Tan Soo Khoon - Former MP & Speaker of the House, Pop Singer

Tan Soo Khoon has the crowd 

mesmerised when he performs.

UP TO 3,200 VIEWS n 40 COMMENTS

Tan Soo Khoon's eyes light up when you talk to him about three subjects, and they all begin with the letter P.  Seriously, he'll chat with you in earnest about Politics. And he's well-versed with the topic. That's the first P.

He is the only person in Singapore who can face the microphone in a large hall and engage himself as a Speaker. With his robe and wig on, he's on higher ground than any Minister. Now that's something because Soo Khoon [SK] used to be an elected  Parliamentarian in Singapore and the Speaker of the House. That's the second P. 

Since this blog is about local music, can you guess his third favourite topic that starts with P ?

Guess it. Because when he appears in front of the microphone this time, he doesn't speak but sing his favourite hits with charm and ease. You've never heard a sexier, ''Uh, huh, huh...'' before. Yes, his body quivers when he sings Elvis and strums his guitar. Presley it is, the third P.

SK is such a busy person so it took me a while to chat with him on WhatsApp getting details about his singing, love for pop music and answering some questions. When he finally relented and had some time to relate his music journey, I thought it most appropriate to post it during National Day - Singaporeans' special day, about a very special person.

And don't skip his story below; he's got two beautiful ladies to accompany him on the keyboard. Find out who they are.

Thanks SK for the first ever love story on this blog about an MP and his music.

 

Chatting with former Speaker Tan Soo Khoon on his music journey:

"We started playing as a band sometime in the mid 1990’s. I  self-taught myself guitar strumming when I was in school but laid it off while in university and when I started working. In the 1970’s a good friend of mine, Noor Quek (who herself is an accomplished singer and keyboardist) would occasionally get together with me to jam, and then that was it. 

We got together again and started playing as a band sometime in the mid 1990’s. The earliest members were my old ACS Primary One classmates. Eric Tiong (drums), Ronnie Teo (lead guitar), Sim Kheng Chin (Bass) and we called ourselves The Young Once. 

Over the years, the band has evolved with different musicians including Henry Chua, Franklin Wong, Tony Kwek, David Loh ,Ted Ha,  David Chua, Andrea Teo, Benson Goh, Eunice Olsen, Arthur Lim, Arshad Hamid, Archie Ong. These are all good musicians who have helped us tighten our rendition of many songs.

 

I want to add that we all get together just for the fun of it. Our love of music is the bond that keeps us together and strengthens our friendship over the years.

The first time we played together as a band was at a charity event at the Ritz Carlton some time in 1998. We  play at charity events and some of the venues we have played at include hotels like The Mandarin, Shangrila, Hilton, Marriott, Concord, Orchard, Regent and The Four Seasons as well as the Esplanade Recital Studio.

Beside Elvis, being my favourite singer, I enjoy the music and songs of Cliff Richard and The Shadows, Ricky Nelson, Chuck Berry, Johnny Cash, Trini Lopez, Glen Campbell, Beach Boys, Everly Brothers, The Drifters, The Platters, Tony Orlando & Dawn,  John Fogerty & CCR, The Eagles,  Kenny Rogers, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, Martina McBride, Anne Murray.''

When I asked SK if he had attended concerts of international pop stars, he replied that he had seen some of them. With much persuasion he mentioned, Cliff Richard & The Shadows , The Blue Diamonds, Anneke Gronloh, Helen Shapiro, The Drifters, The Platters,  The Rolling Stones, Beach Boys, Tony Orlando, Engelbert Humperdinck, Michael Jackson, Skeeter Davis, Pat Boone, Frances Yip, were some of those he had seen perform ‘live’ [some images below].   

''Oh, I left out Paul Anka among the artistes and enjoyed listening to him too. Then there's Tom Jones and the Righteous Brothers. I always wanted to see Elvis perform . I would have loved to go to Hawaii or Las Vegas to see his concerts but in those days,  I didn’t have the money to fly that far!'' 

Live Concerts that Soo Khoon had attended 

Skeeter Davis, Engelbert Humperdinck, 

Anneke Gronloh, Michael Jackson

Soo Khoon has become so well-known among the pop stars mentioned, he has even appeared as a duet with the late Riem De Wolff [images below], younger brother of Rudy, both known as the Blue Diamonds, international stars from Holland/Indonesia.

I mentioned that former DPM Tharman wrote an article about why he likes Shirley Nair’s singing, so I asked his opinion about our Singapore band boys and girls from our Golden Age of music in the 60s.

''We have good local bands and musicians that I enjoy watching over the years, The Quests, Andy and The Silver Strings, Veronica Young, Vernon Cornelius, October Cherries, Zul Sutan & Tania, The Checkmates, The Dukes, The Mysterians, The Thunderbirds, Matthew and The Mandarins, The Tornados, Stephen Francis, Danny Koh, Jeremy Monterio, Tony, Spencer and Terry are some of the great local entertainers I have watched over the years. Many of them are still rocking away!''

And that's true with SK also. He used to, ''shake the House in Parliament'' with his fiery speeches.  Now he shakes, rattles and rolls at the places where he performs and sings Elvis or other pop hits.

There's  much more to learn about Soo Khoon and his music, the guitars he uses, the fully-equipped sound studio at his home and what he does for charities. But that's another tale to tell.

Thanks SK for sharing a part of your life with us.

Read the comments below. Do write in to provide yours too.

A Happy National Day 2021 to everyone. 

[Article and images belong to Tan Soo Khoon; Google.]

 

Singing as a duet with the late 

Riem de Wolff [Blue Diamonds] 

at local charities and performances.