Irene Yap Singing At 11 With 10 Albums By 14: Part 1

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In 1966 when Irene Yap (image: 1,2) was only 11 years young she was asked by a Mr Heng to sing with a Singapore guitar group called The Sandboys while watching them during a rehearsal. According to Irene, the gentleman was affiliated with White Cloud Records (more popular with the production of Chinese pops) and signed her up for a recording contract after listening to her voice.

Irene made her first vinyl singing the very popular Pretty Ribbon by Engelbert Humperdinck. But her version was different because she sang it in both English and Chinese. It was a hit and sold about 8,000 copies! She carried on with White Cloud and in the next four years, up to the time she was 14 in 1970, Irene had released seven EPs and three LPs.

Irene recalled that before the singers had final recording sessions they had to be properly trained. She continued, "So when I was only eleven Mr Heng sent me for vocal training by Liang Pin a famous Hong Kong singer then. Besides singing scales, I had to do the Por por mor fer, a Chinese pronunciation course."

As her popularity peaked, Irene was well publicised by the local English papers. Stories about this youthful singer, her recordings and pictures appeared in The Straits Times, New Nation, Singapore Herald, Eastern Sun and other vernacular newspapers. Within the short span, she had appeared on the little home screen during Chinese Variety Show produced by RTS (Radio Television Singapore) and other programmes like Take Four, The Guthrie Hour and on the Malay Variety channel.

With such a success story and because she wanted to pursue her love for singing Irene made a decision to turn professional and it was during her school holiday in 1971 when Irene decided to...

(More about Irene in the next posting and what the newspapers say about her and the special licence she had to obtain to perform because of her age.)

Do you remember Irene and her White Cloud recordings? Tell us.

PART 2 BELOW:

https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2011/11/from-records-to-night-spots-irene-yap.html

Images: Irene Yap Collection. Copyrights Reserved.

Article: by Andy Lim as told by Irene Yap.

Mel n Joe Ferdinands: My, How They've Grown!

Mel agreed to meet Andy for a personal interview but everytime they fixed a date, one of them got too busy. They had postponed it a few times but since Mel and his brother Joe would be launching their book soon, all decided that blog readers should be given a peek of the book instead. It's not out for sale yet but here's a morsel from the blurb:

"Stalwarts of the local music scene, Mel & Joe have played, sung and done it all. Household names since they first appeared on television in 1971, Mel & Joe are not only two of Singapore’s best-loved musical talents; they are living proof of our rich musical past and vibrant present.

From the early days of Talentime and the black-and-white broadcasts of RTS (Radio Television Singapore) to their glorious heyday with one of Singapore's top bands, Gypsy, they continue to rock on with passion.

Throughout their musical journey, family support – parents, siblings, wives and daughters – has been instrumental in giving them the love and inspiration that was needed to strive to continue to be the best they can be musically.

Music brings the brothers even closer, and at the same time, continues to forge a strong spirit of camaraderie that they share with their audiences.”

Do you have comments to make about Mel and Joe? Tell us...

Article from book: I Play And Sing. Copyrights reserved.

Image 1, 2: Mel n Joe Ferdinands Collection.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mel-Joe-40-Years-On-Still%20Rocking/250131127355#!/profile.php?id=559476181

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mel-Joe-40-Years-On-Still-Rocking/250131127355

Did You Guess? Who's This Guy?

Why it's Willie Nelson. Did you guess? But his voice remains intact. You can always tell.
Images: Google.