My profile page explains it all.
"This blog is written to (a) relive my missing music years, (b) keep interested seniors posted about our local music scene, (c) encourage music stories from them and (d) keep our younger generation, especially my *3J's, aware of our pop music heritage.
Although I have lived the age and participated in the music I am neither a music guru nor historian. No showing off past glories."
Today is November 22nd and this blog will be into its eighth year. My eldest grandson First Jay is nine and I remember he was two years young when I first thought about writing a blog. And it all started at Vivo City.
That was when I went on stage to offer a non-professional voice backing to the Silver Strings on 8th November 2008 and First Jay was there with my folks. Although he was still so young, I felt he was enthralled by the event, definitely by the loud guitar noise.
Friends And Readers Who Assisted With Blog:
Here is my list of friends who started me off with the blog:
1. Roger Poh2. Victor Koo
3. Friends of Yesteryear (FOYERS) Group, Singapore
4. Larry Lai
Very kind blog readers contributed their stories to help boost its authenticity. The list includes writers, photographers and their country of residence:
1. Allan Thompson: Norfolk England UK
2. Barry Walker: England UK
3. John Harper: York England UK
4. Dino Martin Peters: USA
4. Dino Martin Peters: USA
5. Happy Tay: Vancouver BC Canada
6. Matt Tan: Montreal Quebec Canada
7. Byrt Mallanyk: Sydney Australia
8. Mag Jnne: Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
9. Peter Chan: Singapore
10. CYLin: Singapore
11. Mun Chor Seng: Singapore
12. John Cher: Singapore.
13. Michael Bangar
14. Stephen Han
15. Horace Wee
16. Henri Gann
17. SPYeo
18. Dr Steven Farram
19. Winston Koh
20. Richard Seah
21. Charlie Yap
22. Joe Woon
And many more...
13. Michael Bangar
14. Stephen Han
15. Horace Wee
16. Henri Gann
17. SPYeo
18. Dr Steven Farram
19. Winston Koh
20. Richard Seah
21. Charlie Yap
22. Joe Woon
And many more...
Regular Commentators from Singapore include:
1. FL 2. Ronnie See
3. Rickie Chng
4. Audie Ng
5. Jerry Fernandez
6. Merlin Lim
7. Dato Dr YS Lee: Penang Malaysia.
8. Jimmy Chng
9. Randy Lee
10. Erwin Maisch
11. James Seah
12. Dino Martin Peters: USA
13. BC Teoh: KL Malaysia
14. Dr Steven Farram: Charles Darwin University, Darwin Australia.
1. Lim Kuan Min
2. SPYeo.
Observations on Pop Yeh Yeh and Malay cultural matters:
1. Yusnor Ef.
Media for introducing the blog:
1. Majorie Chiew: STAR newspaper Malaysia
2. Brigitte Rozario: 3age Malaysia Website
3. Christopher Toh: TODAY newspaper
4. Singapore Chinese newspapers
Media Corp Singapore for telecast documentaries about blog and local pops:
1. Channel News Asia
2. Channel 5
3. Octo Channel
There are many regular contributors, so excuse me if I have not included your name. It is a long list and more will be added as the days go by. Apologies.
Helping Tertiary Students And Lost Friends:
This blog has also got long lost band members and friends together. Some of them have either migrated to far off lands or had never been in touch since their last band practice :-) Glad this blog has put some folks together again.
With other books, blogs available in the market and websites, our youth have easier access to information about Singapore's Golden Years of Music and its western influence.
Thank you all for support.
Yours Sincerely,
Andy.
*3 grandchildren.
Images: Google.
Congratulations boss
ReplyDeleteCongrats! Happy Anniversary!
ReplyDeleteHi Andy. To achieve the 8th Anniversary for a blog run entirely by one man is no easy task! It takes a strong heart and an equally strong sense of purpose to be able to stay on course! Great work Andy! Heartiest congratulations!
ReplyDeleteIn the past, to me at least, November 22nd was always about the sad, vivid memories of the day President J.F K was shot. But most fittingly, for the many loyal readers of this wonderful blog, 22nd November is a day to remember the founder of a blog which is all about good, clean fun!
It takes commitment, dedication and perseverance to sustain a project such as this. Beyond a doubt, for no personal benefits or rewards, only a wish and love to preserve the history of local music and musicianship, in particular, and the music and music personalities of a bygone era, in general. You have created an avenue for others with similar inclinations to continue and build upon when you are no longer in a position to carry on this task!
Thanks for all the sacrifices you have made in order that all of us could enjoy the fruits of your labour!
Salute!
John Cher
Congrats 8th anniversary to ur blog which serves as an encyclopedia n thank God if I did not encourage you to sing with Silver Strings on Nov 8, 2008 u won't be writing this blog n cheers. More power to u n all d Pioneer Generation. Long live Oldies n other 60's musicians. HAVE MUSIC WILL TRAVEL thru d Silver years with d Silver Strings.
ReplyDeleteLet me be one of the first few to congratulate u on the 8 Anniverary of Andy's Blog, m friend. Keep up with the good work.
ReplyDeleteCongrats, Andy Good job.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations chief! HAPPY BLOGGING! Never realised it will soon be a decade. Keep it up and going.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Andy on your blog entering its eighth years. It has been a great contribution to our local music heritage. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteKeep it up.
ReplyDeleteCongrats Andy. Keep up your fabulous work!
ReplyDeleteThank you all. Great friends through thick and thin. Appreciate support.
ReplyDeleteHappy Anniversary to you, Andy! I only found your blog recently but I already love it and appreciate all the work that goes into it. Thank you so much for sharing. I enjoy hearing music from other countries, as I am sure you can see by my blog posts. Warm greetings from Montreal, Canada, and thank you so much for your kind comments on my blog, I really appreciate them. :)
ReplyDeleteHi,Andy, how time flies ! Congrats to you on the 8th Anniversary for setting up this interesting blog. I am a PG (Pioneer Gen)and I try to share my thoughts and the pasts with you & your readers. I am very proud that your blog attracts many contributors, and I've learned a lot from them as well. Thank you, Sir !
ReplyDeleteHey Andy,
ReplyDeleteCongrats on 8 great years of unflagging posting. Keep at it with the support from the oldies and a growing interest from the young ones.
LINDA: Thank you for being a friend and writing so often on the blog. I miss Canada much and wish to visit it again some time.
ReplyDeleteFL: You are one of the most frequent contributor on this blog and I've put you up first on the Hit Parade List. I have always wanted to thank you somehow so I thought the best appreciation would be to put your name up in lights. Again TERIMA KASEH.
LIN: Welcome home and thank you for the write-ups these years and your constant support. Without them this blog would have been long gone.
Dear Andy,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! No mean feat to have such a wonderful blog going on for 8 years and counting. Thank you and I do hope that more band members from the 60's era would come forth and share their musical experiences/stories with the many readers of your blog.
Congratulations :) Hope there will be many, many more years enjoying your blog!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Henk, been a while since I visited your blog. I think it's fabulous. Keep it going man!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the good wishes.
Just read your blog. Congrats.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Andy Young! Excellent!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Andy.
ReplyDeleteWonderful to see you keeping Singapore Sixties Music alive. Looking forward to your Singapore 60's book as you were there actively in the 60's to experience first hand in what was happening then.
Cheers
Alphonso Soosay
Perth Australia
Many thanks from the FACEBOOK PEOPLE who sent their best wishes:
ReplyDeleteTan Soo Khoon
Aaron Choo
Yen Chow
Doris Lim
Tin Leong Lim
Tracy Ng
Charles De Silva
John Cher
Foo Jong fook
LIM KUAN MIN for sharing this posting on his FACEBOOK PAGE. The education connection. With his 30 years of experience as a school principal his contact with his former teachers and colleagues would be tremendous. Thank you sir.
ReplyDeleteHi Andy
ReplyDeleteI just stumbled onto your blog and I must confess that I am more of a 70s music fan (I am slightly younger than most of you:)) but I am quite familiar with 60s music .... Hollies, Tremeloes, Beatles, Letterman, Lulu, Petula Clark, Glen Campbell, Seekers, Cliff Richard and the Shadows (I also remember the local Tit-Bits Talentime winners, October Cherries, Ahmad Daud, P. Ramlee,) etc. This is great memory lane stuff and a wonderful resource for those seeking to indulge in nostalgia or doing some serious research!(I should know ... being a professional historian) Congratulations on your 8th anniversary and keep up the great work!
BTW .. it would be disingenuous of me not to mention this .... I was actually searching online for my long lost cousin Happy Tay (whom I have not seen for 40 years at least) and that was how I stumbled onto your blog! If you could just pass this to him, I would greatly appreciate it! ..... Happy, if you are reading this ... let me know how I can contact you! I am so thrilled to read of your past history (that I never know) and your go-getter adventures!
Frank Chua
Pennsylvania, USA
Dear Andy,
ReplyDeleteIt has been quite a journey to have started this blog 8 years ago. As Audie mentioned that there would not have been a blog if you did not participate in the show at Vivocity in 2008. That was the show I did not attend but since then I have always tried to attend and support all the shows by all our other bands of the 60's including the Silverstrings.
As much as you write regularly on this blog which we enjoy reading and recollecting the good times in the local 60's music, I have also put up various Youtube videos of those shows and concerts of past few years that I have attended and where we are allowed to capture. In this way, we bring our local music to those who could not attend and or for those fellow Singaporeans who are living in other parts of the world.
Cheers to our common passion in preserving information on the local music in the 60's and to keep the enthusiasm alive in the years ahead.
Truly recognize your continuous effort in keeping the blog ongoing.
Keep on rocking, Andy !!!
Fabian Foo
Hi Frank,
ReplyDeleteIt's a pleasure. I have sent a screen grab of your letter to Happy using WhatsApp. Otherwise you can write to me again disclosing your email address and phone (without publishing) and I shall pass them on to him. He's surely one of the most helpful and informative guy about lots of stuff under the sun.
Thanks for visiting and if you like you can contribute some articles too.
Cheers.
Thanks to all who sent best wishes on FACEBOOK and to:
ReplyDeleteJimmy,
Anthony,
Joey and
Min.
A new entry from FACEBOOK sending wishes are:
Jalani Mohamed,
Cindy Pau,
Malvin Chua,
Philip Chew,
Danny Koh.
Hi Fabian,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments and your constant support. Truly appreciate them.
Hi Fabian,
ReplyDeleteWhile Andy record the music scene in print, you are doing an equally great job of visually recording as many as possible, shows featuring local musicians and singers. The two of you are like peas and carrots, almost inseparable! Great team! Congrats!
We are seniors and we can be forthright about this, 60s musicians and singers have been criticised, to say the least! Self appointed armchair critics are plentiful any and every where. I just wish that both the audiences as well as musicians themselves can understand and appreciate that the "old" bands get together once a while in the bluest of blue moons to do a show. Of course they do their utmost best but many of them have not been playing for ages. So kindly dont expect them to perform like Air Supply and such. It is simply unrealistic. Lets all try to be just a little bit more appreciative of our local talents. Most of them are barely paid, if at all, and perform just for old time sake and for their love of playing together as they did when they were much younger. It is not much, and certainly not fantastic, but its all they can deliver. Many of them have already reached their twilight years. Lets all try to be a little kinder and a little more gentle with them. When we have learned to do our part, then perhaps they would be more encouraged to come forward and give us more performances.
Only a personal viewpoint No offence intended to anyone!
Cheers!
Thank you John. Your comment and Fabian's would make for one good posting. I will just think about it. With pictures to boot.
ReplyDeleteHi Andy
ReplyDeleteThanks for the quick response. Happy has actually just connected with me on Facebook (based on your screen grab!) and I should be able to liaise with him from there. Like I said, I am more of a 70s guy, and if it counts, one of my all time favorite group is Bread, otherwise known as Roti in local jargon (1970-73) and I had the good fortune of standing only 5 metres away (I have pics) from them in a 1998 reunion concert with all original members (Gates, Griffin, Botts, and Knechtel).
In memory of Reggie Verghese, I'd always thought that his arrangement for Tracy Huang's "Baby I'm Want You/Everything I Own" medley is a wonderful cover and a fitting tribute to Gates's compositions.
I am a historian by profession and have done research on Singapore history even though I am primarily an American cultural historian. Feel free to tap me for assistance ...
cheers!
Frank
Hi Frank,
ReplyDeleteGlad you're both in touch. He's happy too.
If you can, do write about BREAD and your meet up with them. Would be nice. One of the best groups I've heard.
On holiday now. So short notes between pool swims and dinners.
Thanks.
GSR
Penang
Malaysia.
Thanks again Gong Pan Pan from on of the D. Of Stamford Museum, Joycelyn Ong for FB well wishing and all those who read this posting.
ReplyDeletePositive response to a worthwhile project done in a pleasant and comfortable surrounding with my grand children around. Thanks to dear wife, home helper R. and wonderfully quiet neighbours as some know about my blogging and music activities.
Hi Andy
ReplyDeleteNot a problem with the short notes. Bonding time with family is so important as we all get older. Yes I'll try to write something about Bread for your blog in the near future.
Cheers and many thanks for your assistance.
Frank
Thanks for thumbs up from BELINDA POH, MUSTAPHA AL JOHARY and ALBERT LOUIS.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on yr 8th; minum kopi lah.
ReplyDeleteThanks Andy for generous acknowledgement. Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteAnother group of supporters from FACEBOOK and friends. Thanks to all especially Majorie Chiew who writes from Malaysia, Mustapha from New Zealand.
ReplyDeleteAnd to the two musicians George, lead guitarist and Albert Louis, percussionist and tutor.
If I have forgotten to thank you forgive me.