Oldies But Goodies Keep Seniors Jiving The Nite

Oldies But Goodies with Eric, Irene, Ioleen, Audie and Patrick.

Even today a new 60s band is in the making with active music veterans in the line-up. Rightly so, Oldies But Goodies not only describe the songs they sing and play but also about the members themselves. 

From left stands Eric Chia experienced lead guitarist, Irene Yap former recording artiste last seen and heard fronting Locomotion, and Ioleen Chia who plays the drums like Ringo but sings like Paul.  The guy on bass guitar needs no introduction. Boss of  The Silver Strings and now this band, Audie Ng still leads the pack.  On the extreme right is Patrick Chan who strums and sings with the personality of a tough Texan cowboy.

Irene sings Chubby Checker.

They made their appearance on Friday 5th July 2013 at the Corpthone King's Bar at Havelock Road. It was a one hour show and the floor was packed with rock and rollers enjoying themselves to classics like Silver Threads and Golden Needles, Where the Boys are, Let's Twist Again and Burung Kakak Tua. Instrumentals included Willy and His Giants pop hit, Ajoen, Ajoen and a Boy and His Rollin' Kids favourite, Midnight In Malaya.


In the heat of the beat.

While sexy songstress Irene faced the colourful disco lights, the band remained faithfully in the background accompanying her solo pieces.  With her alluring vocals she warmed and drew the mostly senior dancers to the floor.  She was a hit as the crowd clapped after every song that she sang.

When she came over to the bar to join me and her husband Freddy for a breather, drummer *Ioleen burst into flames and gave her own rendition of I Saw Her Standing There.  This petite lady had the house thumping with the song while a group of seniors behind me stood up and screamed throughout the Beatles' number.

Where The Boys Are

Patrick made his debut with Cliff's Young Ones,  Billy Ray Cyrus' Achy Breaky Heart and a few other rock goodies.  His voice truly packs a punch. Patrick once played lead with a group called Peddlers. 

Cool Audie with his signature million dollar smile kept the band rolling throughout the night while lead Eric controlled the frets in fierce concentration as melodies flowed for an unforgettable evening of oldies but goodies.

A thank you to Freddy and Irene for the cranberry juice and accompanying me at the Club D Connection Lounge's comfortable bar. Well done guys. Encore performance soon?

*Ioleen Chia is a busker at the Orchard Road area. Check her out!

Images from Audie Ng's Facebook.

(This posting is not an advertisement to promote the band or nightclub.)

Ioleen Chia: Ovation In Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia

I first met Ioleen by chance late last year (2011) when she was chatting with a friend at the Lido Cinema in Orchard Road. She was carrying an expensive Ovation (image) and when I asked about her guitar and introduced myself she remarked, "I thought you look familiar." With my grandson beside me, I requested Beautiful Sunday, his favourite. Ioleen whipped out her guitar and burst into the Daniel Boone classic. She still busks today, at the Orchard Road area.

During our conversation I was surprised when she revealed that she is the daughter of the late Mr. Chia, who used to run the Garrick Cinema at Geylang Serai in the 1950s and when young Bollywood was trying to woo the world with its music and dance fantasies.

I remember long lines of Indian, Malay and Chinese Singaporeans queueing for movie tickets at this cinema which was situated at the entrance of Onan Road. It ran for four decades, from the 1920s until 1965, when it became the more sophisticated Galaxy Cinema. When I told her I have a blog and my keen interest in documenting 60s bands she agreed to tell her story.

Here's Ioleen's experience from mid 60s to early 80s:

"I started playing the drums, which is my first love, at the age of 13. My brother who was also playing in a band inspired me. He taught me my first tempo which was the twist. After he left the group I took over the drums and with 4 other members called our new line-up D'Aces. We did a lot of singalongs, current pop songs and even played jazz numbers.

Eventually we did gigs at the Royal Air Force Singapore during the weekends and this contract lasted for a couple of years. We also appeared on local television, at tea dances at the Golden Venus and played with the Trailers during their stint at the club. Other nightspots that we performed at included the Barbarella Disco at Ming Court, Talk of the Town at High Street and even at the Garrick Cinema.

            Ioleen Chia with her band Oldies But Goodies before performance.

I played with the Valiants too (a Singapore group and not the one from Malaysia). Because of my studies I left the group. We disbanded and could not take up an offer to play in Europe.

After completing my studies, I went solo doing the circuit and accompanied myself on the guitar. I was contracted to play at the Imperial, Cockpit and Equatorial hotels. There was a period when I was singing duet with Simon Koh who played the keyboard. l learnt a lot from Simon.

I performed in Japanese cities like Nagoya, Fukuoka, Kumomoto and on Kyushu Island. After Japan I entertained the folks in Taiwan for a couple of years and also had stints in Malaysian nightclubs and engagements in Kuching.

In later years I performed at the Marco Polo Theatre and the Golden Million Lounge at Peninsula Hotel. Those were memorable years. By the end of the 70s, bands playing western music weren't much of a draw at the pop clubs, hotels and entertainment establishments were hiring Filipino groups rather than local musicians. They were inexpensive to engage. By then Chinese music was getting more popular too.

I had stopped playing music for many years but since I was missing all the fun I decided to come back on the scene and started busking about 2 years ago. It is less wearisome and stressful and I have more time for myself. As a music maker I am an all rounder and it isn't difficult to please the passing crowd with my repertoire of songs. I try to play all types of music."

When I left Ioleen that day with my grandson beside me she was singing and strumming a jazzy version of Charles Chaplin's evergreen, Smile as we said our goodbyes. Thanks Ioleen, for the memories.

Please support Ioleen and all our local buskers always.

Images 1: Along Orchard Road. 2: Oldies But Goodies outside a hotel. 
Andy Lim Collection (Copyrights Reserved).