Huang Qing Yuen (黃清元) Recorded 800+ Songs And More...

Image: From Giam Bistro

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A Goat Year Posting:

I am not too enthusiastic about Chinese New Year anymore because like Christmas and other festivities it is so commercialised that I immediately leave shopping malls that play CNY songs especially when the number one ear-breaker, Quo Xin Nian or He Xin Nian is heard. No offence meant. 

But reunion dinners and visiting friends are a must.

So blogging during CNY becomes a problem because I don't want to post cliched stories about fire-crackers, reunion dinners or ang-pows. But I need to feature a Chinese singer especially for surfers who love local Mandarin fare.  I am also thinking of Valentine's Day which was just celebrated by lovers around the globe.

Mun Li uploaded by Mr Rainbow64. Thanks, Vernon Cheong.

I rummaged through my record collection of Chinese EPs bought at random during these past years at Sungei Road and vinyl shops, wondering who to write about when I chanced upon this image of a bespectacled gentleman among my dusty records.  He has a clean cut with Tancho greased hair and staring at me with a pleasant half smile.  Ah, a posting at last.

Like Engelbert Humperdinck and Tom Jones, our singer from the 60s is a living legend. With his recognizable strong baritone voice, he has endeared himself to so many fans from all over South East Asia.  It is common knowledge that telephones at broadcast stations keep ringing as fans call to show loving support for this heart-throb after his songs have been played.

More importantly, he is also know as the Chinese Elvis Presley of Singapore. Ah! Leave him alone. He is just as great without a copycat name. 

Followed by ladies everywhere he appeared.

Crooner Wong Ching Yian, a veteran on stage and who has recorded about 800 songs, is a pleasant but serious looking gentleman. He looks more like a university professor than a pop singer. His admirers come from a matured age group who would probably be in their 50s  or beyond since he rocketed to fame in the 70s after winning a competition. Wong became one of the Far East Top Ten Singers in 1975 with contemporaries like Wan Sha Lang, Fung Fei Fei and Jenny Yen.



Youthful Huang Qing Yuen in the 60s

 It has been rumoured that grandparents take their grandchildren to watch him sing at the various venues when he appears on stage.  Huang Qing Yuen  (黃清元) as he is known in Pinyin began his singing at the youthful age of 19 but not before he participated in some contests and talentimes. He remembered his prize for one contest - two large cases of soft drinks.

Stylers accompanied Huang Qing Yuen on his recordings.

It hasn't been a smooth road for Wong. In 1988 a serious heart condition forced him to give up singing but with the proper medical care he managed his health and did an encore performance in 1995. Wong explained that he would carry on with his singing for as long as he could because of his fans. He added that he would never retire since singing is his second love. A devoted family man, Wong admits that they are his first love. Talk of Valentine's Day!

His first hits were Man Li and Lu Dao Xiao Ye Chi, the same two songs that he sang during competition.  All these years Wong has been recording and many of his 800+ songs can be found on CDs nowadays.

Some of his songs with translated titles and thematically suitable for 14th February include Goodbye My Love, Bitter Wine, A Woman's Heart, Forget Me, My Love, Missed Chances, Cheers and many others.  His first hits Man Li (lady's name) and Lu Dao.... (Green Island Song) are Chinese hits and have been recorded by others.

He released his Golden Hits in the late nineties and with modern recording techniques plus newly minted songs he felt that he could go on for some years.  Bands that accompanied him during recordings were well-known guitar groups The Melodians or The Stylers and had cut vinyl for companies like Panda and Cortersions Records.  His songs usually carry the same theme - love.


Maurice Patton and The Melodians.

Because of his fame and popularity, Wong had many tribute artistes who impersonated him. One well-known performer was Lee Jung Ping who won a Huang Qing Yuen Impersonation contest in 1996. Wong who judged some of these contests was neither concerned nor unhappy that others were copying his style. He felt they had to find their own since mimicry would not take them far in the entertainment business.


A near iPod and one to play Wong's vinyls. Neat.

He used to run a family jewellery and cosmetics business assisted by his wife. He is probably in his mid-60s by now. I understand he used to perform at a hotel along Bukit Timah Road near Raffles Town Club. With more than 40 years of stage and recording experience, I wonder if he is still singing today. Anyone?

Happy Lunar New Year and Valentine's Day 2015 to lovers everywhere.

Images: Andy Lim Collection.
Information based on an article by Sharon Wong, July 1997, New Straits Times.

Posting done on Acer A500. My DELL computer went sour on me weeks ago.

SLIP NOTE:

Thanks to Erwin Maisch, Malvin Chua, group 'Take Two' member Paddy and my MacPhersonian gang for the publicity on FACEBOOK, comments of which I have published on this posting. Appreciate your support and kindness.

Blog Reader Says Ling Seow Is Magically Enticing

It's been a while since this blog features local Chinese singers.   Well a pleasant and kindly reader magg  jnne, who lives overseas, wrote:

Ling Seow 凌霄 with The Melodians Chun Te Mong video choonheng57

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Hi Andy,

I am wondering if you have any uploads or if you know any links for Ling Seow/Ling Xiao's concert DVDs - his nostalgic 40 years concert 2007 and the one in 2011?  Any idea where to get the DVDs?  I can't find them anywhere in the stores.

I really love his rich and soothing vocals and would love to view his past concerts in recent years. any idea if the singer is ever married... or some profile on him? Please assist. Thanks.

My reply:

a. Thanks for visiting this blog but I am not in contact with DVD shops nor suppliers. I hope readers can help you.

b. Regarding your second query. If you wish to help you can write a profile of him and I can post it on this blog. Readers can expand it somehow with their contribution. Would be a nice idea.

Her response  and pretty piece of prose profiling of Ling Xiao:

Thanks, Andy for your quick reply.

Music, besides writing, has always been a therapeutic retreat for me, ever since I was a child.

I grew up with a fusion of English and Mandarin melodies, though I am not that proficient in Mandarin. But music cuts across all languages; it bridges boundaries.

I love listening to some of the soothing oldies. First, it transports my mind back to cherished moments of yesteryears. Second, it reaffirms the timeless beauty of good music and vocals.

Personally, I feel that the veteran singers in the 70s and 80s have richer vocals that even till today, continue to delight our ears. I love listening to songs by Sakura & the lyrics as much as I do over the years, the melodies were enough to soothe and inspire me i.e. Rita, Ling Xiao, Maggie Teng and Yang Xiao Ping. I was just a little kid and thought I couldn't appreciate.

Ling Xiao (凌霄) dazzles audience with timeless vocals

Singapore singer Ling Seow/Xiao (凌霄) is a legendary icon in the music industry. His love ballads remain as soothing and magically enticing, even till today.

I am grateful for the many uploads of his albums on the web, and just listening to his rich, melodious voice is indeed heartwarming. One can truly feel all the emotions in his songs, and the magical part is that his voice is so amazingly smooth, gentle and rich.

Even till today, I believe he continues to dazzle the audience with his timeless vocals and evergreen looks, especially that alluring smile that is so personable and real.

So far, there is no male singer who can match his unique voice that is rather feminine yet masculine in some ways, and perhaps that remains his charm. I believe like the characters in a good play that live on long after the play is done, his songs and voice will leave lasting imprints in our hearts and minds as the years roll by.

There has been nothing said about his personal life, and it will be good if some can shed light on this here. He still has the looks and composure, and in his heydey, he was the delight of women. It will be insightful to know a little about his private life.

I missed his concerts in 2007 and 2011 as I am based overseas now, and I would really be grateful if anyone can offer to upload them or sell me the DVDs.

Yang Xiao Ping

"Music, when soft voices die, vibrates in the memory."

From:
magg jnne

Thank you for your response and beautiful writing. If readers can provide some information about Ling Xiao we will all be grateful.

Readers write: Click 'comments' below to 

Original article by: magg jnne.read about support for our local artistes.

Images: Andy Lim Collection.

P. Ramlee's 'Bujang Lapok' On A Chinese Record Unique Indeed: Bau Asem, Ketiak Siapa Busok?

Chinese Pop Instrumental: A-Go-Go And Off-Beat Cha-Cha Art Sea Record: MEP 3032.

There were hundreds of instrumental groups in the 60s that catered to the Chinese pop markets in Singapore, Malaya and Hong Kong. Some of them had been featured many times on this blog.

These bands included Maurice Patton and The Melodians, Charlie and The Boys, The Travellers, The Silver Stones, the popular Stylers and more. The songs were usually covers of Western pops.

Tian Lian Band:

The genre of music was familiar too since these bands recorded 60s tunes mainly for dancing. But the name TIAN LIAN BAND (images) was a surprise - a very Chinese group indeed! Never heard or seen a record by this band. After checking some websites I found that this particular band had recorded other songs on Art Sea Record.

P. Ramlee:

But what is more surprising is the song on side two. Unless you are familiar with Malay pops, Pok Pok Bujang Lapok is a tongue-in-cheek about bachelors. It is composed by P. Ramlee and used in his movie with the same title. The other three songs include, When Will You Return (tagged as 'a Chinese song'), Young Ones (a Cantonese song) and So Lonely (a Hokkien song). A gimmick perhaps?

Swinging Skippers:

Even the group name of the dancing girls in the photographs caught my eye. They are called, The Swingin' Skippers. The girls must have been popular then to have their names displayed on the cover. Don't you find their costumes so informal and simple? That's Singapore street wear in the 60s. Not much different from today? And off-beat cha-cha definitely symbolises Chinese pops.

Bolshoi Ballet Orchestra:

P. Ramlee's music is internationally acclaimed that it has even been played by The Bolshoi Ballet Orchestra of Tashkent.

Images/Original article: Andy Lim Collection.

Maurice Patton & The Melodians With Simon Jr

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pipa wrote:

Hi Andy,

Have you got any info on Maurice Patton and The Melodians featuring Simon Junior? It seems they were very influential in the 1960's. Nothing much on the internet about them. Can't find much information about them elsewhere.

Thank you.

Andy's Reply:

Yes, it's a challenge indeed. I have been trying to get some information about this group of musicians and hope to compile something in the near future.

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According to the information gathered from EP vinyls of the 60s, Maurice Patton And The Melodians (image with Choh Ying and Simon Jr. on drums) have recorded many songs in English and Chinese with these companies: Hero Records, Cortersions $, Blue Star Records, Art Sea, Roxy Records, Happy Records and the studio involved was usually the Pearl, Dean & Kinetex Studios. Patton has recordings where he features his own name - MAURICE - and image on the sleeves.

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Simon Junior, Ling Seow, Wong Chin Yian, Choh Ying, Patrina are some of the Chinese singers backed by Patton and his group. I have also noticed that some of the Chinese songs recorded are covers with English lyrics and sung by Simon Junior.

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Some titles like Man Lee, My Girl, Wait For Me, Night Dream, Born To Live, Dream Of Spring, Deep Deep Love are popular Chinese tunes available on the market presently. They are for English speaking listeners familiar with the melody but not the language.

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Other songs by Patton and his boys are 60s US and UK pops. One interesting vinyl I own called 'Let's Dance Soul' has Master Jack, She Wears My Ring, Kiss Me Goodbye and Man Without Love. The other called, A Go Go, Off Beat Cha Cha has Silver Threads & Golden Needles, I Really Don't Want To Know and Where Are You and Mixed Feelings. According to one website, Patton used the echo unit to create a Chinese beat style later emulated by many Chinese bands.

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The vinyl market is so large that many professional musicians grouped to record guitar instrumentals. The Stylers, The Travellers, The Silverstones, The Tones, Charlie and The White Cloud Orchestra and Patton with The Melodians are some of the successful ones.

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Anyone familiar with Maurice Patton and The Melodians? Were you in one of these groups? Do write in to tell us. We'd love to hear from you.

Image/Original article: Andy Lim Collection.