SINGAPORE 60's: ANDY's POP MUSIC INFLUENCE IS A PERSONAL MUSIC, MEMORY TRAIL. BLOGGER DOES NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO VIDEOS, AUDIO TRACKS AND IMAGES. THEY ARE UPLOADED FOR FUN, EDUCATIONAL, ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES AND HAVE BEEN CREDITED. BLOG IS NOT SPONSORED NOR ADVERTORIAL IN ANY WAY WHATSOEVER. INFORM BLOGGER OF COPYRIGHT ISSUES AND POST WILL BE DELETED IMMEDIATELY. DO NOT COPY THE POSTS; GET PERMISSION N CREDIT ME IF YOU DO. ANDY LIM LA (NOVEMBER, 2008) -
(新加坡六十年代安迪的流行音乐影响力), SUDI MAMPIR !
They were part of the choir group called, SIDAISLERS
from St Andrew's and St. Margaret's schools. Check the
blog connection below.
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Letter 1 From Nicole:
Hi Andy,I wish I had found *this page sooner. My aunt was one of The Friday Girls. In the picture of the purple sleeve above, she was the girl in the middle. Her name was Chin Oi Min. Unfortunately, my aunt passed on two days ago and I chanced upon your site while we were looking for her songs. I believe that she was still in contact with one of two of the girls (I think Rolana was one of them) in the group before her passing.
And by the way, thank you for immortalising The Friday Girls on the post 👩.
Letter 2 From Nicole:
Hi Andy,
Here are some photos of The Friday Girls that we found while going through my aunt’s belongings:
The second photo is a card that they gave out to fans (my aunt - rightmost) and the third is a photo of my aunt and Rolana, taken when Rolana came to Singapore for a visit in 2017.
Hi Nicole,
Thanks for the blog visit and writing in too. I am sorry to hear of Ms Chin's passing away. RIP Oi Min. Hope this post will make you feel better and that Rolana will read it and write to this blog.
Warm regards,
Andy.
'The Boys' accompanied 'The Friday Girls'
for the Philips label vinyl records.
NB:
Friday Girls and The Boys [Naomi]
Songs by this group were usually folk and a few originals written by the late ROBERT SURIYA, band leader of THE BOYS. He also played lead guitar.
The FRIDAY GIRLS were together only in 1967, recorded a few vinyl on the Philips labels, appeared on television, and performed at the National Theatre when they were at their peak. They had always been accompanied by THE BOYS.
Images: Copyrighted by owner. Do not use them for any publication whatsoever.
My ukulele group, GYUS performing at PM Lee Hsien Loong's
garden party at Gardens by the Bay in 2017. PM sang,
'The Young Ones'.
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Anna Law, solo on stage, performing at Chevy 57 in Katong,
East Coast with Leonard, lead guitarist of band, That's Life.
GYUS on stage: 10 May, 2018 @ a graduation function
organised by The Ministry of Health.
GYUS performed at Changi Airport in 2017,
around the Christmas season.
GYUS performed at Changi Airport in 2017,
around the Christmas season.
The Teepees... question is, which one is Anna?
Anna with Peter Chua at Sentosa Island
Anna Law leads the Ukulele group GYUS
with 'The Young Ones' and 'Let's Twist Again',
during a Passion Fiesta performance in 2016.
Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Tan have been in touch with me since we last met for a huge lunch they provided after a successful pop music show in 2019. I wrote recently to ask Mrs. Tan [a.k.a. Anna Law from girl group, The Teepees] if she could do an article on her famous ukulele group that had been hitting the headlines for some time. Anna is not only a talented musician and singer but a poet and an artist too. Below is her recollection. Thanks so much dear Anna.
Hi Andy,
If music be the food of love, play on. Music is my passion and it might stem from the fact that I come from a musically inclined family, Hawaiian guitarist dad, pianist mum and 2 brothers, Daniel and David who played professionally on the guitar and piano, respectively. I was from Katong Convent School and love to write and compose poems too 😀. With the family and self introduction done, I will proceed with my own music path.
I will talk briefly about my music career with my band, a 4 piece all- group called The Teepees. I was a guitarist/ singer with the other 3 girls on the keyboard, bass and drums. We had contracts in Singapore and Malaysia. Sadly, due to family commitments, we had to disband and parted ways.
But many years later, we were approached by Jerry Fernandez from The Neu Faces to perform at the Concert Hall, Esplanade. That was in 2012. We were quite hesitant as we had lost touch with our instruments. After much persuasion, we decided to give it a try and practised relentlessly. Years later we were asked to perform at Pek Kio CC.
That was our last gig. We moved on with our lives. I moved on and continued with my passion for music.
A Date With Friends 14th March 2019 at the Esplanade.
The lady in green kebaya is Anna Law. Listen to DIANA, HOUND DOG & other hits. Also their original Teochew Song. Video from: johnsonchusc
It was in 2012 when I took over the helm of the ukulele group, GYUS ( The Golden Years Ukulele Strummers) from my Instructor who succumbed to an illness, and with 13 members in tow.
Initially, I was reluctant to take over the baton from him, but after much persuasion and consideration, and support from my husband, Vincent, I decided to give it a shot. It was from word of mouth and the members, mainly Seniors, grew to a hundred and more. Jamming sessions were held weekly at a Community Club (CC). It was a happy sight to see them letting their hair down, strumming and belting out songs from yesteryear.
We had a lot of performances. We were honoured to perform before President Tony Tan at the Istana, at VIP functions attended by the PM, Lee Hsien Loong and the Ministers. Our last ukulele performance was at the Concourse, Esplanade. The Teochew song which we played on that day went viral. Can you believe that? For the Teochew song, I listened to the clip sung by Peter Chua. No lyrics were provided. So I painstakingly listened to the song and wrote down my own lyrics and put in the chords.
We are not going to “Blame it on the Bossa Nova”, but all hell broke loose when Covid-19 created havoc. Haha! Oh well, like they say, all good things must come to an end. It has been two years since we last jammed. Anyway. It’s not over for me. Life has to go on and the sound of music continues for me.
Music keeps the mind active, and with that in mind and also to stay sane, I am still in touch with my guitar and ukulele, jamming occasionally at places of friends. After a storm, there will be sunshine.
Here’s a little poem composed by myself.
In body and mind, continue to be strong,
As the road to recovery is nothing but long.
Parts if played well, all will be fine,
Darkness will disappear, say hi to sunshine.
Times are trying, they will pass,
Believe that not all bad occurrences will last.
Wishing good blessings to each and everyone of you,
May what you dream and wish for come true.
Best wishes,
Anna Law
Vincent Tan and wife Anna.
Anna accompanying Andy
during lunch fun in 2019.
Images: An Anna Law Collection/Copyrights Reserved.
Wandering around the Internet to look at today's music... and not get frozen too much in the 60s time capsule.
Showing legs with Olympics-style gymnastics on stage from A-Pop or B-Pop or Z-Pop is not really my cuppa. Unless the song is worthy. Not really. Worse, are there really lyrics nowadays or are they just mimicries of train station hoots and animal love calls.
How do you listen to 10 people on stage with blinking lights and 5G IT incredibles singing ditties utterly devoid of meaning. I still respect choices though and what I write is just my opinion and the positive voice of my teenage grand daughter. But we're only two insignificant people and can be ignored.
But can you ignore a viewership of 10 million on YouTube of a single video, accumulated within a span of 6 hours? [It's like 1.5 billion currently😮.]
Connecting with the younger generation has never been easy. It's part of the psychosis of the human species so it has been a challenge for many older folks to be able to chat or discuss with their children or grandchildren on certain topics. I try. With a music topic.
The Covid-19 school situation is here in Singapore. So I got my grand daughter [J2] to tell me why she likes her K-Pop sensation BLACKPINK.
''There's nothing to tell,'' she says, ''they are just, ohhh so good.''
She's used to the fact that her grand-dad has a music blog, so it was easier for me. And with some encouragement and hints, she managed to put a few factors together as to why she likes Blackpink.
She loves the group's only album, Lovesick Girls and although she hasn't seen them live they have performed this side of the Pacific, in Melbourne and Singapore. According to J2, their songs are catchy and the costumes or outfits are beautifully created and crafted. I guess what she meant was Blackpink has got class. That's true. But Lovesick Girls, what a title.
BLACKPINK - '붐바야 (BOOMBAYAH)' M/V
YouTube Video: BLACKPINK.
I suggested that the lyrics are meaningless but she disagreed. I guess I took the term too seriously.
So what was the first song she heard.
''Ddu-Du Ddu-Du...,'' she replied unhesitatingly, ''from their mini-album SquareUp.'' This was the album that surpassed 10 million views a few hours after its release. She went on to name songs as we listened to them on the car stereo. They included, Kill This Love, How You Like That, Boombayah, Playing With Fire and a few others.
I'll never forget, ''rump-pa-pump pa-pump pa-pump.''
''Blackpink in your area.''
And her favourite member among the four?
From left = Jisoo, Jennie, Rose and Lisa.
''Without doubt, Jennie,'' she mentioned [above with hat].
Why?
''She's the most talented...'' and added, ''and prettiest. And second oldest.''
There was a pause as her brain whirled and clicked.
''Aegyo.''
''What's that?'' I asked.
''It means to act cute... and she knows just how to do it.''
I nodded and repeated, ''Aegyo.''
''And the second member I like best is either Jisoo or Rose,'' she commented, ''Jisoo caught my attention first. Lisa ranked number one in the world as the most beautiful person.''
''So that makes up four of them, Jennie, Jisoo, Rose and the prettiest, Lisa,'' I concluded. But till today, I still can't make out who's who. Only J2 and 15 million others can. [I've been corrected, it's 1.5 billion views.]
And Boombayah hit the billion point five views too, just.
I'm not convinced but honestly, Blackpink is the best K-Pop girl group I've listened to so far. And I've heard many. Cheers.
She heard the hits again and her natural outflow describing songs she loves resulted in a free-spirited writing style that can only come from a talented and gifted pop music artiste like Freda Hanum. She is from the very popular girl group The Teepees. Thank you, Freda, for your contribution. Soon the Teepees will appear on these pages, but that might take a while. Meantime, here's Freda with her comments about the nostalgia she experienced when she listened to the songs once more after so many years. It's inspirational.
The song below has been replaced because another posting of the same nature with the song, Summertime Blues has already been featured. This is another May song by Julie Andrews. Enjoy.
The Lusty Month of May: Julie Andrews
from the musical: Camelot.
YouTube Video: Julie Andrews - Topic
Wow, Andy,
I cannot believe my ears hearing that song Summertime Blues (Eddie Cochran), I thought nobody even notices that song. My band had been playing and I sang that song almost every other night when we were in Hiroshima for the 6 months contract in Japan. Our Japanese friends like it. I did not hear of it again any more or anywhere or of any band playing the song in Singapore or Malaysia since 1985 when I came back (cannot remember exactly which year). It had been totally out of my mind since then until I heard it from your blog today. All songs bring a specific memory of when, where andthe happenings surrounding it, who you were with, or a special occasion.
A Hard Day's Night obviously an international Beatles hit, was so very popular among all age group, and that brought my memories back to my secondary school days at Katong; I used to write down all their songs lyrics in my songbook. The song Car Wash (Rose Royce) brings back my memories with the Falcons years back in the 80s I think, a very popular Malaysian band. I was supposed to replace their singer who had to go back to the States, me practising the Car Wash refrainsalmost every day just to get that essence; it was not easy but their vocalist sang that number superbly. As I am more of a lounge singer I did not join the band.
What memories you brought back... Oh my, this song is still an all-time favorite. I never forgot that movie Melody Fair. S.W.A.L.K.(seal with a loving kiss) with Mark Lester, Jack Wild, and Tracy Hyde. So cute were these kids; I fell in love with the movie. Lately just a few months ago - I upload movies but only good old classic ones and with a really good storyline - I managed to find the movie, which I had been searching for quite some time. I was so happy when I finally got it. The songs In The Morning and 1st of May really blended with the movie so well... beautiful songs. The BeeGees have definitive songs that I never tire listening to. Thanks for the oldies and they do click with me. I want to thank you, Andy, for bringing back the good old times in your blog. Cheers to you. Wouldn't know much about songs to protest about, as long as they're good to hear or sing... just go along happily.
Written by Freda Hanum. Copyrights Reserved. Keyboardist for 'Teepees' Pop Girl Group 1970s.
The following post about pianist Teresa Khoo is information from a letter by Horace Wee (thank you Horace) and articles from the daily newspapers published in Singapore. I do not know her personally but have seen the Khoo family perform on TV and listened to them on the radio. I thought she deserves some recognition since she was one of the pioneers in the music industry from the 50s.
HORACE WEE
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Hi Andy, You may want to post this as it is about Singapore musicians from the 60's. Teresa Filmer (nee Khoo) the pianist wife of bassist Winston Filmer passed away on November 8th, 2012 in Melbourne Australia. She was 70 years old and had been in ill health the past few years.
She had a hit song that was popular in Malaysia around the early 60's I think. Not sure the title but was it called, *Say Yes, My Boy (image 1), recorded on the Decca label. She spent her years in Melbourne teaching and I think she was on the board of music examiners for the state of Victoria/Australia.
She is from the well-known family of Khoos in Singapore that includes Victor an entertainer and ventriloquist, The Singing Khoos comprising of her brothers. Her father (Khoo Teng Eng) used to perform magic shows in those early years as well.
Cheers, Horace Wee.
1. Mono Extended Play. Cover Photo: George Abbas.
Teresa Khoo was one of Singapore's most talented daughters from the 50s who acquired her LRSM (London Royal School of Music) in piano when she was only 15 years old. According to reliable sources, she was a school-prefect and was usually on stage to lend support by playing the piano on numerous occasions.
She started the first ever all-girls band called the Blue Belles in 1960, way before any guitar group could ever claim that status. The group came in third in a "battle of the bands" contest that year and were a hit when they appeared in nightclubs all over Singapore and Malaya playing jazz standards. Their ages ranged from 17 to 21 and the combo consisted of a double bassist, a wind-instrumentalist, an accordionist, a violinist, a guitarist and Ms. Khoo herself as a pianist. But she was also very good on the accordion, flute and vibraphone. Sometimes, as a family, Khoo was assistant to her father's magic shows but the music was her first love and her musical interest expanded when together with the Singapore Musical Society she formed an official choir of thirty singers. From classics to combo to the choir.
When she turned professional Teresa Khoo and her Three Notes entertained regularly at some of the more established nightclubs in Singapore, namely The Raffles and The Adelphi Night Club and Peacock Bar in the 1960s. With her classical music background, her versatility was obvious when she gave her own twinkling trademark to the pop songs she rendered.
2. The Singing Khoos and sister TeresaKhoo at the piano were performing an item at the Victoria Theatre on 5 October 1960. The show was organised by the Chinese Section of Radio Singapore and the compere was Mr Wang Shih Ming.
Khoo cut an album on Decca Mono DFE 4003: Teresa Khoo and Her Five Notes. Her songs include: You Don't Know, Baby, Unspoken Words, Say Yes, My Boy and A Lover's Concerto. She has another record on Decca F 22658 called Teresa Khoo and Her Five Notes with Tonight in Tokyo/This Must Be Love (1967). Produced by Darling Lim Geok Lin with cover photo by George Abbas the record sleeve reads: "Presenting for the first time on record as a performer in her own right - the talented and versatile Teresa Khoo. Teresa was trained as a classical pianist, obtaining the music degree LRSM (London). Indeed she has her own music school in Singapore but at night - she sizzles. Gone for a while are the classics and, leading her Five Notes, in comes the beat. Teresa prefers sentimental songs. Just listen to her rendering of Unspoken Words."
Unspoken Words climbed the Singapore Charts and was published under Hits of the World on Billboard Magazine when it hit number two in February 1968. The image below shows the song position where it bettered Cliff Richard's, All My Love and Bee Gees' Massachusetts, losing only to the Foundations' Baby, Now That I've Found You.
3. Teresa Khoo's Hit at Number 2 on Billboard.
In the early 80s when the SSO (Singapore Symphony Orchestra) recorded their first album Ms Khoo was the pianist selected for the occasion. Together with other musicians they formed a contingent and had put on CD a collection of Chinese melodies.
Khoo's popularity allowed her to promote a local product and she was described as "one of Singapore's most respected pianist, a busy woman with performances, recording schedules and also teaching at a well-known music school." In the newspaper advertisement, the tag-line was, "I must have soft and supple fingers or my playing will not be up to standard."
Video: Late Teresa Khoo's "Lover's Concerto," from her debut EP,
Number 2 in the Singapore Charts in 1967.
NB: According to the record cover and newspaper advertisements her name is Teresa and not Theresa ie: without the letter h.
YouTube Video You Don't Know Baby song downloaded by: blastfromdepast. Images 2: Mun Chor Seng Copyrights Reserved.
SINGAPORE: Local ventriloquist Victor Khoo, brother to Teresa Khoo, died on Friday, June 6th aged 63. A well-known international entertainer, and one that many Singaporeans grew up watching the radio show, Happy Talk on Saturday mornings, he was most famous for performing with his puppet Charlee since the 1970's. Image: Straits Times Press Singapore, Archives.
In March 2011 I posted a quiz and asked if readers could name the choir I featured. After more than a year I received mail (below) from a research writer regarding the choir. Here is the posting again with the answers intact and images to help you along the way:
Some Sleeves Speak:
"The first thing that strikes most people about The Sidaislers (above vinyl record image) is our name. It merely means that instead of walking up the middle aisle of the aisle, we stick to the side aisle!
We have often been confronted with an embarrassing, 'Well, what are The Sidaislers? I mean, well... what are you?' The answer comes in two words: We sing. We sing of what the world means to us, we sing of Singapore, we sing of love, hope, faith and of running and catching the wind.
We have grown tired of sitting down and arguing with people about faith and charity. So instead of yelling pointlessly for hours on end, getting bad tempers, sore throats and headaches, we sing. We have found that music is a language everyone understands, and so we use music as our medium of communication. Started in 1965 by the St Andrew's Cathedral, the group originally consisted of girls from St. Margaret's Secondary School. We later expanded to include men and girls from the various denominational groups and are now based at St Andrew's Cathedral. The Sidaislers have appeared over TV Singapura and Malaysia and made broadcasts over Radio Singapura and Rediffusion, besides singing in churches and concerts halls. This album is a live recording of one of our performances. Two of the numbers, Dem Bones and Go Tell It On The Mountain, are spirituals which have been rearranged by the group, and the Christmas Calypso On A Day is an original tune based on words by Dr D. T. Niles. Morning Town Ride is one of the many folksongs sung by us, while The Great Spirit, composed by the Colwell Brothers, is one of several MRA songs often sung by the group." Here's the letter that was written in June 2012: Hi Mr Lim,
I came across your post on Can You Name This Singapore 60s Mystery Group and was wondering if the group you were referring to was the Sidaislers?
I'm a freelance researcher/writer working on an upcoming documentary on Singapore's national music, and am actually trying to track down existing members of the Sidaislers or Friday Girls (images), whom I believe was involved in the creation of songs such as Singapore Town and To Build A Rugged Society.
Was wondering if you might by any chance have any clues to the whereabouts of any of the members, or could provide any further information, as I've not been able to find much about them. If possible would greatly appreciate it if you could drop me a mail.
Thank you!
Regards, DC When I replied DC came with another note: Hi Andy, With regards to the Friday Girls, I believe that they were also a part of the Sidaislers group from St Andrew's Cathedral so my leads pretty much stem from there. I actually met a Mr C. recently, who used to be part of the Sidaislers, but unfortunately he doesn't remember who any of the girls are, only that they were students at St Margaret's and that they were mostly Eurasians. Also came across a book entitled Songs of the Sidaislers in the reference section of the National Library, which contains lyrics to some of the songs they performed. The words and music for the song, There is an Island have been credited to a Susan Cheng but I'm afraid I don't know anything else about her. The other names mentioned in the book were Vernon Perreau and Albany To if that rings any bells. There was also a Michael Cheng mentioned, but I understand that he passed away many years ago. I believe they performed as part of the Sidaislers in a National Day Special on RTS in 1967 or 1968 if that's of any help. Regards, DC Information from record sleeve (image 2) Philips 338706 PF: From left to right are Peggy Daroesman, who is the lead singer, Sandra Bruford, Yvette Chin, Susan Cheng and Rolana Barker.
"The group is accompanied by *The Boys singing Rigi-Rigi and(1967), an Indonesian song. This was the A-side of the group's very first record. They were teenagers at that time The Friday Girls had gone into the recording studios of Philips, Singapore as the backup vocals for Heather Batchen from The Thunderbirds, but ended up with their own record contract (from You Tube comment by Joe Wu, Seattle USA)." *The BOYS, the top selling band at Philips (Singapore): ROBERT SURIYA was the lead guitarist; PETER THOMAS, rhythm guitarist; MOSES TAY, bass guitarist and keyboardist; while ALPHONSO SOOSAY was the drummer. If you can help DC with her research please write to me in confidence on the Comment page and I shall convey your message. And to the Friday Girls, if you are reading this, write in. Keep our heritage alive.
Images/article: 1 ami Records/back sleeve cover. 2 Philips Records. Andy Lim Collection.
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