Lee Yee: (李逸) Part 2: Late Singer From Johore Malaysia: Tributes

Two letters honouring the late Lee Yee...

Forty three years after his death in a road accident, Lee Yee is still remembered by his family, neighbours, friends and fans. Here are two letters taken from his 2017 posting on this music blog, where two readers wrote in last year (2022) to pay their tribute. This singer is one of the most popular, truly...

    UP TO 300 VIEWS,  

12 COMMENTS, CHATS

Letter 1

李逸和婷婷的朋友， 苏先生 [28.06.2022] wrote:

Thank you for your very detailed write up on Lee Yee, the No: 1 Male Singer in the 70s. To be honest, not much had written about 李逸 in English; yours is probably the most detailed write up about him that I have read so far. 

I had known Lee Yee since about 1975, he and Ting Ting moved into their new house only meters from our house when they got married in mid 1975. Still remember clearly that it was soon after the release of the famous concert play, (唐伯虎点秋香) and his probably most famous and popular No: 3 album (唱首情歌给谁听)。

There are still thousands of fans following and listening to his music on YouTube, Facebook, etc. There are up to a dozen of his fan clubs on social media, some boasting more than 10,000 members。

Letter 2:

👍T.J. Magsakay [1.10.2022] wrote:

Lee Yee was a famous Malaysian Mandarin Singer during the 60s-70s decade. Ke Ai De Ma (Lovely Horse) was adapted from a Japanese Enka Ballad Tassha Dena (See You Soon) originally sung by Michiya Mihashi (1920-1996) a famous Enka singer from the 1940s-1950s era. 

Lee Yee was born Lee Kim Peow on January 10, 1942 in Pengerang, Johor, Malaysia. He started his career in the RTM Green Network Singing Contest in 1961. And Chang Shou Qing Ge Gei Shui Ting (Whom Can I Sing This Love Song) was released in 1964. He had lots of albums and concerts. 

Lee Yee died of a road rage accident in 1980 while the World Tour of Eric Clapton started in the Hall. He is a Henghwa with ancestral roots from Putian, Fujian, China. He is the son of a farmer and fisherfolk Lee was buried in Nirvana Memorial Park on April 30, 1980 after a wake was held on 27-29 of the same month which is before May of that year. 

He was a graduate of Tunku Abdul Rahman University, Chung Leng High School, St John's Insititute in Johor, Malaysia and worked in a ceramic company as a manager of the boss which happened to be Yee Hock Tong Trading Sendirian Berhad （余学堂留易股份有限公司）in Johor Bahru, Johor, near Pengerang his hometown; which was founded in the 1950s by Goh Tuk Heow （吴铁球 1903-1981) born in Sarawak and died in Las Vegas, Nevada of a heart attack and where he had migrated to because of overpopulation. 

Readers can read the original 2017 post by clicking the link below:

https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2017/10/lee-yee-malaysian-hearthrob-not.html

It has up to 12,000 views.

[Please credit this blog if information is abstracted from this post.]

李逸 Lee Yee - 祝你順風 Zhu Ni Shun Feng 

(Official Video)

YouTube: Life Records Chinese

Lee Yee (李逸): Malaysian Hearthrob Not Forgotten (唱首情歌给谁听?)

UP TO 12,000 VIEWS, 25 COMMENTS, CHATS

A schoolmate, well-versed in Mandarin, introduced me to a pop star when I was looking for a Chinese male singer to feature.  I have not featured one for many months. 

I am not too familiar with the golden years of 70's pop Chinese music in Singapore, so when he told me about a singer he was knowledgeable about I decided to buy one of this singer's vinyl (image below) and listen to the songs recorded. I must say I am impressed and thank Kin Kow for the information provided. 

Lee Yee (李逸) Jin Biao, was a household name in the early 1970's.  His feminine good looks attracted a lot of attention when he was performing during his hey-day in the region.

In the 60's and 70's the public was looking to Hong Kong and Taiwan for Chinese songs because audiences here felt that Singapore singers were not up to par, so when Lee, who came from Malaysia, appeared on the scene he became a phenomenon. 

He had charisma and a powerfully beautiful voice so Lee who had a contract with Life Records, a well-established vinyl company, became one of the most popular Chinese singers during that period. He became well known to the youth and aunties who loved him. 

He drew crowds and even toured with super diva Teresa Teng as a team when they performed in Malaysian towns.  The tours were successful and news spread that he could compete with the best from Hong Kong and Taiwan. They even compared him to Liu Wen Zheng.

For Whom Do I Sing This Love Song (唱首情歌给谁听?) was the number that made him famous and his rise to fame was meteoric after the sale of this particular single. The Malaysian-born Chinese made it such a hit that the pop music Chinese community all over the world associated him with this song.

For whom am I singing this love song?
Where can I find a soul mate?
There is so much passion deep inside me
I cannot finish singing or talk about it.

Everything went well as his fan base grew. It was quite a feat those days for an unknown Malaysian singer to hit the headlines and make it big. The competition was keen indeed.  

During the early 70's, although there were other talented Chinese singers both in Singapore and Malaysia, his songs stood out because he was able to interpret them in his own special way. So even if the song had been covered by other singers, his own version would always stand out.

He sang with a wail in his voice like a tormented, passionate lover. He would usually sing out a verse from the song lyrics during the introduction.  If Tomorrow Comes was an example. Lee was known for his sad and sorrowful songs that aroused the listener's sympathy. Girls were known to have cried listening to him sing.

李逸 - 好姑娘 (Lee Yee - Hao Gu Niang)

Even English speakers like me know the melody.

In Memory of Lee Yee: 

Video produced by Life Records Chinese. 

But as the saying goes, when one least expects it, tragedy strikes. And it did. One morning the local newspapers announced that Lee Yee was killed in an accident. It happened on 27 July 1980.  Born in Penang in 1952, he was only 28 when he died. It was such a shock to many fans.

There was disbelief and many cried openly when they found out it was true. Here was a rising young star with a stable and bright future. It was an untimely death as fate had its own plan. Worse, Lee Yee left behind his wife - also a Life Record artiste - and a daughter.

Despite the years, many fans still remember him today because his emotional rendition of Chinese sentimental popular songs was indeed unique. 

Comment anyone?

Letters about Lee Yee:

https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2023/12/lee-yee-part-2-late-singer-johore.html

                        Crowds thronged the streets during his funeral

Images: Google.
Information from Mr Chan Kin Kow and articles by: irisesinthesun YouTube.