HT Long Gifted Singer Speaker Will Go A Long Way

                                         HT Long with Anyone
My New Year Posting

"I used to serve the King of Rock n Roll but today I serve the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords."

Meeting In KL:
When I went to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia recently I thought it would be a good idea to visit HT Long (Malaysia's Elvis Presley) during one of his performances.  Over the mobile phone we made an arrangement to meet at the venue where he was appearing.

But the meeting came to naught because I didn't realise traffic jams were so bad in the capital that a two kilometer taxi-ride could take more than an hour.  My family and I were living at Ascott Sentral service accommodation and taking a cab from there during peaks would have entailed some planning. 

Ascott Sentral K. L.

So the rendezvous was cancelled and HT had to explain to his audience that his special guest (I had no idea) could not be present that night. Because of the non-event we promised to meet in Singapore.

Meeting In Singapore:
On Sunday the 21st of December in Singapore I nearly missed HT again when I took about an hour looking for a church that I thought was a building with a steeple and a cross on top. I went round and round in my car to Lorong 6, 8,10 and 12 at the Geylang area searching for 5A/5C Guillemard Road.

5A/5C Guillemard Road, Singapore

The Google Map showed its location but I only found The New Horizon Church (administered by Senior Pastor Rev. Lawrence Koo) when I abandoned my vehicle beside a double yellow line ten minutes away from Wing Fong Building at the Kallang Road side of Guillemard. It was housed on the 3rd floor in an unobtrusive corner of the row of shop houses and a long walk from my car.

The congregation @ New Horizon Church.

A Testimony:
I was not disappointed. HT Long was something else. He not only sang Elvis songs to his  congregation of about 200+ people but entertained them and kept them in stitches with his jokes about himself, his family and his past when he gave a testimony as to "how Christ saved me".

I was taken by surprise when he introduced me as, "A famous blogger," but it was a little embarrassing though, compared to his ability both as a singer and power speaker.

HT was a joy to listen to as he pieced together his "condemnation of Christians in my younger days" up to the time when he realised his folly.  He spoke with much wit and veracity about his journey from Elvis to Jesus and how his family, especially his brother, played a big part in his conversion.

A Gifted Speaker:
Between anecdotes, he sang Elvis numbers like The Wonder of You, Love Me Tender, Falling In Love With You, It's Now or Never and other hits. Like my comment on his FB: Yes it was inspirational and HT is exceptional. He is not only a great singer but a gifted speaker.  He will go a long way to carry the message of Jesus Christ.

"I used to serve the King of Rock n Roll but today I serve the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords," stated HT during the service.  At the end of the event, CDs of his recordings were sold and proceeds channeled to the Feed The Hungry and Needy Project. 

It was an interesting morning and as I reached my car I noticed that there was no traffic violation ticket on my windscreen. 

I drove away listening to HT's rendition of, I Just Can't Help Believing.

Cut and paste below: You can listen to HT Long's Sermon @
http://newhorizon.asia/sermons/

Images from Google, HT Long, New Horizon Church, Singapore.

Jimmy PresLee: Singapore's Elvis Tribute Artiste: (新加坡猫王)

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Kat King On The Prowl Within Our Midst:

We met within the confines of a Burger King restaurant. Looking as cool as the Cat himself, Jimmy PresLee resplendently dressed in a black Elvis shirt, waited for 2 hours because he completed an earlier appointment way before time.

"Good afternoon, Mr Lim." We shook hands as he introduced himself politely and addressing me using the same salutation throughout. Jimmy reminds me of Elvis who used to call people he met either, Sir or M'am.

An ETA:

I told him I had always been a fan of The Pelvis but had never met an ETA, especially a Singapore one. As far as I can remember singers who performed on stage singing Elvis numbers were known as Elvis Presley impersonators or simply, Singapore's Elvis or Malaysia's Elvis. 

And there were many of them these past 50 years, from the original Johnny Aroozoo and Wilson David in Singapore, to Rocky Teoh and H.T. Long in Malaysia.

"You have the stature, you have the looks and definitely the charisma of The King. I have watched your video on FB and I think you have impressed me as an Elvis tribute artiste. I hope to see and hear you perform live soon."           

Nighthawks and Purple Hearts:

"Why did you decide to be an Elvis tribute artiste?" I asked. According to Jimmy (67), he had never been on stage singing any number, let alone Elvis ones. He had only been following Singapore pop bands through the years and listening to songs from the west.

But it was 4 years ago in 2009 that he and his wife Judy (61) decided to join the Singapore Elvis And Country Group (SEACG) for weekly karaoke singing at Thomson CC. They struck a high note and eventually joined  the Nighthawks singing weekly with a live band at Tanglin CC. 

One year later feeling more confident about his singing, Jimmy assembled his own live band called Purple Hearts and performed his first gig at Bishan North CC.  He wore his first Elvis customised jumpsuit and Jimmy PresLee, Elvis tribute artiste (ETA) was born. 

Jumpsuits and Elvis Presley Alliance of Asia:

"These jumpsuits cost a bomb," he volunteered, "as they are customised and made to order and cost as much as S$3,000 each." If you checkout his FB, you would probably realise that he has many suits. 

Because of his various performances at CCs, private club functions and charity concerts he was posted on You Tube, and when they became known, Jimmy's Facebook friend base soon enlarged.  

As a result Elvis fans from all over the world wanted to add him on, including ETAS from many countries. Many of them became his personal friends.   

Within a few years he was invited to attend an Elvis Presley Alliance of Asia event in Hong Kong where he got to sing alongside 12 ETAS from Asia.  This was followed by an invitation to Manila to perform with 8 ETAS. 

Seeing how good these ETAS are, Jimmy thought it would be a treat for Elvis fans in Singapore to be able to watch a mega concert paying tribute to Elvis Presley,  the king of rock 'n roll.   

Family and Memorabilia:

So with his very supportive wife (who is cousin to Malaysia's Elvis, Rocky Teoh's wife Jacqueline) and 3 daughters, he became the show agent and organised this inaugural event out of passion and purpose to bring back exciting memories for the baby boomers and the pioneer generation. 

All they want is for the people who love Elvis and his music to come and watch the show. They promise it will be great entertainment.  

                   Jimmy with his wife and three pretty daughters.

I thanked Jimmy for taking time with me as we said our good-byes. He confided that because of his frequent trips he has been collecting Elvis Presley memorabilia from all over and now wants to give them away because he has too many."

"Sounds good. I might pick up on that offer." I told him. "Thanks again. I'll see you at the concert..."

Elvis Presley Tribute Artists at, Elvis Is In The Building Concert, on 21 August at  D' Marquee Downtown East Singapore.

These ETA shows are big overseas and such concerts happened all the time throughout the calendar year.  The gigs hot up when it was around Elvis' birthday in January or near his death anniversary in August. Whatever it is, to his fans, Elvis has never left the building.

When I wrote to Jimmy later in the day I mentioned I was glad to have met him and appreciated how he had given me a personal introduction to the special world of Elvis.

Images/Article: Jimmy PresLee Private Collection. 

The largest gathering of Elvis impersonators is 895, achieved by Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (USA) in Cherokee, North Carolina, USA, on 12 July 2014.

Ben Portsmouth UK Ultimate Elvis Tribute 2013

 

Ben Portsmouth Wins Collingwood 2012

Just close your eyes and listen:

An Elvis tribute artiste Ben Portsmouth from the UK singing,  An American Trilogy shown live on The David Letterman Show at the Ed Sullivan Theatre in New York City on 8th February, 2013. You Tube Video is by Musicfantasy2. According to David Letterman, Portsmouth was, "The first European to be named the ultimate Elvis."

King Ben Portsmouth - 2012 to 2013:

On August 18th, 2012 ten of the top Elvis tribute artists in the world competed at a sold-out Cannon Center in downtown Memphis where the 2012 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist was announced. Ben Portsmouth from England, winner of the Collingwood Elvis Festival won the title.

Elvis Presley or Ben Portsmouth?

Ben lives in a small village in England called Walthan St. Lawrence. He enjoys spending time with friends and writing songs. He first heard Elvis as a young boy while riding in his father’s car.  Ben  learned some chords on his dad's guitar and started to play and sing along to Elvis’ music.  He sings most of them but the favourite is American Trilogy.

Video 1: by Musicfantasy2. Video 2 by kiko9918 from You Tube.

Image from: elvis.com/news.

Thanks to good friend SnookHawk for sending me the video.

Been A Long Time Since Elvis Came To Malaysia

FROM HT LONG's SITE:

(1) "I fell ill and lost my voice last night, but I don't want to disappoint you, because you have travelled from as far as Puchong and Cheras in Malaysia to my concert," apologized Long profusely to a crowd of about 120 people at Soon Heong Teow Chew Seafood Restaurant.

As he stood up on a stool, he started singing away and just as the audience was warming up, his singing came to an abrupt stop. His his lips were still moving but without a sound. The audience applauded as he apologised: "Well, ladies and gentlemen, see I told you I have lost my voice, but what you just heard is my own recording. You can buy my CDs and take me home tonight!" His sense of humour sent the audience in stiches. And what a plug!

(2) Although he has 14 albums to his credit singing Presley hits, Long said he was inspired to compose one of his favourite gospel songs, He Is My Everything to the tune of Elvis' rock n roll style. Thousands of people have since heard his composition. In Hong Kong, people pay $1,800 just to watch him perform. "But, here in Aman Puri (Malaysia), you only pay RM20 (Malaysian Dollars) for good food and good performance, " he enthused.

(3) Wilfred Pilo, (Eastern Times - October 7, 2007), from Kuching, Sarawak reported that if the King were alive today, he would probably give HT Long a pat on the back and say, "Well done buddy!" in his strong Memphis accent. Long and many other Elvis impersonators had never crossed his mind as he was neither an Elvis fan nor appreciated impersonators because he grew in a different era. However, after listening to Long's performance, he was, "completely blown away." He said although Long did not resemble the King physically he was impressed with his voice.

(4) Long staged a three-hour "Elvis Forever in Asia" concert and attracted 1,500 people. The event, sponsored by Japan's 5,000-member Elvis Presley Fan Club, was the first of its kind. "No one can replicate him. I just try to do justice to his songs," said HT Long who wore gold-rimmed sunglasses during a rendition of All Shook Up that was punctuated with pelvic thrusts.

(5) Remembering his youth, Long reminisces, "My mom bought me Elvis' records when I was younger. It costs her RM2.50 for a single and RM4.00 for an EP. When I was about 12 years old, I persuaded my mom to buy me a portable record play so I could bring it out every day." But today his own albums have been getting reviews worldwide.

(6) "I did one show in Perth. I looked like a typical Chinese fellow on the posters and the Australians thought it was just another William Hung. When they heard me sing Love Me Tender, they were shocked. Some of the ladies even broke down and cried." (Edited for space constraints by Andy Lim)

Information/Image: http://htlongelvis.weebly.com/index.html

H.T. Long: Elvis Tribute Artiste From Malaysia

Paul Dowling from Worldwide Elvis USA calls him, "The man with the golden voice of Elvis". One Walter Pacheco, president of the official Elvis Fan Club in Canada said that HT Long's singing voice is so versatile that he can handle the songs from all three Presley era (50s - 70s) and does an excellent job that not many are able to.

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Ray Cordeiro MBE, well-known radio DJ in Hong Kong told his audience on air that HT Long's singing voice is unbelievably similar and definitely the best he has heard. Besides Hong Kong, Long has sung all over in home town Malaysia including Sabah and Sarawak. He is also internationally known and jets to Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, Australia and even the UK and US to bring Presley "live".

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It has been ages since the discipline master at Klang High School reprimanded Long for keeping curry-puff hair and Presley side-burns. Now the Klang Elvis has made many Malaysians proud and because of his association with the King, dating back to the early 60s, he has even met Presley's legendary manager, Colonel Tom Parker, being a special guest to Memphis in 1984.

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Long was also the founding president of the Elvis Fan Club of Malaysia (1968), the first to be registered and recognised by Graceland Elvis Presley Enterprise at Memphis, USA.

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And how did it all start for HT Long? At 9 years he heard Elvis Presley sing in the movie, GI Blues at the Cathay Cinema in Klang, Johore (Malaysia). The King left a deep impression with Long. The rest is history.

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Listen to him at the side-bar. Does he sing like the King?

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Above image: HT Long with Gurmit Singh in Singapore, 2008.

Information/Image: http://htlongelvis.weebly.com/index.html

Malaysia's Answer To Elvis - ROCKY TEOH Part III of III

 

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"Rocky Teoh Beng Hock (1949-1990), better known as Malaysia's 1st and best Elvis Presley Impersonator and sound alike was born in Taiping, Perak on the 2nd of April 1946. As a boy, he loved singing more than anything. He was greatly inspired by his hero, the American Super Rock n Roll King Elvis Presley.

Young Rocky won many school Talentime contests and also, later on, won many "Elvis Champion" titles throughout Malaysia. At age 18 he was already singing and doing "live" shows in and around Taiping and Ipoh. 

A year later, a local Recording Company signed him up. He recorded his first 45rpm 2 tracks Single when he was 19 years old. Both songs were his personal Elvis favorites, "Crying In The Chapel" b/w "There's Always Me". It sold quite well. In the above video, Teoh sings, "A Pocketful of Rainbows."

In 1965, he released his 1st EP (Extended Play) 4 tracks Record. The title tune, JACQUELINE a self-penned composition which he dedicated to his childhood girlfriend who later became his wife. Of-course her name was Jacqueline. She was a very pretty girl, also from Taiping.

The EP record went to No.1 in the local Radio Charts. "Jacqueline" was the biggest golden hit of his career. In 1965 someone even started a Rocky Teoh Fan Club at Jalan Huge Low, Ipoh.

Today when you mention Rocky Teoh, older folks still remember him fondly and also remember those catchy hit songs of his "Jacqueline", "Selina", "Goodbye" and "Thinking Of You."

He made a total of 9EPs and 2 LPs (Long Playing) vinyl reord albums. Rocky and his excellent band The Fabulous Falcom toured around Malaysia and Singapore from 1965 to 1967 performing in Cathay Organisation Theatres playing to packed audiences everywhere. They also toured Thailand in September 1966.

Rocky Teoh's quality power packed stage performances were a real treat to watch in the good old days. In the 60s nobody else but only Rose Chan, another Malaysian Legend can top Rocky Teoh, but that's another story."

Posted by: HT Long on 9 October 2006. HT Long is today's answer to a Malaysian Elvis Presley as he makes a name for himself in the local pop circuit. And he's just as good or even better. 

When I met him at the end of 2014 in a church in Geylang in Singapore I realized he is also a good speaker, works and evangelizes in churches in this part of the world. Check HT Long under Labels below.

Thinking of You YouTube Video by elvisalexwong.

Rocky Wong Parts 1 and 2. Connect to read:

https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2009/03/blog-post_15.html

https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2009/03/rocky-teoh-malaysias-elvis-presley.html

Like the Mercedes Benz beside him, ROCKY TEOH is a brand name to contend with. Although made in Malaysia and long gone, Rocky is still a challenge to many current and would be Elvis Presley impersonators. In fact I find him fascinating to listen to despite the screams and shouts in some of his recordings by his back-up group but many of the tracks are well-worth listening to.

With the charitable act of which only a Malaysian friend could provide, I managed to get a copy each of Rocky Teoh's albums, 'Cool Wind' (image) and 'Kiss Me Once' both a Tung Poh Records pressing.

Thank you very much SNOOKHAWK who not only gave me his stack of 45 vinyls but his heart and soul when, over laksa and tim-sum, he told me stories of Malaysian pop singers.

Listening to these recordings makes me realise that Rocky's fans will surely remember him like they do of The King himself.

About Rocky Teoh:

"ROCKY TEOH BENG HOCK better known as Malaysia's 1st and best Elvis Presley Impersonator and sound alike, born in Taiping, Perak on April 2, 1946, his father was a successful pork salesman. Hock was the eldest of six boys and of Hokkien descent.

Rocky was something of a teruna (Malay slang for an "adolescent male all up in it") in his late-teens. It was common knowledge that he lived above Tai Chien Coffee Shop where he could be heard rehearsing with a band.

Check out Steve Farram's write-up and music posts at http://www.garagehangover.com/ and Rocky's daughter, Ann Teoh's website at: http://www.rockyteoh.com/

Facebook: Rocky Teoh.

YouTube: key in: rocky teoh malaysia