Australian Influence: Ray Brown and The Whispers Part 2

Ray Brown and The Whispers: (L-R) John Manners, Pat Jeffrey (seated), Lawrie Barclay, Ray Brown, Al Jackson (line up: 1964).

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When 60's Music Friends Had A Get-Together In Singapore (2):

When Dr Steven Farram (Darwin U, Australia) came to visit Singapore recently, it wasn't the first time. He's familiar with a lot of Singaporean activities, its culture and history, especially with the local music 60's scene.

I first met him ten years ago when he introduced himself, all wet and hot, after rockin' and rollin' to Mike and Herb's (Beatles of Malaysia) stage performance in 2008 at the Vivo City Roof Top. We became good friends and he never failed to write an article for the blog when I made the request.

Steve wanted to interview some band boys so I managed the help of Mr Michael Bangar (professional guitarist playing rhythm for Silver Strings) to speak to him. We had our first session and a few days later, a larger group came. 

With Andy: Michael Bangar and Steven Farram during the interview @ a food court.

Our 2nd session ended after Steve interviewed guitar legend Horace Wee, bassist Zainal Abidin, drummer John Cher and singer/DJ Jerry Fernandez (images below).

It was a successful meet when Mr Bangar provided Dr Farram with the necessary information he needed. The interview and informal chit-chat over coffee lasted nearly four hours. The lecturer was satisfied with the outcome.

Steve brought with him some vinyl records. I list the artistes and songs covered on both Side A and B. All artistes were from Australia:

Ray Brown and the Whispers:

Now Is The Time        
In The Midnight Hour (YouTube Video above)
Pride
Say It Again
20 Miles
Devoted To You
Go To Him
Fool Fool Fool 

Normie Rowe:
Ain't Nobody Home 
Ooh La La

Johnny Young (image) Let It Be Me 
Step Back

The New World: Try To Remember
The World I Used To Know 

Col Joye and the Joy Boys: (Rockin' Rollin') - Clementine 
Fools Like Me

Clockwise from left: Zainal Abidin (Dukes), Michael Bangar (Silver Strings); Pete Hanoken (CD Producer, Helsinki); Jerry Fernandez (Neu Faces); Andy Young (host); John Cher (Writer, Silver Strings); Horace Wee (Guitar Legend, Radio/TV Singapore); Steve Farram (Lecturer, Darwin U, Australia).

Here's a list of Australian pop stars on the international scene that I am familiar with:

Slim Dusty,  John Farnham, Olivia Newton-John,  Rick Price, Kylie Minogue, Natalie Imbruglia, Rick Springfield, Tina Arena, Tommy Emmanuel, Johnny O'Keefe, The Seekers, Men At Work, The Easybeats (YouTube video below), Air Supply, AC/DC INXS, Little River Band, Savage Garden,  Keith Urban, Helen Reddy and of course, The Bee Gees. And the names go on...

It's time we have some writing about pops Down Under since we're neighbours but I am not an expert with 60's Australian pops so I have left Steve to elaborate on the records he provided. 

But that's Part 3 in this series.

RICK SPRINGFIELD, HELEN REDDY, LITTLE RIVER BAND, OLIVIA NEWTON JOHN

Images: Steven Farram, Personal Collection.
YouTube Videos.

Wes Cossacks Singapore band covered Sorry under a Singapore label. Video from The Garage 1966. Thank you.

Read connection below about humble George Chew who used to play lead guitar with Wes Cossacks and in recent years, The Burns. Wes Cossacks had recorded a few instrumental numbers in the mid-sixties and The Burns in the 2000's which has disbanded since.

https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.sg/2009/07/quiet-unassuming-but-friendly-george.html

A Letter To All My Friends, Contributors, Readers

Why This Blog:

My profile page explains it all. 

"This blog is written to (a) relive my missing music years, (b) keep interested seniors posted about our local music scene, (c) encourage music stories from them and (d) keep our younger generation, especially my *3J's, aware of our pop music heritage. 

Although I have lived the age and participated in the music I am neither a music guru nor historian. No showing off past glories."

Today is November 22nd and this blog will be into its eighth year. My eldest grandson First Jay is nine and I remember he was two years young when I first thought about writing a blog. And it all started at Vivo City.

That was when I went on stage to offer a non-professional voice backing to the Silver Strings on 8th November 2008 and First Jay was there with my folks. Although he was still so young, I felt he was enthralled by the event, definitely by the loud guitar noise.

Friends And Readers Who Assisted With Blog:

Here is my list of friends who started me off with the blog:

1. Roger Poh
2. Victor Koo
3. Friends of Yesteryear (FOYERS) Group, Singapore
4. Larry Lai

Very kind blog readers contributed their stories to help boost its authenticity. The list includes writers, photographers and their country of residence:

1.   Allan Thompson: Norfolk England UK

2.   Barry Walker: England UK

3.   John Harper: York England UK
4.   Dino Martin Peters: USA

5.   Happy Tay: Vancouver BC Canada

6.   Matt Tan: Montreal Quebec Canada   

7.   Byrt Mallanyk: Sydney Australia

8.   Mag Jnne: Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

9.   Peter Chan: Singapore

10. CYLin: Singapore

11. Mun Chor Seng: Singapore

12. John Cher: Singapore. 
13. Michael Bangar 
14. Stephen Han
15. Horace Wee
16. Henri Gann
17. SPYeo
18. Dr Steven Farram 
19. Winston Koh
20. Richard Seah 
21. Charlie Yap  
22. Joe Woon 
And many more...

Regular Commentators from Singapore include:

1.   FL 
2.   Ronnie See 
3.   Rickie Chng
4.   Audie Ng
5.   Jerry Fernandez
6.   Merlin Lim 
7.   Dato Dr YS Lee: Penang  Malaysia.
8.   Jimmy Chng
9.   Randy Lee
10. Erwin Maisch
11. James Seah
12. Dino Martin Peters: USA
13. BC Teoh: KL Malaysia
14. Dr Steven Farram: Charles Darwin University, Darwin Australia.

Translators for Mandarin:
1. Lim Kuan Min 
2. SPYeo.

Observations on Pop Yeh Yeh and Malay cultural matters:
1. Yusnor Ef.

Media for introducing the blog:
1. Majorie Chiew: STAR newspaper Malaysia
2. Brigitte Rozario: 3age Malaysia Website
3. Christopher Toh: TODAY newspaper
4. Singapore Chinese newspapers

Media Corp Singapore for telecast documentaries about blog and local pops:
1. Channel News Asia
2. Channel 5
3. Octo Channel

There are many regular contributors, so excuse me if I have not included your name. It is a long list and more will be added as the days go by. Apologies.

Helping Tertiary Students And Lost Friends:

Glad this blog has kept its pace and, most importantly, helped students at tertiary level who need to write papers about our 1960's music heritage for their media studies. Still meeting them at a Mall for interviews.

This blog has also got long lost band members and friends together. Some of them have either migrated to far off lands or had never been in touch since their last band practice :-) Glad this blog has put some folks together again.

With other books, blogs available in the market and websites, our youth have easier access to information about Singapore's Golden Years of Music and its western influence.

Thank you all for support.

Yours Sincerely,

Andy.

*3 grandchildren.

Images: Google.

70s Singapore Band Boy Writes From Australia

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A regular reader of this blog and practicing business and trade adviser from Sydney, Australia, Byrt Mallanyk wrote in to tell me about his young and active evenings in Singapore 70s as a pop singer with the Sundowners.  Here is his edited letter:

 YouTube Video by The Straydogs, Freedom (1971).

Hi Andy,

Its great to hear from you – thank you for writing. 

A bit of history:  

My last two performing contracts in Singapore with the Sundowners were at the Hilton (our contract was extended 4 times – so it becomes like home for the band - our band manager then was Alphonso Soosay, and then from the Hilton we went to the Cockpit in the Victoria Lounge/Bar – not sure what it's called now. 

We also did the Holiday Inn for 2 years, Hyatt, and Mandarin also. I have played in other places around the Orchard Road vicinity, including Equatorial and Orchid Inn in my earlier days – my first semi proband was in ‘68 during my National Service days and then I went pro-full-time end of ‘69 after I finished my military bout – glad I did it but never again.   I was in the very first batch of NS  in 1967.

Ray Anthony

The Sundowners were one of the earlier pioneers of the Lounge Music craze that hit Singapore during the late sixties, an era that spawned a legitimate industry for musicians back then – it was huge – we made a lot of money – and we spent big too haha. 

The usual names during that 70s era were Adam and Ben, Tradewinds, Tania, Matthew, and the Mandarins, and us, the Sundowners – I was the lead singer – many more band names I have forgotten. 


My earlier heroes were Joe Chandran and the Experiments, Pest Infested, Stray Dogs, and even earlier; Benny and the Trailers and Vernon and Quests – there were so many more – I can’t remember for now. I caught up with Ray Anthony (lead guitarist for Heritage and Fried Ice) a few years back as he was on his way to Taiwan. I know him and his brother Leslie well.

Your Blog:

Everything you wrote and every place or movie you mentioned, and every star you talked about in your blog were part of my precious memories – so thank you VERY much. Many of the cinemas and clubs you mentioned are held fondly in my memories because I have crossed your path during my school days and also during my adult days as a musician. Nowadays its so hard to find similar era people to talk to or relate with – they are either not in the music business to relate with or too old or not around to talk to where I live.

Coming from a musical family, I found my music roots in soul and RnB which still influences my style till today. My sister (in an even earlier era) played piano and drums and was the lead singer for many bands that played the RAF bases. Her era had heroes like Harry Belafonte, Johnny Mathis, Connie Francis etc. I grew up discovering the wonderful music of the 50s while in school and was influenced by artists like Bill Haley and the Comets, Rick Nelson, Paul Anka, and others.  

Most of the Singaporeans here in Sydney (I meet only very few) are just too young to remember the early days of Singapore, even before street lights came on our main streets, or before TV came (I was there at Victoria Theatre in ‘63 when TV was first shown in Singapore. I don’t think they even believe that Singapore was once very wild in landscape, bushy, and naturally green – I caught many fighting spiders in those bush lands to attest to that. Oh so much to share.

I wrote to you because you have a fascinating insight and collection on a past I hold so passionately. So few today can relate to that era. Its us guys who must preserve it. In the last 4 years the urge to retrace my music roots in Singapore began to emerge and began to grow stronger each year – I must begin to blog on it soon. What you have in formation and memories far exceed what I can do.

My Homes:

Jalan Bahagia was my last address in Singapore before moving to Australia. My first gig ever was at a private party in Toa Payoh (while it was still only partly developed) - I played bass then but had no idea what I was doing – my band then was Hard Timers Hail and then I was invited to do lead vocals for a great band called Crude Stuff – we had a fabulous lead guitarist by the name of Bala – not sure where he is now – the last time I heard he got drafted - ah those raw days. 

What I would like to plan for the future is to gather these people in the era we are chatting about in one place for a conference on the 70's Music. I have some thoughts and strategy on it. I may be coming to Singapore sometime late August or September this year (if my schedule allows) – would be nice to catch up then. I hope to connect with as many of my peers as possible – just the guys I played with - a reminiscing time, you could say.

 

Byrt Mallanyk.

Trusted Mentor to Business Owners
National Winner of the Australian Tourism Award for Excellence
SIKU Fashion Group Australia – Co-Founder.

A part of my resource goes into reversing poverty by helping build urban micro enterprises.

You Tube Video
Images from: Google and acknowledged sites.
Original article: Copyrights Reserved.