Andy 60's Music Blog: NUS Students Meet Singapore Music Makers

Deborah, Hafizah, and Clifford with Andy Young (far left), Jerry Fernandez, Michael Bangar and Winston Koh

My name is Hafizah, and together with six other National University of Singapore (NUS) students, we had taken a module titled, Social and Cultural Studies through Music. This course was intended to provide a broad cross-cultural introduction to diverse music of the contemporary world. By the end of the semester, we were tasked to present our research and findings on any aspect of the Singapore music scene. 

During our initial discussions, we realized we had a common interest in the history of rock ‘n’ roll music in Singapore and was interested in doing an analysis on its evolution over time. Eventually, we narrowed our scope down to the history of rock ‘n’ roll in the 1960s. However, in order to depict the most accurate picture, we had hoped to reach out to musicians of that era and hear as much first hand experiences and insight.

Thereafter, our search began and we were almost left unsure of where to even find such musicians! I had been searching online until I came across Andy’s blog and was astonished as I scrolled through the many years of blog posts and articles regarding Singapore’s music scene. I later reached out to him and was very grateful he was agreeable in meeting and conducting an interview alongside Jerry Fernandez, Michael Bangar and Winston Koh. I am so incredibly appreciative as it had provided us with ample opportunities to hear from the musicians themselves and served truly as a wealth of experiences and knowledge. 

We gained so much insight just from those several hours such as hearing first-hand how the western influence such as “The Shadows” has influenced rock ‘n’ roll music in Singapore and how popular local bands such as The Quests managed to achieve milestones such as topping the Beatles on the charts. From the interview, we were also able to share how the clampdown on rock ‘n’ roll music led to many instances of discrimination by the authorities which proved to be almost a surreal occurrence to us youngsters.

We were also able to highlight the impact of events such as the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis on the livelihood of musicians and the need to adapt to such environments. Most importantly, we were able to highlight the lack of support for local musicians then, which can even be seen in the current music scene today. This served as a point of reflection for our audience in hopes of encouraging them to support our own Singaporean artists, beyond the rock ‘n’ roll scene today.

I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to Andy, Jerry, Michael and Winston for taking the time to meet us students, and for sharing their experiences with us. While I was elated that our professor was impressed that we managed to reach out to so many musicians of that era, I was more elated to have learnt so much. I was grateful for the opportunity to hear from individuals so driven by their passion and love for music, which was evidently seen in the stories shared. Thank you again for this opportunity. :-)

Image: A Personal Collection.
Thanks to Hafizah for the above article.
Much appreciated.

This blog will help students when it can. Write in if you have questions about SG
60's music. We don't promise we can answer all your questions, but we will try.