Part I:While googling for Kalong Senandong, a malay pop music program that featured Singapore sixties stars, I chanced upon a newspaper website called Johore Streets, Reaching Out. An article about M. Ismail drew my interest.
I had listened to and appreciated M. Ismail's (image: far right) singing and performances when he was on Radio and Television Singapore in the sixties. What attracted me to this article is the information he provided regarding the prohibitions he faced as a singing school teacher then. The article is entitled: When P. Ramlee liked my singing: Interview and pictures by Syed Abdullah Syed Mohamed (connection below).
Mohd Ismail Sman was born in Singapore about 70 years ago. He started singing back in the late 40s with his class mates when he was in primary four at Sekolah Melayu Tanglin Besar, Singapore. They sang Malay and Indonesian folk songs taught by their music teacher. His involvement in music warmed up especially when he was exposed to western pops and rock n roll at Stamford College secondary school in 1953.
His parents, on the other hand disapproved of his showing his musical talent since they came from a religious family background but their displeasure wore off as Mohd. Ismail and his brother became the subject of pleasant neighbourhood chats and the pride of the older generation when they became joint champions in a singing contest held at a community centre.
After winning Bintang Morisko (of the keroncong genre) and becoming champion in 1958, organisers of Persama (an arts performing society run by Singapore Malay artistes) praised his style and nicknamed him M. Ismail and urged him to perform on a higher platform. Locally recognized by then, he was selected to sing regularly at Radio Singapura. "This exciting experience of singing live in a good studio, backed up by experienced musicians, enhanced my confidence in singing as a career."
In 1963, he won the Bintang Radio competition organised by Radio Singapore and Malaysia and managed to win the hearts of the three judges, one of whom was the late Tan Sri P. Ramlee. The famous Malay singer, actor and producer proposed that M. Ismail be rewarded with an additional prize for being the best langgam (folk song) singer.
M. Ismail confessed that he did not record any album as his teaching job prohibited him from doing so. "I was a teacher at a secondary school,' he explained, "and under ministerial regulations then, government servants were forbidden from receiving royalties from recording companies."
Do you still remember M. Ismail? Let us know. There is a forthcoming Part II to this posting.
Image: M. Ismail (right) performing with Ahmad Daud, Julie Sudiro and Saloma in the ‘Kalong Senandong Goes Latin’ TV show in the mid 1960s — Picture by Syed Abdullah Syed Mohamed
From: http://www1.nst.com.my/Current_News/JohorBuzz/Friday/MyJohor/2484246/Article/
4 comments:
Thank for your writing on the Malay music scene of the sixties. In those years, me & my brother liked to listen to Malay music/songs of the Pop yeh yeh era over the radio (using a portable transistor radio !). I also remember we watched "Pesta Pop" over RTS Channel 5 (B & W) every Sunday. They did feature one or two English songs in that program, too. Interesting, isn't ?
Yes, FL. You remember 60s music very well.
'Pesta Pop' was another Malay programme featuring music and songs by our local television station.
I like these Malay radio and TV programmes because of the popular artistes that they featured who sing both in English and Malay. Ahmad Daud is one and Julie Sudiro another.
Their bi-lingualism attracted many in our varied Singapore community.
From: noelbynature on yesterday.sg:
Andy blogs about M. Ismail (pictured here on the far right), who was a Malay music icon in the 1960s famous for his folk music and who also sang for Radio Singapura.
At the same time, he was also a school teacher!
Thanks again noelbynature for picking up this story.
Yes, M. Ismail was indeed a school teacher in the 60s and how difficult it was for civil servants(teachers were part of the civil service in the Ministry of Education) to perform publicly.
He was lucky to be able to do so on TV and sing on radio. But as he explained, he was not allowed to record songs for vinyl companies.
Some civil servants took the risk, and if you read this blog there were those who did and were not penalised. Good for them because they have vinyls today in their name.
Can you guess who some of these teachers are?
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