[1] Murthy is a recipient of the Padma Shri[2] and Sangeetha Kalanidhi awardee awards.

[4] His father, a Carnatic musician, began teaching him music at the age of three, recognizing his interest in percussion instruments.

He was given a Mridangam by his mother, Annapurni, and began taking lessons from his elder brother, Gopalakrishnan.

[6] Vaidyanatha Iyer took Murthy to Tanjore where Palghat Mani Iyer and Thambuswami (brother of Carnatic vocalist T. M. Thiagarajan) were also training.

His grandson, Karthikeya Murthy, is a film score composer.