Canto-Pop, Hong Kong Pop Chats: 8 Singaporeans, 1 Japanese. [For English Speakers]

Sam Hui [above] and Alan Tam

For those who are not too familiar with Hong Kong pop, below is

 a chat with blogger, 8 Singaporeans and a Japanese who lives in Spain.

UP TO 300 VIEWS, 10 CHATS, COMMENTS

Andy Young:

Hello my friends, I would like to focus interest this month on HONG KONG POPS and CANTO-POPS and would love to learn from music friends and readers. Please contribute your stories if you can about your own experiences watching or performing with them in Singapore, in Hong Kong or in other countries. Photographs too are most welcome. Thank you.

Colin Colin:

I can only mention the 1st music band from Hong Kong that sort of introduced me to their music scene were The Wynners featuring Alan Tam, followed by Sam Hui.

Then all these HK songs and their bands were available on cassettes. And the Old Bugis Street that time frequently air-played these HK hits. I remember a cassette stall playing Shanghai Bund, the theme song by Francis Yip.

Fond memories...

A youthful Frances Yip, Canto-pop diva.

Andy Young:

Colin Colin yes, that's right. Wynners were really winners. And Alan Tam with Sam Hui. That's what we need to keep the memories flowing. Thanks Colin. You've contributed much. Bugis Street too. Cheers. Shanghai Bund belongs to Frances Yip. Wow!

Fred Ching:

Thanks for this interesting topic Brother Andy. Sam Hui sang beautifully and flawlessly at most of his concerts that I have attended in Singapore. Was listening to this album in my car stereo when this classic came on.. 

Regarded as a legend in Cantopop and movies scene from the 1960’s to 1990’s, Sam popularised Cantopop songs by striking a chord with the everyday man. His songs and lyrics echo the trials, tribulations and triumphs of the ordinary working man and has made him much - loved performer across the region. Thanks for the good memories, Sam.👍❤️🥰..

Andy Young:

Fred Ching thanks for continuing the thread of the HK Pop and Canto-Pop story. I am not familiar with Sam Hui but your writeup is informative and helps. I hope to read more about him.

I have also been listening to your video, Fred but don't understand Cantonese. The video dramatization is meaningful. Thanks.

許冠傑 Sam Hui - 日本娃娃

YouTube Video by: Kenji

Stephen Han:

I went to see Francis Yip when she performed in Singapore on a few occasions. Others include Grace Chang, Chan Poh Choo, Sit Kat Yin, Sam Hui。

Andy Young:

Stephen Han it's interesting that you are just as familiar with Canto-pop as you are with the Western pop stars. Thanks for the support.

AN A COINCIDENCE INDEED: COCO LEE HAS PASSED AWAY JUST AS WE ARE DISCUSSING CANTO-POP. Do feel free to write about this lovely lady who graced the 90s and beyond in both the East and the West. May she REST IN PEACE. Condolences to her family. 

Chow Wen Hing:

A coincidence indeed Andy, and a sad day for music lovers worldwide, especially the circumstance of her passing. Depression is definitely a condition to be taken seriously as it is non-discriminatory. It can inflict the rich or the poor, the famous or the ordinary. RIP Coco Lee 😢

Andy Young:

Chow Wen Hing thanks. It's true. Easy to get depressed nowadays with the world situation and how media is conducted daily on the Web. We all do need to be careful.

The late Coco Lee who had just

passed away a few days ago.

Hiroshi Deguchi [writes from Spain]:

It was when I happened to go see "Mr Boo The Private Eyes" that I became interested in Sam and The Lotus. I liked the guitar interlude so much that I tried to find out the chords and how to play the interlude. I'm afraid it was not in the 60s but in the late 70s. 

Then started listening to other singers and bands. It was not easy to do so in Japan those days. I got the tapes and CDs when I visited SG. I remember singing Sam's Japanese Girls at Europa Singapore, a live house in Marine Parade long time ago. I want to sing his Drifter Song but my dream hasn't come true; the language is difficult.

Sam Hui 许冠杰: 浪子心声/Drifter’s Song 

(Sing along with English translation)

YouTube Video: Keat Leong.

Andy Young:

Hiroshi Deguchi hello! Your story intrigues me, and I'm sure other readers too. Thanks for taking me nearer to Canto/HK pop. I shall check out Sam Hui's Japanese Girls and Drifter Song. That's the problem with some pop song listeners in Singapore, ie: not understanding the Chinese dialects nor Mandarin songs. Appreciate your sharing Hiroshi. 🙏👍 Thanks. A whole new world for me...

Audie Ng [Silver Strings leader/bassist]:

The Wynners were called Loosers till their Manager Mr Pato Leong changed it and they became popular. The Silver Strings [Singapore] were invited to appear on HKTVB by our Mr Robert Chua and they appeared on the same show, Enjoy Yourself Tonite.

Sam Hui appeared on the same show too. The Cantopop music was influenced by the Filipino musicians and I brought in the first Cantopop band called, HongKong Radio, to perform at Club 97 owned by the Europa Chain group.

Andy Young:

Thanks Audie, with your 50 years plus experience with Singapore and S.E. Asian showbiz, you're the man to explain the scenario in a more crystalized view, from the inside out.

Sam Hui: Me and the Elephant. 

YouTube Video: ioujenny.

Jimmy Chng [Percussionist/The Decibels]:

Interesting chats on Canto-pop. Sam sings well both in Cantonese and English. Although I have a poor grasp of the Cantonese dialect, I enjoy listening to many of his Cantonese songs. 

The movies he starred in together with his brothers Michael and Rick e.g. Aces Go Places, The Private Eyes, etc. were popular too. I like his rendition of, Me and the Elephant as well.

Andy Young:

Again thanks for the information provided Jimmy. You are knowledgeable indeed and will check out the movies the brothers made. I am familiar with, Elephant. It is still popular today.

Irene Yap:

I'm afraid I can't contribute much to Canto music. It was in the late 70s, I think, a period where Canto songs were in. Besides Sam Hui's popularity time, I think also at a time when Cantonese dramas were shown in our TV channels. Their theme songs became popular. I remember I had to learn them to cater to the requests, during my hotel or nightclubs stint.

Andy Young:

Thanks Irene. I think it’s very informative, what you’ve just written. I didn’t realise all that you’ve just told me. Now I remember that there was a period where there was so many Cantonese dramas on TV. And you had to sing them too? 

💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗

Thanks for the generous contribution of HK music stories from AUDIE NG, COLIN COLIN, FRED CHING, HIROSHI DEGUCHI, JIMMY CHNG, IRENE YAP. These stories, for a non-Cantonese speaker, are exceptionally interesting. And thanks also to CHOW WEN HING, STEPHEN HAN, for their comments.

Samuel Hui: Interlude [Time is like a Dream]

YouTube Video by: leopold coutrier.

💗💗💗💗💗💗💗

Images: Google. All connecting links will be put up soon.