Tan Swee Leong @ Capitol Cinema By Ronnie See

Ronnie See is a successful business man today. He also fronts his own band, The Burns, a guitar group that has been around since the swinging sixties. We have been in touch and despite a busy schedule, Ronnie has agreed to write again for this blog in appreciation of the late Tan Swee Leong. Thank you Ron.

Dear Andy,

I wanna say to you that you’re a man with ‘big heart’ who’d put in so much time bringing so much information about the 60's music scene in Singapore.

The good old sixties would have been lost without you, as no one could have written so much as you did; it’s truly remarkable and admirable on your part for keeping the 60's musical & entertainment trajectory alive.

Mr. Tan Swee Leong (right) was a good man and good friend to many! He was certainly a live-wire with his own wits and sometimes uncanny ways; that’s how he roused the crowds on an Early Sunday Morning show. 

As he was hosting the Musical Express at the Capitol Theatre during the 60's, there was never a moment of dullness, and the show was lively and charged throughout. 

The Capitol would be filled to its brim every weekend (Sunday) and even at 9.00 am the audiences thronged to fill up the cinema hall. That was the fondest memory I had of him as we were the resident band, Ronnieand The Stylers, at that time (image below with arms akimbo).

Andy, we all thank you for posting so much for the Singapore 60's music, which would have otherwise been lost!

The above short story is a mark of respect to Mr. Tan Swee Leong whom I’ve known since 60's but we’ve lost touch over the years since I left the music scene. This is just to share with you, how much I remember him with his wonderful showmanship as an Emcee/Compere - full of jokes and wits. I’m sure many would have agreed if they had seen him on stage!

My condolence to his family for the passing of the great Master of Ceremonies, Tan Swee Leong!

Once again, wishing you and family A Joyous Merry Christmas and A Happy, Healthy & Prosperous New Year 2016!

Warmest Regards,

Ron.

Article by Ronnie See of Ronnie and The Burns. You can read more about Ronnie by clicking Labels below.

Images: A Personal Collection.

Rita Chao And Mike Ellery Have Both Passed Away!

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RITA CHAO PASSED AWAY IN JULY 2014.

ONE OF THE BRIGHTEST STARS IN THE SINGAPORE 60s MUSIC WORLD MS CHAO LEFT A LEGACY THAT WILL BE REMEMBERED BY ALL WHO KNEW HER AND LOVED HER, BOTH AS A SINGER AND AN ENTERTAINER.

MAY SHE REST IN PEACE

When I posted the above news item a few readers wrote in to comment about Ms Chao. Writing to a few friends who had worked with her on stage, I received three replies, one each from Ronnie See of Ronnie and the Burns; Victor Koo, a blogger; Larry Lai, 60s DJ from Rediffusion and Danny Koh, pianist and leader of Danny and The Musicators.

From Ronnie See:

Rita Chao was popular during the 60s; she was singing a duet with Sakura Teng during the Musical Express Sunday Morning Show at the then Capitol Theatre. The duo was better known as the a-go-go singers. Rita has a sweeter voice than her partner Sakura.

Both of them are pretty good but Rita has a slight edge over Sakura because she sings both in English and Mandarin. During that time Henry, Soon Yin the Managing Director of local EMI was promoting them.

I was singing with The Stylers then and backed the girls and the late Soo Yin too during the morning show. Tan Swee Leong was the emcee. Rita's manager was none other than her elder sister Mimi Chao. I am not sure if Rita had emigrated but Sakura lives in WC, USA.

                                               The Stylers
From Larry Lai:

I remember Rita Chao as a sweetly innocent girl, but painfully shy and reticent. In all the times we worked together with Sakura, I hardly had more than a few polite words with her.  Her sister Mimi, who was her manager, was the one I negotiated with...  I wish her well.

From Danny Koh:

I did two records with Rita Chao but was not close to her at all. Tony Zee, the Trailers' drummer, had worked with her during recordings too. It has been a long time.

Rita Chao with the Chinese [Mandarin] version of  WOOLY BULLY. Thanks to YouTUBE and video enthusiast, 'stereocandies.' 

From Mr Rainbow

Rita Chao, aka Seow Mei-Mei, the A-Go-Go Queen of the 60's. Recorded her first EP with The Quests that included one of her greatest hits during that period, Shake, Shake, Shake or Yeow, Yeow, Yeow in Mandarin. 

Like Sakura, she sang in Mandarin, English and Japanese. Most of her recordings were accompanied by The Quests. Sixteen Candles was one of her most popular English songs.

From Victor Koo:

I remember being mesmerised by the young pretty faces, the sweet singing and the suave dance moves of the a-go-go duo Rita Chao and Sakura Teng when I was a kid in the 1960s. 

I was staying in a cramped 4-storey SIT flat in Cheng Yan Place with my parents and 4 growing siblings. Lying down on a bed, I watched their performances from a close distance via our very first black-and-white TV set mounted on the wall next to the bed, much like in the hospitals nowadays. I believe this could be a contributing factor to my developing high myopia from a very young age. 

*As for Mike Ellery, I remember him as a DJ. His voice came through the Rediffusion service which we also subscribed to at $5 per month in those days. 

Fortunately, there was a limit to how loud the Rediffusion set could be turned on. Hence my hearing was not badly affected by Mike Ellery's music. May Rita and Mike rest in peace.

From Kwee Eng YouTube (2016):

Further to my comments on the 2-2-15 on Rita Chao, I thought Rita's fans might like to know more  about Rita. Rita was a Singaporean, the youngest of six children. She had 3 brothers and 2 sisters and mother, aged 91, alive and well. Rita's family kept the sad news at low key.

They only disclosed the sad news when Rita's old pal, duet singer and Singapore TV show partner, Sakura came to Singapore in February 2015 and wanted to visit Rita.

Only then, Sakura learnt that Rita had passed away and so were the Singaporeans!. Rita's ashes were scattered into the sea. The above info was from one of Singapore's newspaper when I was in Singapore.

Image/Video from Google and YouTube.

MIKE ELLERY AT REDIFFUSION STUDIOS IN THE 60s SINGAPORE.

*SLIP-NOTE:

NOT SOMETHING I LIKE TO DO, ANNOUNCING THESE NEWS PIECES, BUT MIKE ELLERY HAS JUST PASSED AWAY ON 3rd FEBRUARY, 2015. 

TRAGEDIES ABOUND AS FATHER TIME COMES AROUND!

When Mr. Piano Player Meets Mr. Twinkle Toes

From left: Jimmy Chan, Sandie, Ronnie, Andy [standing] Larry, Sunny, Simin.

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At 70 plus years you'd think that the dancer would stop his prancing on the ballroom floor and that the pianist would stop his tinkling on the grand piano. Not so for Singapore 60s champion, celebrity dancer Sunny Low and former Quests keyboardist Jimmy Chan.

When present singer/guitarist and company CEO Ronnie See from The Burns (with tie) organised a lunch with former broadcaster Larry Lai and myself to meet these two gentlemen at the Grand Shanghai Restaurant at the Grand Corpthorne Waterfront Hotel for a Tiong Bahru gang get-together, untold stories poured from them, like wine from a rare vintage label.

While Sunny is still tutoring students in his Sunny Low Dance Studios at Riverwalk Galleria, Jimmy is still at his keyboard in the Marina Mandarin Hotel. And boy oh boy, do they have stories to tell. 

Together, their contribution to the 1960s pop music entertainment scene in Singapore add up to about 140 years of dancing and piano playing. They were hot in the early years and still are today. Twinkling toes and fancy fingers. Wow!

There will be postings on Sunny Low and Jimmy Chan soon.

(Ladies present: Mrs Jimmy Chan and Media Consultant, Simin).

Original article/image: Andy Lim Collection.

Check out postings on Ronnie & Burns, Larry Lai by clicking 'Labels' below:

Participants & Supporters Of Local 60s Music

From Left: Jerry Fernandez is vocalist of the Neu Faces and has an events company, Veronica Young is Singapore's Millie Small, Ronnie See is leader, vocalist and rhythm guitarist from The Burns, Audie Ng is leader and bassist of The Silver Strings.

Back Row: Paul and Maria are back-up singers, Andy is a bystander, Victor Lam is percussionist with The Burns and Ging plays lead guitar.
Image: From Veronica Young Collection/Venue: Goodwood Park Hotel, Singapore, 2009.

Cliff Richard Please Don't Tease Ronnie & Burns

Ronnie & The New Burns appeared on the Orchid CC stage, neat, stylish and resplendent. Singing and strumming the top hits of the 60s Ronnie (leader, vocalist, rhythm), accompanied by Victor Lam (drums), George Chew (lead) and Simon (bass), entertained the audience.

He went on through the evening, with his faultless singing and perfect rhythm. On the first night of the show, Jerry Fernandez' introduced that "Ronnie was once with The Stylers" (popular 60s guitar group).

With a wide repertoire, they sang and played, Travelling Man (Ricky Nelson), Please Don't Tease. The Young Ones (Cliff Richard) and Pretty Woman (Roy Orbison). They brought the house down with Hey, Paula (Paul & Paula) when Ronnie sang a duet with beautiful Filipino singer Maria. It was a class act indeed!

Image: Roger Poh Collection.

Original article: Andy Lim.

Singapore National Heritage 'Those Were The Days...' Watching The Beatles Of Malaysia Rock With 60s Music. No Elvis Presley songs! Why?

The above audience could feel the pulse of the rhythmic beat of The Silver Strings, Ronnie and The Burns and The Beatles Unlimited from Austria when these three bands performed on the 23rd and 24th July 2009 for a Pop 60s Rock Music concert.

They seemed quiet but when the bands rocked the house down, these same people danced and shimmied to the sound of the bands. It was an active and cooperative crowd as they clapped, cheered and sang with the band and singers on stage.

Thank you for attending the concert. The organisers and performers are very grateful to members of the public, supporters, friends and families who came to see us that night.

(Andy is also grateful to people who wish him well those two evenings in the outer hall of the ballroom.)

Image: Veronica Young Collection.

Original article: Andy Lim

60s Rock Music Concert Souvenir Programme

In case you missed the show, the above image is the programme booklet for the two nights, where details of the artistes that participated are documented. It is well designed and worth the while to collect as a souvenir. There are many people who keep programmes, magazine pages, newspaper cuttings, posters and advertisements as memorabilia to remind them of past events.

This blogger has a good friend who keeps such bric-a-brac. Singapore 60s band members and singers were surprised at the amount of photographs he keeps and the signatures he collected, when he showed them his files and albums during the local gigs in town. This gentleman and many other pop 60s enthusiasts have been collecting them since.

Don't throw them away. Could prove priceless some day. The National Heritage Board has an interesting collection of these programmes and souvenirs. Well, in case you need one...

Image/Article: Andy Lim

Roy Orbison's Pretty Woman/Ronnie & Burns

After practices: a picture with Ronnie See, left, band leader, vocalist, rhythm guitarist and Victor Lam , percussionist (seated). Simon Tay, left, bassist, standing and George Oh, lead guitarist.

Ronnie & His Burns brought the house down with Roy Orbinson's Pretty Woman, Cliff Richard's, Young Ones and The Shadow's Apache.

Image: Andy Lim Collection

Cliff Richard/Original Songs By Ronnie See

Ronnie See has a group called The New Burns. They could be performing in a special one hour concert soon in Singapore, where Ronnie will play and sing using a very special guitar.

His repertoire will include Top 10 Hits from the 60s and songs composed/arranged by himself. Most of his originals are written and dedicated to his wife and represent his own lifestyle and attitude, one of calm, peace and tranquility with his immediate environment.

A non-smoker and teetotaller, he spends most of his time with his business, family and music.

Those Were The Days Orchid CC Concert July 09

The above poster has been distributed by Audie Ng for the forthcoming get-together at Orchid CC.

Ronnie See and The Burns Part One: Andy 60's Music

                                  Ronnie See at extreme right.

Whether 40 years ago or today, Ronnie See is as handsome and articulate as ever. When I requested an interview, Ronnie decided to cast in stone his thoughts about the Singapore 60's pop scene from his own perspective, naming names that were important, relevant and connected to a once thriving industry. The write-up is one of a two part series by Ronnie.

Part I

Years With The Burns

Ronnie and The Burns started in mid 1964. I thought in giving the band an easy name, with the audience, Burns was chosen because we love Burns guitars, so I thought that was quite relevant. It sounded good – Ronnie and The Burns.

The initial line up was Jeffrey Wong (lead), Roland Liaw (rhythm), Harris Noel Albert (bass), Philip Poon (drums) and me, leader/vocals. The image also shows Kenneth Gomes, next to Ronnie, who is Singapore's Cliff Richard.

The band first practised in a Singapore Improvement Trust flat in Tiong Bahru Road. It was rather elementary during start up as we could not afford any proper instrument. We had to make do with a home-made bass amplifier, another home made amplifier for rhythm, a Gibson amplifier (for lead) was something special and a Rossini drumset. The band started with Hoffner guitars as during that time we had no means to buy Burns guitars.

The PA system then was of mishmash quality as a proper sound system was just a dream. It did not matter because the enthusiasm was high and that was enough to carry us through. 

We continued rehearsing and the band progressed quickly. We played at house parties and saved enough to acquire a complete set of Burns guitars over time. Common to most groups however was the feature of group dynamics, the band went through several changes as we scouted for more committed players.

As the band was rehearsing and shaping a repertoire we made regular appearances playing at house parties where we were paid modest sums for the performances. The band’s modest fees were an inducement to keep going and get better. We kept on with our regular rehearsals and accepted whatever bookings came our way.

The band needed a spokesman a role which I assumed in negotiating terms for all the gigs. However the rehearsal venue in Tiong Bahru was less than ideal being a residence and the band moved to another place in nearby Margaret Drive and continued to rehearse there. At this time, the band had already quite regular gigs and earnings were ploughed back into the band to upgrade the equipment.

We purchased a second hand Vox AC30 amplifier together with some other instruments and gadgets. The band was now considered quite well equipped and with the upgraded equipment made a difference to the band's sound and it began to give the band an identity. 

All these, were the hard work and commitment to get the band ahead. Eager to test their sound in front of a live audience, the band played a gig at St. Matthew's Church in Neil Road. We played to a full house with proper instruments. I sang Cliff Richard's "Living Doll", "Lessons In Love", "Thinking Of Our Love", "Please Don't Tease", "Theme For A Dream" and some other songs.

Along the way, we found new players and the band became more popular. With more competent players the band was capable of handling a wider repertoire which was starting to veer in the direction of rhythm and blues. 

In September 1965 Ronnie and The Burns participated in a Beat Band contest which was held at Great World Amusement Park. It was quite a grand event with about ten bands participating in the band finals. LBJ and The Presidents took top honours with Ronnie and The Burns coming in a credible second.

In addition to the engagements in many gigs we had, the band even appeared on Istana Pesta (a local TV programme) in 1965, arranged by Zain Mahmood who was a local big wig on the music scene. 

In 1966, we organized one of the largest events at the Singapore Conference Hall then, the event was called Ronnie and The Burns Night featuring many local top bands like, Shirley Nair  and The Silver Strings, The Checkmates and The Cyclones, Naomi and The Boys, *Rony and The Echo Jets. That event night had a full house.

After the 1966 event, the band was engaged by Cathay Organisation to travel to Malaysia for a six months contract playing at different states in Malaysia. We travelled from Johor northwards and the show went on smoothly until Kuala Lumpur, I decided to leave the group and came home when the condition did not permit me to continue. So it was at the end of 1966 that I decided to leave the band I loved."

*Pastor Rony Tan is the founder and Senior Pastor of a mega-church called Lighthouse Evangelism in Singapore.

Part II continues when Ronnie joined The Stylers. Check it out. 

This article has been Copyrighted.
All Rights Reserved.

Ronnie See and The Stylers Part 2

Part II

Years With The Stylers.

"If I remember correctly, that must have been after my disbanding of Ronnie and The Burns around end of 1966. Paul Chua contacted me and discussed about regrouping of a band, Paul introduced Paul Kwok (from Kwok Brothers Singapore) together we further discussed about how to bring the band to popularity. I was then at the height of my music career as a pop singer, though hesitant about forming a band, and finally acceded to Paul’s enthusiasm to regroup again.

Initially, we were toying with the idea of restarting Ronnie and The Burns again but then my preference was to start a brand new name and so Ronnie and The Stylers was started from end 1966 to 1969 because that’s when I left them in search of my career. 

Spending three and a half years under Ronnie and The Stylers and decided to quit the band scene was quite painful then but there were only two choices; either I continue to be in the band and lead a band boy’s life or I quit and lead a different lifestyle as years wear on. In search for a career was my priority, although it was a painful decision to quit the band as the camaraderie was strong but I decided to leave without looking back.

Before leaving the Stylers, I was instrumental in making sure to get the band into recording so that they have a future too, then I met Tony Wong of Polar Bear Records and got the band into serious recording business (Chinese songs) with them. 

                                Ronnie (white centre) and Stylers. 

After the Stylers stabilized with Polar Bear Records, backing many Chinese singers, their income was good from the recordings. I left and went for an interview with a hi-fi store, got the job, and from thereon I work and continued to build a career path since.

In 1967, Ronnie and The Stylers was popular at the Celestial Room Tea Dance. This hotspot was owned by then (Boss of The Hock Lee Bus) Mr. Quek Sin Bock, Mr. Quek was my good friend, he asked if I could stage the band at Celestial Room Tea Dance, I agreed. So every Sunday Celestial Room was packed until many of our supporters them had to queue for entrance. We were the anchor band at Celestial Room from 1967 to early 1969 (for more than two years).

During 1967 to 1968 Ronnie & The Stylers had performed at the then National Theatre (River Valley) on many occasions. We also did gigs for the Ministry of Culture (then under Datok Othman Wok) and also at the Capitol Theatre Sunday Musical Express hosted by Tan Swee Leong. 

Ronnie and The Stylers had recorded a cover version EP with the Squirrel Records owned by a recording veteran Mr. Ngo Cheong. That was the first English recording we did and after that I left the band when they went into Chinese songs."

Ronnie See is presently a successful and well-known business person, renowned and respected for his entrepreneurial spirit.

(The above article is Ronnie See's written communication with Andy in March, 2009. All rights reserved.)

Ronnie See: Without The Stylers

Ronnie See in his specially equipped recording studio at home jamming with friends. It was a twice monthly session as they practised a repertoire of melodies from the 60s. The band consisted of friends from other guitar groups that Ronnie had gathered.

Friendly, polite but a good business person, Ronnie practises seriously with this group of versatile music makers. You might know some of them who had come from well-known bands from the past.

Who are these other friends? More about Ronnie and his new band of men in later blogs.

Another successful MANHUNT completed.

Image: From Andrew Lim collection.)

A coincidence? Definitely. Steve Farrram emailed me two days ago asking about Ronnie so I told him we jammed a couple of weeks back. He sent me the cover above and I had taken some pictures of Ronnie at his palatial home during our session.

This recording has Ronnie singing 4 songs backed by the Stylers, with John Teo on lead, Douglas Tan on bass, Rann Lee on rhythm and Elving Wong on drums.

The songs are: Guitar Man, Eighteen Yellow Roses, Let's Dance (title of record) and Hey, Hey, Hey (medley that includes, Hey, hey, We're The Stylers, For Your Love, Detroit City, Satisfaction). And the singing with backing? You need to listen to the record to make your own judgement.

So Steve, this one's for you. And Ronnie, it looks like Singapore wants you back.

(Image: From Steven Farram Collection/Copyright owners of Squirrel Record).