 Krishnamurthy was born in 1927 at Kothapalli, Pithapuram Taluka, Godavari dt in what was then British India to Rama Murthy Panthulu and Vijayalakshmi.His father held a minor job at the estate of the Raja of Pithapuram.He was under influence of his mother who sang Ashtapadis, Tarangas and the Adhyatma Ramayana kritis.