Steve Ho: The Caucasian Girls, Aunties & Uncles: He Wins 'Em All

He's good and lest you forget him, I'm reminding you with this new post.

I've been watching and listening to Steve Ho sing the months before Covid-19. And after a few sessions with him at jams and an evening at Upper Bukit Timah, I have come to one conclusion; the best rocker still and I  say the same, definitely Singapore's answer to Bon Jovi & John Mellencamp rolled into one. After nearly 3 years I still listen to him at a friend's studio and never get tired.

He doesn't only sing rock numbers but soothes the souls of Seniors at Chinatown where he was a regular there with 60s favourites of Engelbert Humperdinck, Tom Jones and Elvis Presley. These are big voices but Steve carries the songs through without a tremble or a tumble.

He presents himself well, a hairstyle that suits his frame and attire that befits his singing style. A simple white T, a blue-jeans belt and  pants to match. He's never overdressed. With Steve, it's his voice that matters to the crowd and the frenzy that he causes when he's 'Hurt So Good'.

"Lord knows there are things we can do baby,

Just me and you..."

And you see the Caucasian ladies eye him as they hip to the rhythm of his music. With their shorts and haversack, he's made their stay in the Lion City all wild and hot: truly worth-wild. 

Check him out with the full story by clicking to 'Steve Ho SG Rocker' below.

Image: Google and Steve Ho Collection.

Steve Ho Singapore Chinatown Busker Boys Heartbreaker

Steve Ho

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Meeting Steve Ho:

I met Steve the first time at a hotel lounge where he was singing and playing the drums. Steve has those rugged features with the typical John Mellencamp boyish cut, looking tough like a rock star in his red jeans, bracelets and dangling neck ornament.

True to his band name, Steve will definitely break hearts. Like Elvis, he addresses me as 'Sir' and 'Yes ma'am' when he answers to the pretty ladies surrounding him. 

Steve's English diction and powerhouse vocals are distinctive and separate him from other local singers that I have heard. His versatility shows in his ability to sing in Cantonese too.

He is very different from many of the Singapore band boys I met. Besides, Steve writes very well and after some persuasion, he emailed me the article below.

He's just starting his musical journey and if you guys are reading this, give him that big break he needs. Check him out at the busking points specified below.

Thanks, Steve for the interview.

Singapore's New Pop Icon:

"I started very late in music and mostly jammed with friends in rented studios during my younger days. It happened in the 90s when the love for music within made me want to express myself.

It was only in mid-2013 when I joined a band called Still Alive as a vocalist.  We indulged in Classic Pop Rock and sang Bad Company (Rock Steady, Wishing Well); Deep Purple (Smoke On The Water, Sail Away); Bon Jovi (You Give Love A Bad Name, Bed  Of Roses). My other rock heroes are Firehouse, Skid Row, Pink Floyd and many more.

I am able to draw a Chinese crowd with rock numbers like; Beyond's (Hoi Foot Theen Hoong, Putt Zoi Yau); Sam Hui's (Tar Koong Zai, Kwai Ma Seon Seng); Alan Tam's (Pung Yau). My specialty I think. Besides singing, I play the drums. 

Steve Ho's crowd in Chinatown was vibrant as the locals and tourists danced to the rhythm of the group's hot music.

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Gigs All Over Singapore:

We performed at various locations in Singapore for about 3 years, namely at Clementi and West Coast CCs, Azucar at Beach Road, 1° 15 in Sentosa with this same band, before branching out and forming my own band in 2016.  We called ourselves, Steve and The Heartbreakers. We performed at a couple of clubs at Beach Road and Tanjong Pagar for about a year and a half. We then called it quits. 

"Why quit suddenly?"

Sadly, Andy, we did not get paid!

Back To Basics:

I returned to driving a taxi for a living but soon realized that my true calling was (and still is) to sing and perform to a live audience.

After driving for some years and suffering ill from the livelihood (being a taxi driver is tough), I gave it up. It was then that I decided to try out busking in public for a means of living. I got myself a license in mid-2018 and have started the practice ever since. 

I intend to sing and drum and share my music (as long as I possibly can), with anyone and everyone who loves music. When people ask me about "wearing a uniform" rule, I tell them I am a true blue Rocker and do not conform to such rules. We stick to simple Ts and jeans.

I sincerely believe that music transcends all boundaries. Music brings perfect strangers together with music as the common language, and it does not need to be understood! We just flow with it!" 

video.

Busking Today:

In Chinatown, the crowd went where Steve went with his boys. The locals and the tourists enjoyed his music as the pretty young Caucasian girls from Australia, the US, the UK, and other European countries rocked to his music. The local Chinese loved his Cantonese melodies with a huge following from HongKong and mainland China.

With his musician friends, Robert Koh (image above: on guitar with Steve), the current lead guitarist with the band Blues Express, Patrick 'Tiger Baits' Koh and Peter Han (seen seated with bongo drums in the video), famed co-founder and ex-lead guitarist of the 80s superband, Tokyo Square, they have found a niche for themselves again. 

No advertising stunt; the crowd at Steve Ho's road concerts are huge. Go see him and his band.

Steve and Peter Han (from Tokyo Square) below are now playing inside the air-conditioned Thrift Shop at the Salvation Army Building across from Hillview MRT @ Upper Bukit Road from 2.30 to 6/7pm on Saturdays.

Catch them live guys and give all the cash you've got.

Articles and Images are the properties of Steve Ho. 

YouTube Videos from William Tan.

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