Balappa Hukkeri was a folk music and in Kannada language Bhavageete singer. In his early days he was a freedom fighter. The outstanding contribution that he has done to the world of music is that through him the Sugama Sangeetha became popularized in North Karnataka. For this reason he has been compared in a positive sense with P. Kalinga Rao who popularized the art form in South Karnataka. Balappa Hukkeri was born in the year 1911 in Murgod, a small village in Gokak taluk of Belgaum District.

Early Life of Balappa Hukkeri
Balappa Hukkeri was born to a family that influenced him to drawn to the theatre at a very early age. As an actor -singer he started taking part in local drama companies. At the same time he has also undergoing training in forms of Hindustani music under Shivalingiah Gavai. But later one his interests were tended towards lighter form of the music such as theatre songs, Marathi abhangs, vachanas and folk songs.

Balappa Hukkeri`s Entry Into Music
Afterwards Balappa Hukkeri delved into the wave of Indian Freedom Movement. He adopted a unique way of participating in the movement. Singing patriotic songs he was going from village to village and was arrested and imprisoned for six months. During India`s war with China, he has donated all the golds and silvers of his family to the National security fund. For few days Balappa Hukkeri has worked with the Department of Agriculture as a field worker. His job responsibility includes `travelling from village to village, singing songs on farming methods and family planning`.

Balappa was attracted towards the writing of Navodaya writers in Kannada such as D.R. Bendre, Betageri Krishna Sharma and Anandaka at that time. He started depicting Bhavageete, based on their poems. He made his singing style unique as he tried to interweave both the elements of classical and folk traditions into it. He has put his endless effort and travel to remote villages in Karnataka and Maharashtra to accumulate folk songs. He was such a talented persona that will be proved with this example. He has never written down those folk songs that he has collected. He memorize all of them nearly hundreds by rote learning. He executes only with a Tabla and Harmonium for accompaniment.

As recognition to the expertise he has been conferred Sangeet Natak Academy award and Karnataka Sangeeta Nataka academy award.