Jimi Hendrix Come Alive: Singapore's Ray Anthony

Mr Ray Anthony passed away today on 27th July, 2023. RIP Ray. Condolences to his family...

When Mr. Michael Bangar, who plays rhythm guitar for Singapore pop bands that included The Silver Strings, informed me that he was attending the *Ray Anthony / Jimmy Appudurai gig I asked him if he could cover it for this blog. As usual, he agreed. Mike's knowledge of the genre speaks for itself. 

Thanks Mike for your story.

Hood's Bar n Cafe: Bugis Street, Victoria Street, Singapore: 19/3/2017:

Doors opened at one pm. My buddy Shaikh and myself paid our entrance fee of $20 each, which includes a drink and took up position at the back with a clear view of the goings-on stage wise.

Ray Anthony with his red Fender guitar, son Ryan Marshall on keyboard and original Fried Ice member Gerry (Gerard Bheem) on drums and Felly Chitran on bass guitar. As we watched them do their sound check, we were listening to Steppenwolf's Born To Be Wild.

Their first set started at 2 pm. They opened with a Gary Moore song (unfamiliar). After that songs included Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here, The Doobie Brothers' Long Train Running, Dylan's All Along The Watch Tower, Purple Haze, Stone Free - all Jimi Hendrix Experience numbers (when Hendrix had Noel Redding on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums).

As in the tradition of the 70's Guitar Hero era, long solos followed between Dad and Son. It was their moment !  After all these years brother Ray Anthony is still as versatile and great as he was.

They ended the set with a Chuck Berry tribute, Johnny B. Goode. And as Ray put it, "Ladies and Gentlemen, we want to pay tribute to a guy who just left us for the big gig up there, Mr. Chuck Berry."

This first set ended at 3.40 pm.

The second set featured a mixed band of two locals and two expatriate members. The band called themselves, Blues 77 and featured Lim Kiang. There was a Chinese gentleman on a guitar, a Caucasian on drums. They all did about half a dozen of their original songs, which were not familiar to many in the audience and myself.

Then *Jimmy Appadurai from The Meltones, Stray Dogs, took over lead guitar and performed Stormy Monday, a blues classic and Fleetwood Mac's My Baby's Good To Me. He was as great as ever and played just like he had done in the late 1960's.

Ray and Company took to the stage again for their third set at 4.35pm. Pink Floyd's Another Brick In The Wall. More of Jimi Hendrix' music followed. There was Hey Joe (when he formed The Band Of Gypsies with Billy Cox and Buddy Miles before his passing), Cry For Love and Them Changes.

Free's, Alright Now, Deep Purple's Smoke on the Water, some more Doobie Brothers and a few more rock classics followed. This set also included drum solos and bass guitar solos towards the end.

The two of us, including John Cher left by 5.45 pm. We did not stay for the jam session gazetted up to 7.00 pm.

Thanks Andy.

Ray Anthony lives in Taiwan while Jimmy A. lives in Cornwall, England.

Click below to read more about Ray Anthony:

https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2017/03/jimi-hendrix-tribute-artiste-ray.html

Images from: Michael Bangar.
Article and images are Copyrighted. 

Jimi Hendrix Of Singapore: Ray Anthony & Fried Ice

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Hood's Bar n Cafe: Bugis/Victoria Street, Singapore: 19/3/2017 @ 2pm:

Here they are folks, guitarist, writer and today's photographer,  Michael Bangar and Silver Strings rhythmist with Ray Anthony, who is also known as Singapore's Jimi Hendrix. He is a south-paw, like a boxer i.e., a left handed guitarist.

It's a scoop. The group Fried Ice who accompanies Ray, is still playing at a venue in Victoria Street now. Gerry Bheem is on the drums and Felly Chitran on bass. 

And the audience in the afternoon at two when they gathered at this place in Victoria Street. Lim Kiang, Jimmy Appadurai and John Cher, the man who's everywhere.

Images: Michael Bangar and John Cher Copyrights Reserved.