I am glad this blog has managed to be an important link to all 60's music lovers from our region and internationally:
Proper words fail me to express my sincere gratitude to every person in this blog, who paid his respect to my late brother Riem. The words written by you will be valued by Riem very much and are of very great value to me as well.
I can only add to this that I respect(ed) and admire(d) him enormously myself, just like I respect(ed) and admire(d) my late brother Ruud, who once, together with Riem, formed the band The Blue Diamonds.
Both Riem and Ruud dedicated their lives to share their music with their fans and looked upon it as a privilege to be appreciated by them.
Riem and Ruud's departure caused a hard to bear emptiness in me and I miss both of them very much.
My wonderful memories of them are my only consolation and I know that my love for them will remain for as long as I live.
The urn with Riem's ashes was placed in a cremation niche in Singapore; may his soul grow further from there on.
May all of you have God's Blessings.
I send each of you my fondest thoughts and warmest greeting.
Hendrik Toch
Image: Google.
This article/letter has been copyrighted.
Two songs that is always in my mind - Ramona and Always. Cheerio.
ReplyDeleteHi Andy,
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this. I attended Riem's memorial service two weeks ago. still very sad at the sudden departure of such a great talent and a friend to many of us.
Thank you, Michael and Soo Khoon for remembering The Blue Diamonds. We will always remember for their great talent and songs.
ReplyDeleteAs personalities and friends, they were polite and humble.
Thanking the list below:
ReplyDeleteJohn Cher
Charlie Yap Locomotion
Roop Singh
Althea Lim
Koh Sui Pang
Stephen Han
Jennie Law
Martin Ong
Andy, it was sad to hear the bad news about The Blue Diamonds. I heard of this talented duo group in the sixties (my secondary school days). To me, they sing evergreen songs, i.e. the popular Ramona, and their songs when u listen to them, are very relaxing and pleasing to our ears. What I meant they harmonised well. I think many people of the older generation are familiar with the Blue Diamonds and their songs. Anyway, thanks for updating us on this marvellous group.
ReplyDeleteThanks, FL. We'll remember them for their interpretation of jazz standards, Indonesian folk songs and goldies.
ReplyDeleteAppreciate you writing a comment in reply to Hendrick's letter.
Please keep in touch.
I had the opportunity to have a pic of me and Rhiem in 2002 when he performed in Back To The 60s N H B sponsored show with Vernon Cornelius.I also watched him with Johnny Lion and Jumping Jewels in a show after this.I can still remember The Blue Diamonds with Anneke Gronloh concert in 1961 in their first appearance in Singapore.
ReplyDeleteClean n good ...as say !!!!!
ReplyDeleteYes, I remember them. I thought they were so cool, better than the Everlys.. LOL
ReplyDeleteyou know, all our childhood favourites, unbeknowst to us, the best tunes were actually mostly covered by other musicians.. eg "I'm Gonna Knock on Your Door", was originally by the Isley Brothers 1959 , but to me, as a kid, I thought it was a Blue Diamonds song. same like "She Cried" , was it Vernon and The Quests...was really a hit in USA by Jay and the Americans , we all thought it was a Singapore band's song. Then 200 years later, we come to realise, hey, those tunes i used to like so much by Led Zeppelin, Cream, The Stones, Beatles, The Searchers, or in SE Asia, Blue Diamonds,The Quests,etc were really Rock n Roll originals by someone we didn't know until now. Point being, that's why we love those tunes, they were all great tunes . And when we finally found the source, we go, "holy sh*t , this is so much better than the covers!" Then again, as kids, had we listened to the originals (Robert Johnson, Willie Dixon, etc.. ) it would not have appealed to us, as they were raw, and the dudes did not look so pretty . It's the same with all of Dylan's music. Or Hendrix today, I still laugh when I hear people say Oh wow, this Mayer dude, or that Bonna whats his name, his version is so much better than this old dude called Hendrix or Dylan. Or when they listen to the great Mahavishnu Orchestra with Jerry Goodman or Ponty, they go like, "what the..???". I said to them, "Give yourself 40 years, and you'll eat your words, kid !" LOL
Yes, I remember them. I thought they were so cool, better than the Everlys... LOL
ReplyDeleteyou know, all our childhood favourites, unbeknownst to us, the best tunes were actually mostly covered by other musicians... eg "I'm Gonna Knock on Your Door", was originally by the Isley Brothers 1959, but to me, as a kid, I thought it was a Blue Diamonds song.
Same like "She Cried", was it Vernon and The Quests...was really a hit in the USA by Jay and the Americans, we all thought it was a Singapore band's song. Then 200 years later, we come to realise, hey, those tunes I used to like so much by Led Zeppelin, Cream, The Stones, Beatles, The Searchers, or in SE Asia, Blue Diamonds, The Quests, etc were really Rock n Roll originals by someone we didn't know until now. Point being, that's why we love those tunes, they were all great tunes. And when we finally found the source, this is so much better than the covers!"
Then again, as kids, had we listened to the originals (Robert Johnson, Willie Dixon, etc.. ) it would not have appealed to us, as they were raw, and the dudes did not look so pretty.
It's the same with all of Dylan's music. Or Hendrix today, I still laugh when I hear people say Oh wow, this Mayer dude, or what's his name, this version is so much better than this old dude called Hendrix or Dylan.
Or when they listen to the great Mahavishnu Orchestra with Jerry Goodman or Ponty, they go like, "What?". I said to them, "Give yourself 40 years, and you'll eat your words, kid!" LOL