Tropicana The Musical Tan Kheng Hua Connected Friends

No need to review production. The people on duty already drew the crowd: Beatrice Chia (director), Lim Yu Beng, Karen Tan, writer Haresh Sharma, etc, etc.

With a great cast like that and the reverberations of new compositions and lyrics about the 60's, it's already a big success.

What Tropicana The Musical is all about.

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My post is just about how one lady, with her magic, SMSed us and...

Friends connected during the performances of Tropicana The Musical at the Capitol Cinema. It all started with award winning best actress of the year 2017  and producer of the show, Tan Kheng Hua inviting a few music people and others who lived those years, for a sit-in at the commencement of the production to discuss 60's music and the Tropicana nightclub.

Then surprise, surprise, she invited us to the show.

Pictures on the night of 15th April, 2017.

With 2017 award winning actress, Tan Kheng Hua, with Andy Young, George Chew (The Burns lead guitarist) before Tropicana the Musical performance at the Capitol Theatre.

With George Chew, Andy Young, Larry Lai, Rediffusion DJ and wife Selina, and the maestro himself, musician drummer, singer, Louis Soliano during the buffet dinner.

Andy with Kheng Hua, Anthony AhKim, international hairstylist, Ms Ann King, a former Miss Singapore 80's, at Corpthone King Hotel.  This gathering was a tea-break for new friends way before the performances at the Capitol.

And with Vernon Cornelius, frontman of The Quests, who still looks as youthful.

The pre-production meeting of Tropicana with Andy Young

AhKim Anthony, Larry Lai and The Straydogs and Jimmy Appudurai-chua.

The show itself, was a totally Singapore experience, and one of the best local musicals I've seen these last two years.

Thanks to Kheng Hua for the invitation.

The night ended with George Chew and I rushing to the Conrad Hotel, Singapore to watch 60's band, The Silver Strings perform their last 5 or 6 songs. Pix is a side view.

Images: Andy Young Collection.

Tan Swee Leong @ Capitol Cinema By Ronnie See

Ronnie See is a successful business man today. He also fronts his own band, The Burns, a guitar group that has been around since the swinging sixties. We have been in touch and despite a busy schedule, Ronnie has agreed to write again for this blog in appreciation of the late Tan Swee Leong. Thank you Ron.

Dear Andy,

I wanna say to you that you’re a man with ‘big heart’ who’d put in so much time bringing so much information about the 60's music scene in Singapore.

The good old sixties would have been lost without you, as no one could have written so much as you did; it’s truly remarkable and admirable on your part for keeping the 60's musical & entertainment trajectory alive.

Mr. Tan Swee Leong (right) was a good man and good friend to many! He was certainly a live-wire with his own wits and sometimes uncanny ways; that’s how he roused the crowds on an Early Sunday Morning show. 

As he was hosting the Musical Express at the Capitol Theatre during the 60's, there was never a moment of dullness, and the show was lively and charged throughout. 

The Capitol would be filled to its brim every weekend (Sunday) and even at 9.00 am the audiences thronged to fill up the cinema hall. That was the fondest memory I had of him as we were the resident band, Ronnieand The Stylers, at that time (image below with arms akimbo).

Andy, we all thank you for posting so much for the Singapore 60's music, which would have otherwise been lost!

The above short story is a mark of respect to Mr. Tan Swee Leong whom I’ve known since 60's but we’ve lost touch over the years since I left the music scene. This is just to share with you, how much I remember him with his wonderful showmanship as an Emcee/Compere - full of jokes and wits. I’m sure many would have agreed if they had seen him on stage!

My condolence to his family for the passing of the great Master of Ceremonies, Tan Swee Leong!

Once again, wishing you and family A Joyous Merry Christmas and A Happy, Healthy & Prosperous New Year 2016!

Warmest Regards,

Ron.

Article by Ronnie See of Ronnie and The Burns. You can read more about Ronnie by clicking Labels below.

Images: A Personal Collection.

Rita Chao And Mike Ellery Have Both Passed Away!

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RITA CHAO PASSED AWAY IN JULY 2014.

ONE OF THE BRIGHTEST STARS IN THE SINGAPORE 60s MUSIC WORLD MS CHAO LEFT A LEGACY THAT WILL BE REMEMBERED BY ALL WHO KNEW HER AND LOVED HER, BOTH AS A SINGER AND AN ENTERTAINER.

MAY SHE REST IN PEACE

When I posted the above news item a few readers wrote in to comment about Ms Chao. Writing to a few friends who had worked with her on stage, I received three replies, one each from Ronnie See of Ronnie and the Burns; Victor Koo, a blogger; Larry Lai, 60s DJ from Rediffusion and Danny Koh, pianist and leader of Danny and The Musicators.

From Ronnie See:

Rita Chao was popular during the 60s; she was singing a duet with Sakura Teng during the Musical Express Sunday Morning Show at the then Capitol Theatre. The duo was better known as the a-go-go singers. Rita has a sweeter voice than her partner Sakura.

Both of them are pretty good but Rita has a slight edge over Sakura because she sings both in English and Mandarin. During that time Henry, Soon Yin the Managing Director of local EMI was promoting them.

I was singing with The Stylers then and backed the girls and the late Soo Yin too during the morning show. Tan Swee Leong was the emcee. Rita's manager was none other than her elder sister Mimi Chao. I am not sure if Rita had emigrated but Sakura lives in WC, USA.

                                               The Stylers
From Larry Lai:

I remember Rita Chao as a sweetly innocent girl, but painfully shy and reticent. In all the times we worked together with Sakura, I hardly had more than a few polite words with her.  Her sister Mimi, who was her manager, was the one I negotiated with...  I wish her well.

From Danny Koh:

I did two records with Rita Chao but was not close to her at all. Tony Zee, the Trailers' drummer, had worked with her during recordings too. It has been a long time.

Rita Chao with the Chinese [Mandarin] version of  WOOLY BULLY. Thanks to YouTUBE and video enthusiast, 'stereocandies.' 

From Mr Rainbow

Rita Chao, aka Seow Mei-Mei, the A-Go-Go Queen of the 60's. Recorded her first EP with The Quests that included one of her greatest hits during that period, Shake, Shake, Shake or Yeow, Yeow, Yeow in Mandarin. 

Like Sakura, she sang in Mandarin, English and Japanese. Most of her recordings were accompanied by The Quests. Sixteen Candles was one of her most popular English songs.

From Victor Koo:

I remember being mesmerised by the young pretty faces, the sweet singing and the suave dance moves of the a-go-go duo Rita Chao and Sakura Teng when I was a kid in the 1960s. 

I was staying in a cramped 4-storey SIT flat in Cheng Yan Place with my parents and 4 growing siblings. Lying down on a bed, I watched their performances from a close distance via our very first black-and-white TV set mounted on the wall next to the bed, much like in the hospitals nowadays. I believe this could be a contributing factor to my developing high myopia from a very young age. 

*As for Mike Ellery, I remember him as a DJ. His voice came through the Rediffusion service which we also subscribed to at $5 per month in those days. 

Fortunately, there was a limit to how loud the Rediffusion set could be turned on. Hence my hearing was not badly affected by Mike Ellery's music. May Rita and Mike rest in peace.

From Kwee Eng YouTube (2016):

Further to my comments on the 2-2-15 on Rita Chao, I thought Rita's fans might like to know more  about Rita. Rita was a Singaporean, the youngest of six children. She had 3 brothers and 2 sisters and mother, aged 91, alive and well. Rita's family kept the sad news at low key.

They only disclosed the sad news when Rita's old pal, duet singer and Singapore TV show partner, Sakura came to Singapore in February 2015 and wanted to visit Rita.

Only then, Sakura learnt that Rita had passed away and so were the Singaporeans!. Rita's ashes were scattered into the sea. The above info was from one of Singapore's newspaper when I was in Singapore.

Image/Video from Google and YouTube.

MIKE ELLERY AT REDIFFUSION STUDIOS IN THE 60s SINGAPORE.

*SLIP-NOTE:

NOT SOMETHING I LIKE TO DO, ANNOUNCING THESE NEWS PIECES, BUT MIKE ELLERY HAS JUST PASSED AWAY ON 3rd FEBRUARY, 2015. 

TRAGEDIES ABOUND AS FATHER TIME COMES AROUND!

Participants & Supporters Of Local 60s Music

From Left: Jerry Fernandez is vocalist of the Neu Faces and has an events company, Veronica Young is Singapore's Millie Small, Ronnie See is leader, vocalist and rhythm guitarist from The Burns, Audie Ng is leader and bassist of The Silver Strings.

Back Row: Paul and Maria are back-up singers, Andy is a bystander, Victor Lam is percussionist with The Burns and Ging plays lead guitar.
Image: From Veronica Young Collection/Venue: Goodwood Park Hotel, Singapore, 2009.

(E) From Mysterian To New Burns 60s Music

The Mysterians Today:
The various members of the group carried on with their individual careers when the band finally broke up in the late 70s. Most members felt that it was the right decision not to become professional musicians.

Mike passed away a few years ago. He was the only one who stayed in the music scene and even went on to become the manager of one of Malaysia's most popular singers.

A few members were together again and formed a group with another popular 60s band. They played at a place in Changi from 1984 to 1988. Presently, tracing one Mysterian, Victor Lam (drums/image) has joined Ronnie See (vocals, rhythm) and formed the New Burns with George Chew (lead) and Simon Tay (bass).

*It has recently been discovered that a Mandarin version of Forget The Time is available and sung by a lady called Honey.

Image/Original article: Andy Lim Collection.

(D) Jamaican Jive, Combo Band, Not Belafonte

The Mysterians only single on Cosdel with My Girl Les and *Forget The Time sold quite well even though there was not much airplay on Radio Singapore or Rediffusion. Even today people still remember Forget The Time. Singer Mike left the band after the record was released.

There were two more releases afterwards, a single, You've Got To Move On and Searching, and an EP, Forever, They Lied, Is Everything Alright and Down In The Valley. But this time around the band had Leroy Lindsay (image) from the U.K. fronting them. And Searching had shades of Jamaican jive and combo backing. I love the exceptional presence of the harmonica (mouth-organ) in Is Everything Alright?

There were also changes in the band line-up when Michael Gan and Charles Koh replaced Mike and Jeffrey Tan. From 1970 to 1979, James Choa (check previous postings) from The Flamingos Combo and Gaylads vocal group, joined the Mysterians. James Choa is one of the best keyboardist in Singapore.

With new members came a new policy and although they retained the group name, they identified themselves during their performances. They had nothing to hide. The third record (image) shows the very distinguished studious looking gentlemen with their glasses.

Image: from EBay. Original article: Andy Lim

Cliff Richard Please Don't Tease Ronnie & Burns

Ronnie & The New Burns appeared on the Orchid CC stage, neat, stylish and resplendent. Singing and strumming the top hits of the 60s Ronnie (leader, vocalist, rhythm), accompanied by Victor Lam (drums), George Chew (lead) and Simon (bass), entertained the audience.

He went on through the evening, with his faultless singing and perfect rhythm. On the first night of the show, Jerry Fernandez' introduced that "Ronnie was once with The Stylers" (popular 60s guitar group).

With a wide repertoire, they sang and played, Travelling Man (Ricky Nelson), Please Don't Tease. The Young Ones (Cliff Richard) and Pretty Woman (Roy Orbison). They brought the house down with Hey, Paula (Paul & Paula) when Ronnie sang a duet with beautiful Filipino singer Maria. It was a class act indeed!

Image: Roger Poh Collection.

Original article: Andy Lim.

60s Rock Music Concert Souvenir Programme

In case you missed the show, the above image is the programme booklet for the two nights, where details of the artistes that participated are documented. It is well designed and worth the while to collect as a souvenir. There are many people who keep programmes, magazine pages, newspaper cuttings, posters and advertisements as memorabilia to remind them of past events.

This blogger has a good friend who keeps such bric-a-brac. Singapore 60s band members and singers were surprised at the amount of photographs he keeps and the signatures he collected, when he showed them his files and albums during the local gigs in town. This gentleman and many other pop 60s enthusiasts have been collecting them since.

Don't throw them away. Could prove priceless some day. The National Heritage Board has an interesting collection of these programmes and souvenirs. Well, in case you need one...

Image/Article: Andy Lim

Shadows' Apache/Foot Tapper - The New Burns VICTOR & SIMON - Backstage With Andy

The New Burns, Victor Lam and Simon Tay. Victor was the percussionist for recording artistes, The Mysterians in the 60s. All four Mysterians had masks on and appeared incognito for all their appearances.

Victor (left), is a vinyl enthusiast and has a vast collection of records in his possession. Having seen him during practice sessions and on stage, Victor has not lost his touch. Pretty Woman needs pretty fancy drumming. And he is good!

Simon Tay is a man in the finance industry. Quiet and a serious musician, he also plays the hawaiian guitar extremely well and belongs to another band that plays 50s and 60s jazz pieces.

With their popularity soaring, The Burns will be more in the limelight. They might even be interviewed by prominent writers and experts of Singapore 60s music. All the best to Victor and Simon.

Image/Original article: Andy Lim

Hey Paula: Paul & Paula US Pop 60s Music Beautiful Philippino Singer Beautiful Voice - Maria - Backstage With Andy

When Ronnie See of The Burns wanted a lady to duet with him singing, Hey Paula, they found the correct choice in Filipina singer, Maria, presently singing in a private club in Singapore.

With a voice as sweet as a nightingale's, Maria interpreted her lyrics so beautifully, it gave everyone present at the rehearsals plenty of goose pimples. She carried the song with a particular charm no one could match.

"Hey Paul, I've been waiting for you,/Hey hey Paul, I wanna marry you too/If you love me true, if you love me still/Our love will always be real, my love, my love."

Her timing was perfect and the duet went without a hitch. Maria, we hope to hear more of you soon.

Image/Original article: Andy Lim Collection

Roy Orbison's Pretty Woman/Ronnie & Burns

After practices: a picture with Ronnie See, left, band leader, vocalist, rhythm guitarist and Victor Lam , percussionist (seated). Simon Tay, left, bassist, standing and George Oh, lead guitarist.

Ronnie & His Burns brought the house down with Roy Orbinson's Pretty Woman, Cliff Richard's, Young Ones and The Shadow's Apache.

Image: Andy Lim Collection

John Rostill? - With Hawaiian Guitar Capability

He plays bass for this group and also the hawaiian guitar for another band. He enjoys what he is doing and spends much time jamming with his friends when he is free. He has a large collection of guitars. Shadows' versatility too.

Image/Original article: Andy Lim

Hank Marvin Slick With Original Finger Licks

Mr George Chew, the humble lead guitarist who is also a great dancer.

Quiet, unassuming but friendly, this gentleman only lets his fingers do the walking and talking when he leads the band with his versatility on the Fender frets playing, Apache, Foot Tapper, Rise And Fall Of Flingel Bunt and other Shadows hits.

He is able to communicate well with his bassist, rhythm guitarist and drummer to harmonise as a whole. What band is he with and who are his guitar mates? Check him out soon enough.

*George is from The Burns, a group that has been active these last few years. They have since stopped their jamming sessions.

Image/Original Article: Andy Lim

Cliff Richard/Original Songs By Ronnie See

Ronnie See has a group called The New Burns. They could be performing in a special one hour concert soon in Singapore, where Ronnie will play and sing using a very special guitar.

His repertoire will include Top 10 Hits from the 60s and songs composed/arranged by himself. Most of his originals are written and dedicated to his wife and represent his own lifestyle and attitude, one of calm, peace and tranquility with his immediate environment.

A non-smoker and teetotaller, he spends most of his time with his business, family and music.

Hank Marvin?/Fenders - Lead/Bass

And these mystery men? Who are they? Remember the one on the right? He looks familiar. Is there a new line-up for The Silver Strings? And who is the lead guitarist on the left? Is he the new lead or is he on rhythm?

The Shadows Repertoire - 60s Music Drummer

Who is this mystery man? He is a mean one on the drums and is comparable to the best percussionists on this island.

Can you remember the band he was with during the 60s? Blogger has been advised not to reveal his name. He plays Cliff Richard & The Shadows music with much versatility.

The Shadows Versatility - Hawaiian Guitar Too

He plays bass for this group and also the hawaiian guitar for another band. He enjoys what he is doing and spends much time jamming with his friends when he is free. He has a large collection of guitars. Shadows' versatility too.

The Shadows Versatility - Leads 60s Music

Quiet, unassuming but friendly, George Chew only lets his fingers do the walking and talking when he leads the band with his versatility on the Fender frets playing, Apache, FBI, Kon-Tiki and other Shadows hits.
George is able to communicate well with his bassist, rhythmist and drummer and harmonise as a whole. What band is George with and who are his guitar mates? Check him out soon enough.
Image/Article: Andy Lim

Those Were The Days Orchid CC Concert July 09

The above poster has been distributed by Audie Ng for the forthcoming get-together at Orchid CC.

Singapore 60s Music Talentime For The Masses

A singer and his accompanying band participating in a Singing Contest in Singapore. The group is formatted with Cliff Richard and the Shadows ideal but it is not a regulation. 

Various organizations in Singapore, both public and private ones, held talentime competitions regularly. The Housing & Development Board was no exception. Image shows a talent contest held in 1964 as bands were many and singers in demand.

Winning a talentime competition could make an exciting but unstable career for musicians and singers. Some of them participated for the fun and excitement it provided. The Quests, The Jets, The Burns, The Antartics, Gaylads, were some of the groups that had won a talent competition.

The term 'talentime' was coined by radio personality Kingsley Morrando [above] in the late 50s when he organized such shows to promote singing talents those days. Morrando was a broadcaster working at Radio Malaya (Singapore) studios. He was also a popular radio announcer (term today is 'DJ' = Disc Jockey) in a pop music request programme called, 'To Each His Own'. He even had a company called, ‘Talentime’ at Shaw House. Good friend and well-known Rediffusion broadcaster Larry Lai confirmed this information. An on-line article mentioned that it was one Tony Beamish, the Radio Malaya English Programme Supervisor then, who coined it. 

Among the music youths in the 60s, it was an important word but whether it is accepted officially as part of the English Language vocabulary is another question, either in the UK or in America. Anyone?

Image: The National Heritage Board, Singapore.

Original Article: Andy Lim.