Carnatic vocalist Puliyur Subramaniam Narayanaswamy was born in Konerirajapuram, Thanjavur in Madras Presidency. His early training in music began with Tiruppambaram Somasundaram Pillai, T. M. Tyagarajan and later he came under the tutelage of Mudikondan Venkatarama Iyer. Rigorous advanced training in the gurukulavasa system with Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer in the early 1950s honed his talent into the artistry of a refined performer. At the age of 12 he was awarded Bala Gana Kala Rathnam and by the age of 15, he was giving public concerts and also performing on All India Radio. He served All India Radio, Chennai, as a conductor of the Vadya Vrinda, and he is accredited with a number of symphonies. He is also known for his mastery as a composer. 

Narayanswamy’s powerful voice and deep understanding of music aesthetics enabled him to carve out his own style, even though the Semmangudi style was clearly perceptible in his renditions. He had the privilege of being accompanied by stalwarts of the last century such as, violin maestro Pappa Venkataramaiah and mridangam legend Palghat Mani Iyer for his concerts. A revered guru, Narayanswamy has a number of students, consisting of both vocalists and instrumentalists, who have made a significant mark on the concert platform. 

Among his numerous accolades are the titles of Sangeetha Kala Acharya in 2000 from the Music Academy and Padma Bhushan by the Government of India.