg, Koch is with

Salman Khan Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan (; born 27 December 1965) is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who predominantly works in Hindi films. In a career spanning over three decades, his awards include two National Film Awa ...

and

Riteish Deshmukh Riteish Deshmukh (born 17 December 1978) is an Indian actor, filmmaker and television presenter who predominantly works in Hindi cinema, Hindi and Marathi cinema, Marathi films. Known for his comic portrayals, Deshmukh is a recipient of several ...

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

in 2011. File:Alston Koch and Jacqueline Fernandez.jpg, Koch is with

in 2017.

References

External links

Dark Tan – Disco Lady (Alston Koch)

Alston Koch felicitated in ‘Highest Capital City in the World’
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koch, Alston 1951 births Alumni of Wesley College, Colombo Sri Lankan emigrants to Australia Burgher musicians Living people Musicians from Melbourne