British 60s Pop Influence With Russ Hamilton

R19 January 1932 - 11 October 2018.

Russ Hamilton was a superstar in Singapore 60s. His songs were so dear to the hearts of many Singaporeans that his records sold out within days.

In the UK, it was "We Will Make Love" that caught record buyers attention, whereas, in the USA, it was the flip, "Rainbow". Imagine a single reaching the top 10 in the UK while its other side made waves across the waters. "Rainbow" reached Number 4 in the US**.

He received his Golden Disc for a million copies sold, very soon after its release on Friday, October 4th, 1957. In Singapore, many of the songs he released reached the Hit Parade Charts and "WWML" stayed on for some time.

Russ Hamilton composed his own songs, and one was written for his girl. "Wedding Ring" managed the top 20 but was "insufficient to consolidate his position as a major pop star."

An album of Russ Hamilton's songs that most fans would own. He was very popular.

His fortunes with his hit songs faded after a while and were not on the airwaves in recent years. Apparently not only were the songs "unfashionable in style, but the meaning of the lyrics had suffered from the changes in word usage."

Singapore youths today may find his songs 'mushy'. Seniors though are still playing the beautiful ballads with the lilt, soft and quiet that only Russ Hamilton could deliver. All his songs are classics now, all. Some of them are, "*My Mother's Eyes," "I Had A Dream", "*Little One" and "I Still Belong To You". Russ Hamilton was backed by Johnny Gregory and His Orchestra. Golden oldies for that relaxing evening. 

(When my grandson Joshua was only 2 years old, he recognized many nursery rhymes that I used to sing before his afternoon naps. But he knows his pop songs better and learned "Little One" before others. Meaningful lyrics and soothing music make this one of the best songs for little children. Try it out because Joshua is asleep within 10 minutes.)

Dr. Lee Yan San was a close friend of Russ Hamilton, having visited his home in Penang and meeting Dr. Lee's family.

Dr. Lee Yan San, (image above) who hails from Penang and who used to write to me about his love for pop music, was a close friend of Russ Hamilton. There are other articles of them on this blog. 

* Children songs.

**Cliff Richard never achieved this kind of hit status in the United States. In 1960, he toured with The Shadows in the U.S. and were well-received; however, lackluster support and distribution from the record company proved costly, and the chance was lost.

(Extracts from 45rpm.org.uk, Wikipedia and Oriole Record cover EP - 7005 literature/image.)

Singapore 60s Music. Singapore Blue Diamonds

Off the cuff: After winning the Singapore Blue Diamonds contest, James Choa and the rest of The Gaylads (popular 60s group with The Flamingos - Posting: April, 9th, 2009) were given a singing contract and arrived in style at the Merlin Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, to be resident vocal group at the Harlequin Room with a full band to accompany them.

They were driven all the way, by car from Singapore to KL, by Tan Swee Leong at the helm of his Ford Anglia. Mr Tan, a celebrity himself, was also the MC for their shows and James remembered they had a fascinating 3 weeks at the hotel.

Since it was the 60s they had time to see the sights in KL during the day and had comfortable accommodation at the hotel itself. Besides a full allowance, The Gaylads were also provided with whatever creature comfort they needed during their stint at the Merlin.

(Image: The real Blue Diamonds with Anneke Gronloh. From National Heritage Board, Singapore.)

Naomi & The Boys - 50 Songs For 60s Music

Henry, Robert and Naomi are part of the famed Suriya family that had engulfed Singapore 60s music. While Henry recorded his music solo, Robert and Naomi recorded as a group called, "Naomi and The Boys".

But they don't really need an introduction because the songs, "It's All Over" (image), and "I Know" both originals, were right at the top of the Singapore and Malaysian Hit Parade Charts then. Besides, Naomi's, "Happy Birthday Baby," was more popular than other cover versions.

Robert Suriya, singer, songwriter and lead guitar with The Boys had Peter Thomas on rhythm, Moses Tay on bass and Alphonso Soosay on percussion. This final re-grouping of passionate musicians went on to produce and record about 50 songs altogether.

While on the hunt for Singapore 60s vinyls, I managed to buy a few of their records, but all of them are bootleg copies. The copyright laws were not in place in Singapore during the 60s and had affected people in the music industry significantly.

More about Henry, Robert, Naomi and The Boys in future postings.

60's Music Website Is Linked To: yesterday.sg

From yesterday.sg Website:

"Ever wondered what local music in the 60s was like? Andy Lim, formerly known as Andy Young writes about popular music in Singapore and Malaysia during this period, not to mention the musical influences from Europe, US and Hong Kong that also helped shaped the sound of the times.

You might have heard of Andy Young because he *sang with the band, The Silver Strings and graced many a nightclub, hotel, theatre and cinema during the early 1960s. Just reading about the memories of The Silver Strings alone gives you an idea of how vibrant the music scene at the time - and all this without Youtube and Garageband!

So take a walk down to the groovy 60s in the Singapore 60s Pop Music Website and rediscover a colourful musical past.

Thanks to Victor, one of our FOYers (Friends Of yesterday.sg) who discovered this site."

*Please read Comment by blogger overleaf.

What yesterday.sg is about:

"First launched in March 2006, this site has helped us unearth a treasure trove of stories and memories of the Singapore of old. With the support of a group of heritage enthusiasts called the Friends of yesterday.sg (FOYers), the site has proven to be immensely popular with the younger generation who are interested in discovering their unique heritage here in Singapore.

As you go through this site, we hope you enjoy this journey back into the past. The site was revamped and relaunched as a social media portal on February 6 2009 to heighten that ethereal feel of travelling back in time. We’ve also added new elements such as a multimedia platform to enrich your surfing experience."  Do visit the site.

The a - Infos Radio Project - DJ Carlito's Blog

Hi Andy,

Thanks so much for the reply, and thanks for checking out my blog! Ive definitely been listening to Singapore and Malaysian music for quite a while now...

If you ever get the chance, please check out the weekly radio show (image) that I do in Richmond, Virginia, U.S. via the podcasts that I post too. Here's a good one featuring some Singapore/Malay/and Indonesian pop with rock and Hindi film music: http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/32168

Regards,

DJCarlito

(Andy says: Please visit this radio station for Singapore, Malay, Indonesian and Hindi film and music. It's quality stuff!)

The Antarctics Eunos Rahmat Talentime Winner

Eunos Rahmat, rhythm guitarist for The Antarctics (image: 2nd left) and his friend, won the 2nd prize for The Singapore Blue Diamonds Competition held in the 60s. The first prize went to the Gaylads (check out earlier post).

The singer and drummer for The Antarctics, S. A. Vinton, (image: 4th left) was another talented musician who composed numerous songs that were later recorded by The Quests, Sakura Teng and other top artistes in Singapore.

Singapore was an island of plenty in the 60s, where talents were raw but one which generated into a successful music industry that is now forgotten.

Eunos Rahmat is now a successful food entrepreneur dishing out delicious Malay/Padang cuisine at MacPherson Road. The restaurant is always crowded.

(Another successful Manhunt completed.)

Singapore 60s Music Talentime For The Masses

A singer and his accompanying band participating in a Singing Contest in Singapore. The group is formatted with Cliff Richard and the Shadows ideal but it is not a regulation. 

Various organizations in Singapore, both public and private ones, held talentime competitions regularly. The Housing & Development Board was no exception. Image shows a talent contest held in 1964 as bands were many and singers in demand.

Winning a talentime competition could make an exciting but unstable career for musicians and singers. Some of them participated for the fun and excitement it provided. The Quests, The Jets, The Burns, The Antartics, Gaylads, were some of the groups that had won a talent competition.

The term 'talentime' was coined by radio personality Kingsley Morrando [above] in the late 50s when he organized such shows to promote singing talents those days. Morrando was a broadcaster working at Radio Malaya (Singapore) studios. He was also a popular radio announcer (term today is 'DJ' = Disc Jockey) in a pop music request programme called, 'To Each His Own'. He even had a company called, ‘Talentime’ at Shaw House. Good friend and well-known Rediffusion broadcaster Larry Lai confirmed this information. An on-line article mentioned that it was one Tony Beamish, the Radio Malaya English Programme Supervisor then, who coined it. 

Among the music youths in the 60s, it was an important word but whether it is accepted officially as part of the English Language vocabulary is another question, either in the UK or in America. Anyone?

Image: The National Heritage Board, Singapore.

Original Article: Andy Lim.

Ambassador Hotel As Lovers Move In Shadows

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The Ambassador Hotel, opposite Katong Park at Meyer Road near the East Coast beaches, was the rendezvous for lovers. The hotel had a roof garden, with Singapore 60s guitar groups or combo bands playing music by The Shadows, Cliff Richard, Elvis, The Beatles and other superstars.

Many combos and local bands used to entertain patrons in this hotel with "Wonderful Land", "Sleepwalk" or rebel rousers like, "Shindig", The Young Ones", "Guitar Boogie" and "Twist And Shout." Dancing under the stars was always the theme and youth had its days when the bands floored the dancers with both hot and cool music.

Sleepwalk the original Shadows version that reminds me of the sweet times we had at the Ambassador.

I remember going there with some good friends where we spent the evening over one or two drinks that cost about $6.00 a glass. My favourite drink is rum and coke, a drink I am told that attracts medical problems like diabetes. The ladies we came with were friends and colleagues that had come to support guest bands that played on a particular weekend.

There was an evening where we made floor space for the versatility of the Sunny Low Dancers, the slim young man with the built, grace and charm of Gene Kelly. This particular dance place or nightclub was on another floor in the hotel; correct me if I am wrong, the sixth floor if I remember.

Oh yes, Katong Park and the beach were downstairs and it was a slow, five-minute walk to seclusion and privacy. The hotel is gone now but the memories remain.

Image: National Heritage Board, Singapore.

Original article: Andy Young.

Anneke Gronloh, Blue Diamonds @ Good Park Hotel

Images of Anneke Gronloh and The Blue Diamonds - Rudy and Riem De Wolff - at the Goodwood Park Hotel, Orchard Road, where the trio was staying. 

At that time, the three personalities were at the top of their form, flying in and out of Singapore from either Indonesia or Holland where they originated, to perform at the Badminton Hall, the Indoor Stadium at Kallang or at the hotel itself. 

They also had close connections with Singaporeans, finding the island a safe haven for their performances, recordings and family connections.

These superstars of Singapore 60's were at the hotel for their performance on the island. The photographs were taken in February and December 1962.

Images: 
National Heritage Board Singapore Website and Straits Times Press, Singapore

Amber Mansions, Celestial Room Andy n Silver Strings

The image is of Amber Mansions, at the entrance of Orchard Road (left), where guitar groups played in the mid 1960s during Tea Dances at The Celestial Room on the floor above. Art galleries, quaint decor outlets, coffee houses and restaurants are terraced on the floors below. It was a place where the young nineteen sixties crowd would want to be seen at.

The Silver Strings was the guest band for many months at the Celestial and we had a taste of what tea dances were like when we performed there. It was a baptism of fire because it was the first time when the band had a regular weekend stint. We started off as a band that took over the resident one in between sets of 45 minute sessions. Sometimes there were as many as five sets per night.

Silver Strings in later years had Mike And Herb

 to sing their own original songs: 

'Don't Want You Around Anymore'

YouTube video from Audie Ng

The band's repertoire consisted of song hits like Apache, Kontiki and slow dance music like, Wonderful Land and I would take over with, When The Girl in Your Arms but heat up the Room with I Saw Her Standing There. The music would always be a mix of Cliff, Shadows, Beatles and Elvis, if we can manage. About twelve songs or more.

I first introduced a song that was popular in the living room at home. It became a hit when the TV  series Fireball XL5, a sci-fi marionette-based show, became popular with Singaporeans. The title song became our calling card for some time and fans were asking for "Fireball" when we came on stage.

The lead guitar was DAVE CHAN and not Dickie Tan (above).

I was unable to acquire past photographs. This image is from a 2009 magazine.

The music was fast, the dancing was fast and so was the business. The brisk and efficient club ran for a while raking in some for the boss. He just knew what to do with his band of boys and with this novelty T dance craze.

The person in charge of Celestial Room was Mr Quek Sin Bock, a rather robust business man, frank and full of good cheer. He loved the band and I remember we turned resident and acquired more and more gigs from other nightspots. We were known as "Andy and The Silver Strings" and performed at the venue in the mid 60s, way before other bands did.

The building has since been replaced by Dhoby Ghaut MRT. 

Images: From The National Heritage Board Archives and Personal Collection.

"We're gonna rock, rock, till broad daylight, We're gonna rock around the clock, tonight."

Teresa Teng (鄧麗君) The East Asian Chinese Sweetheart

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Teresa Teng or Tang/Dèng Lìjūn (1953 - 1995) was exceptionally popular and influential as a Taiwanese singer. Her voice and songs are instantly recognizable in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan. "In areas where there are Chinese people, the songs of Teresa Teng can be heard."

As a young child, Teresa won awards for her singing at talent competitions. Her first major prize was in 1964 when she sang "Visiting Yingtai" from Shaw Brothers, at an event hosted by Taiwan's China Radio Station. 

Her career soared and she was able to support her family during Taiwan's new and developing economy in the 1960's. With family blessings, Teresa left school to pursue singing professionally. Nothing could stop this phenomenon as she soared in the world of Chinese pop.

She was known for her folk songs and romantic ballads and most of them have become classics even during her lifetime. She recorded many songs that are now staples of popular Chinese music; the most popular include "When Will You Return?" and "The Moon Represents My Heart."

In addition to her Mandarin repertoire, she also recorded songs in Taiwanese, Cantonese, Japanese, Indonesian, and English. She had, at one time, sold more albums than any other East-Asian singer but that record has since been surpassed.

Miss Teng was especially famous in China, where for much of the 1980's she was a litmus test of the political winds: when the authorities eased controls, her music sold briskly in little shops in the tiniest towns; when the hard-liners clamped down, her music was banned.

She was one of the first foreign singers whose music was swept into China after the country started opening up in the late 1970's, and she soon became a symbol of capitalist joys.

Known in Chinese as Deng Lijun, Miss Teng's surname was the same as that of Deng Xiaoping, China's paramount leader. So she was jokingly known as Little Deng, and in some circles, she was nearly as famous as he. Even peasants in the countryside were familiar with her songs and brightly coloured costumes.

Many other foreign singers became popular in China, but none captured the hearts of the country as she did. During her career, she entertained troops in her homeland with romantic ballads. Her songs were banned in China but with millions of bootleg copies, she was just as popular. Another saying explains that "Old Teng rules the day and Little Teng the night."

She has received many awards for her singing and there is also a foundation in her name. She died at the age of 42 as a result of a severe asthma attack while holidaying in Thailand in 1995.

YouTube: Teresa Teng video.

Article from: Sheryl WuDunn, Wikipedia and Websites in memory of Teresa Teng.
Images: Google.

Dr. Agnes Chan - Bopper With Beauty & Brains!

She would probably be an early Singapore 70s influence as her first hit was during that period but what intrigued me are the two new unscratched vinyls* I found in Sungei Road and the fact that she has a PhD. from Stanford University.

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Agnes Chan began singing and playing the guitar for fund raising events during her junior high years in Hong Kong. When she recorded a cover of Joni Mitchell's, "The Circle Game" with her elder sister, actress Irene Chan, it became the greatest hit on the island. She was only 14 and soon became a celebrity throughout South East Asia.

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Chan was taken to Japan by a Japanese singer/songwriter in 1972 and recorded her first Japanese pop hit, "Poppy Flower." She became an overnight sensation and a teenage idol. In 1973, Chan's third single, "Splendor in the Grass" earned her the Japan Record Grand Prix "Rookie of the Year" award. She is also known in Japan as, "the fairy who came from Hong Kong."
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There was a controversy about her motherhood and career so she wrote a thesis on the conflicts of working mothers and earned her Stanford PhD in 1994. She also added steadily to her public portfolio, writing newspaper and magazine columns, appearing on television news and game shows and raising money for charitable causes.

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*$2.00 for above vinyl (image) and EP 2124, which is Agnes Chan's Christmas classics, "All I Want For Xmas...", "Mr Mistletoe", "Rocking Around The Xmas Tree" and "The Little Drummer Boy". They are both on Life Records and the Xmas EP was arranged by a Wallace Chow.

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YouTube: agnes chan nobodys child (recorded at age 15, Hong Kong, 1971)

(Information from Agnes Chan websites, Wikipedia and Stanford University Alumni pages.)

Rita Chao: And A Letter From A Relative

Rita Chao, a very popular Chinese recording artiste from Singapore in the 60’s and 70’s, released both Mandarin and English records in Singapore and Malaysia. According to sources she also had many fans in Japan.

Ling Ying (凌雲) to her Mandarin-speaking fans, had the accompaniment of The Quests, an honour indeed since the group was the top band within that decade and recorded several hits for Rita Chao on the EMI label. She is fondly remembered by her knee-high boots, sexy miniskirts or alluring bell-bottoms.

She has demure features, truly a representative of the 60s era and cut a petite figure next to the more active Sakura. She has a sweet, soft and musical voice particularly suitable for the romantic ballads that she renders e.g. Butterfly, Happy Happy Birthday Baby, Sixteen Candles. Her rendition of The Thunderbirds' My Lonely Heart is exceptionally lamenting where she interpreted the song using Mandarin lyrics but with the same original backing accompanied by The Quests.

She does not possess powerful vocals, but these vocal folds do heat up the audience with her cover versions like Woolly Bully, Hanky Panky using Ooohs and Ahhs, especially with tight, heavy and rhythmic beat of The Quests. Rita was followed by both male and female fans everywhere she went.

On Sunday 23rd March, 1975 in the Straits Times Press Singapore, Rita Chao was reported to be leaving for Hong Kong to make a movie with comedians Wang Sa and Yeh Fong called, Professional Swindler, Genius Thief. During the interview she was remarked to have said that she was tired of singing all the time and would act in more films if this one proved successful.

She lives a very quiet life today and is still the subject of chatter on many followers lips as to her whereabouts.

On January 23rd 2009, I received a letter from a reader called Jane. She wrote:

*Hi Andy,

Rita Chao already retired from singing and by the way, she is a distant relative of my late dad. Sad to know that I last heard she was helping or working in a church in Yishun. Rita will be in her late 50's.
In the late 60's she did a performance in Penang, Malaysia together with Sakura. My late Ah Kor (elder brother) took care of them during their short stint of stay. Not sure if I can still find that old photo taken in Penang.

Cheers,
Jane
My reply:

Hi Jane,

Thank you for writing and apologies for not reading your letter earlier. If you are still reading this blog please write in when you can to tell us more, and if you still have that photograph let me know your email address so I can write to you.

Regards,

Andy.

Image 1 from Google: fRita Chao.

Image 2 from Google: Rita Chao (left), Sakura Teng (right).

*I cannot verify that the information provided is true and hold no responsibility for its authenticity.

Pete Seeger - Activist/Singer/SongWriter - 90