Silver Strings - Rehearsals - Hamming It Up!

Before the show at Vivo in November 08, we were at a recording studio, synchronizing and fine-tuning everything -vocals, tonsils, fingers, feet, guitars, keyboard and drums. The picture shows *Masrof and Danny Boy behind, Aloysius, Andy, Mike, Herb, Veronica, Audie with Bobo kneeling.

*Masrof has sinced passed on.
(Image: Andy Lim Collection/Courtesy of Mike & Herb from Cairns and Perth, Australia.)

Beatles Of Malaysia Mike & Herb With Audie

Mike and Herb will be in action again at the Orchid Country Club in July 2009. Here them sing the Beatles classics and compare them to the Austrian Beatles who will also be in attendance.

The image shows the VivoCity Concert in November, 2008. In the background is the band leader and Silver Strings bass guitarist Audie Ng.

(Image: From Andy Lim Collection/*Steven Farram in Darwin, Australia, who flew in with his wife just to see the show. Steven has postings on: garagehangover.com )

Skeeter Davis' Interpretation US 60s Pop Music

A name that's too familiar with 60's music fan. Skeeter Davis needs no introduction, as she came way before Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette, Crystal Gayle and the rest of the female country singers in the 60's.

"The End Of The World" made her a country to pop crossover star in 1963 but the one album that is truly unforgettable, is her reply to each of these already well-known songs, "He'll Have To Go," "Tell Laura I Love Her," "I Really Don't Want To Know" and "Please Help Me I'm Falling."

"(I Can't Help You) I'm Falling Too," had the harmony done in three parts by Davis herself, and when the unique interpretation jelled, it became a topic for discussion among people in the industry. Again, her dynamism in taking command of all the songs and delivering the lyrics her way, sealed the Skeeter Davis brand.

Her record (image) was produced by guitar exponent Chet Atkins and originally pressed in Nashville, Tennessee. The RCA Long Play album from 1961, made her so popular that it sold out within weeks in Singapore. Hunting it in the 60's was not a problem, but looking for it 45 years later is difficult.

She has been here in Singapore. Any recollection of her concert?

(Image: From Andy Lim Collection.)

Hong Kong Pop 60s Music - Queen Kong Ling

Kong Ling (image) never looked back when she was the winner in an inter-school singing competition in the early 50s in HongKong. Within three years, she became just as popular in Singapore as she was in HongKong when she became a resident song bird in a local nitespot.

Like many singers in the 60s, Kong Ling gained popularity by covering pop English songs translated into Chinese dialects and Mandarin.

In 1960 she cut her first album, but her second Long Playing record, “Theme from a Dream," made her part of the 60s family when Diamond Records had a full studio orchestra to back her.

Like Sakura Teng, Rita Chao and other Mandarin pop singers, Kong Ling has this distinguishable Cantonese diction and grammatical swings when she sings her English covers, but it's part of the Eastern charm many fans find enduring. She's best singing in Mandarin and dialect. "Roses are red, my love, violets are blue." Off beat and cha-cha-cha! But definitely not off-colour!
(Image: A rare find indeed).

Hong Kong 60s Music - The Fabulous Echoes

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The Fabulous Echoes were three Filipinos, a Scotsman and Sri Lankan lead singer Cliff Foenander. They were the most successful of these early 60's bands in Hong Kong, appearing on two Diamond Record albums fronted by Kong Ling and on four other albums proving themselves as a rock n roll show band.

The Fabulous Echoes line-up was: Tony Ruivivar (guitar), Bert Sagum (tambourine, vocals), Terry Lucido (piano), Stan Robertson (bass), Danny Ruivivar (drums), and Cliff Foenander (lead vocals). 

Cliff Foenander, their lead singer, was Sri Lanka's "crooner king" in the late 50's and 60s. He joined them and their first hit, "A Little Bit of Soap" (1964 - Diamond Records) was for 25 weeks at #1 on the Hong Kong Charts and a hit in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, The Philippines and Sri Lanka.

Some of their more familiar hits were: "Dancing on The Moon," "Sukiyaki," "'The Wedding,'" "Skip to My Lou," "Way Back When" and "This Land is My Land." They have also accompanied Hong Kong singer Kong Ling with the Diamond Music Company Studio Orchestra.

The group changed their names in 1968 and called themselves The Society Of Seven. They were contracted to play in Las Vegas and became as familiar as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Pat Boone.

Ed Sullivan signed them up for two shows and when telecast, was seen by an audience of more than 40 million viewers. The group played in Vegas and for more than three decades, kept the pace. Foenander passed away in late 2000 but the group, with a new line-up, are still playing.

Images Google.

A Little Bit of Soap: Fabulous Echoes.

YouTube Video by: candy60s1

Broadway Musicals - 60s Music Influence

For further information on Broadway musicals, the above book (image) is a must-read, as it provides much information on most of the musicals that have appeared on New York's famous stages.

From, "Annie" to "Zorba," they come in large, colourful and bright images with sufficient data for the enthusiast.Written by Ken Bloom and Frank Vlastnik, both well-respected writers on musical productions, this particular 2004 edition is available in our libraries [782.14097471 BLO (ART)].

The book though, is mostly on musical theatre and not on musical films, but there is a complete song-list for each production featured.(Image: Amazon.com)Original article: Andy Lim

Sound Of Music - Julie Andrews - Do Re Mi

This 1965 musical, with Julie Andrews/Christopher Plummer, needs no introduction. The 8-year-old knows the tunes of almost all the songs that the 80 year hums with the grandchild. "The Sound Of Music" (image) came right after the success of numerous other musicals that invaded Singapore in the 50's and 60's.

Besides the 2 musicals posted, "Kismet" (Stranger In Paradise), "West Side Story" (Maria), "Oklahoma" (Oh What A Beautiful Morning), "Fiddler On The Roof" (Sunrise, Sunset) and "South Pacific" (Bali Ha'i) were only a few musicals that burst on the scene during Singapore's youth. These images came way before "Cats", "Phantom," and "Miss Saigon," flirted with our population.

There is no need to list the songs from TSOM because anyone who knows 60's music, knows them. Remember the 5 year old? He or she could have learnt "Do Re Mi," one of twelve songs in the musical, before the other hits. "Edelweiss," is another pop classic. This musical, ironically, became popular on Broadway only after the film version was embraced by the public in the U.S.

Local group, The Quests recorded a 45 vinyl single of "Sound Of Music" (Rodgers/Hammerstein's title song, EMI/Columbia: DO 4638) with Reggie Verghese, "Love Has Gone," on the flip. What about other groups? Have they recorded musicals?

Image: Sound Of Music website
Original article: Andy Lim.

My Fair Lady - Audrey Hepburn - Li'l Bi' Er Lah

Another movie musical that hit the big time in Singapore was in the mid-60s when "My Fair Lady" (1964) was shown at the Lido at Orchard Road. Thousands flocked to the cinema to enjoy the film with songs that became household tunes. "Getting To The Church On Time," "The Rain In Spain," "I Should Have Danced All Night," and "On The Street Where You Live".

Audiences who were familiar with the plot, knew it came from George Bernard Shaw's play, "Pygmalion," and with Rex Harrison's version of, "Why Can't The English?" had local fans rollicking on the floor. Of course Singaporeans in the 60s remembered the red-nosed cockney swagger, "Wih a l'il bi er luck".

With this invasion of a musical by Lerner & Loewe and Audrey Hepburn as the icon, the American cast with the British posh made the movie another memorable, watchable event. Such melodies became templates in the minds of our local musicians and another side of Singapore 60s music was established.

Image: http://www.lovefilm.com/

Original article: Andy Lim

King & I - 60s Music - Precisely My Cup Of Tea

No music blog is complete without discussing musicals, especially the ones that have been made into movies. In Singapore in the 60s, there was hardly any theatre or stage to accomodate musicals from Broadway in New York or the West End in London.

Audiences in Singapore depended on movie musicals imported from the United States of America. Some of these were so popular that they could run for weeks in the larger cinemas in town like the Odeon or Capitol at North Bridge Road. The Cathay too had its selection of musicals.

One of the most popular was "The King And I", produced in 1956, which starred Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr (image). Many Singaporeans may remember the songs that became hits on the radio. The ones usually aired were, "Shall We Dance", I Whistle A Happy Tune," the hauntingly beautiful, "Hullo Young Lovers," and the singalong, "Getting To Know You."

The record shops along North Bridge Road sold out their Rodgers and Hammerstein's Long Play vinyls very quickly and the nightclubs and cabarets played the melodies from this musical.

Image: http://www.lovefilm.com/

Original article: Andy Lim

Beatles Unlimited Austria Orchid Country Club

Beatles Unlimited will be appearing at "Those Were The Days Concert" at Orchid Country Club. They are the Beatles lookalike band from Austria. Not only do they look like the Beatles, the group also sounds like them with similar guitars to match.

The image was taken from Rod Davis (image, lst left) Scorpion Publication Website. He teams up with Doug Turner to produce guitar instruction books in England.

(Image: Rod Davis Scorpion Publication Website)

"Young At Heart" Lyrics - 32 Million Hits On Net

Image: The Senior Silver Strings Family (from left): Veronica, Mike, Andy, Danny Boy, Bobo, Aloysius, Audie. (Seated): *Masrom, Herb, Louis.

This song generated 32 million searchers on Google today:

Fairy tales can come true, it can happen to you
If you're young at heart
For it's hard, you will find, to be narrow of mind
If you're young at heart

You can go to extremes with impossible schemes
You can laugh when your dreams fall apart at the seams
And life gets more exciting with each passing day
And love is either in your heart on on its way

Don't you know that it's worth every treasure on earth
To be young at heart
For as rich as you are it's much better by far
To be young at heart

And if you should survive to a 105
Look at all you'll derive out of being alive
Here is the best part
You have a headstart
If you are among the very young at heart!

Music: Johnny Richards/Lyrics: Carolyn Leigh (1953)
Song covered by dozens of singers, including: FRank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Connie Francis, Bobby Vinton, Willie Nelson, Barry Manilow...

Go to: http://www.jango.com/music/franksinatra

*Image: Masrom - former keyboardist, Sweet Charity - has since passed on.

Ambassador Hotel Thanks For The Memories!

Anonymous commented on May 7th posting under Comment Page on May 13th, 2009 at 1.06pm: "How fab to find this photo of the Ambassador Hotel. As a child in the 1950s I lived next to the hotel at number 44. I would lie in bed listening to the music coming from the roof, often in a language I didn’t understand (I’m English), enjoying it immensely.

One of my other memories is when I would walk by the hotel on my way home from the school bus. The foyer doors were open and the sound of the juke box would waft out as I passed.

I recall ‘Oh please stay by me Diana’ was that Paul Anka? That song should pin point the year. I see from Google Earth that sadly the house and hotel no longer exist, nor the sea view we were lucky to have from our balcony."

(Thanks for writing. Here's another image of The Ambassador Hotel from National Heritage Board, Singapore.)

Melayu Pop Yeh Yeh 60an Rahimah Rahim

Rahimah Rahim, daughter of Rahim Hamid (Singapore's Nat King Cole), will be singing some Malay and English songs during the concert at Orchid Country Club.

In 1962 at age six, she acted in a Malay movie, 'Korban Kasih' with Cathay Organisation and another in 1963 called, 'Masuk Angin Keluar Asap'.

She first appeared in 1963 on b/w Television Singapore singing, 'Burung Kakak Tua'. She was singing and acting on television and by 1972 released her first Malay EP, "Mana Ibu-nya" distributed by Panda Records.

Through the years she pursued her singing career and released Malay albums with Senada Records. In 1974 Rahimah won her first award overseas in a singing competition by Fuji TV in Tokyo, Japan and sang for the first time in Neptune Mandarin Hotel in Singapore and for three years was alongside Anita Sarawak. 

She has since won many contracts and awards as a songstress. Now Rahimah sings occasionally in the region but only by invitation.

Image: A personal collection.

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.

British Pop 60s Invasion - One Singer One Song

Dusty Springfield - Wishin' And Hopin' - 1964. Irish-born, she made it big both at home and in the U.S. Another famous song, "The Look Of Love" by the Bacharach/David duo, was nominated for an Academy Award and featured in the James Bond movie, "Casino Royale" (1967).

Peter and Gordon - World Without Love - 1964. The duet that invaded the U.S. with their Paul McCartney hit and one of more than a dozen singles they recorded. The song was a world-wide phenomenon and a personal favourite. Peter (Asher) became boss of Apple Records to record Cher, Diana Ross and James Taylor.

"(1) John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote this. It is the biggest hit they wrote that was not released by The Beatles.(2) This song was written by Lennon/McCartney. They gave the song to Peter and Gordon because John would always start laughing at the first line of the song. 'Please lock me away...'

60s Pops With Mobile Phones MP3 Status Today

Lulu - To Sir With Love - 1964. It is truly a classic and students, who have somehow learnt it, will play it during assembly on Teachers' Day in Singapore.

Lulu is a Scottish singer/songwriter and everything else rolled into one. The song was an international hit in the 60s and one with the best first liner: "Those school-girl days/Of telling tales and biting nails are gone..."

Freddie and the Dreamers - I Understand - 1964. Freddie Garrity, with his team of Merseybeat, who actually came from Manchester, not Liverpool. The song, a personal favourite, is one of about two dozen singles recorded by this group. All these songs would have achieved mp3 status today!

Vietnam: We Gotta Get Out Of... The House

Eric Burdon: 

We gotta get out of this place!/If it's the last thing we ever do/We gotta get out of this place/Cause girl, there's a better life... for me and you. (Music/Lyrics by: Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil.)

The Animals greatest hit is, The House Of The Rising Sun, with many local bands playing it repeatedly in the various nightspots all over Singapore. Eric Burdon was in Singapore a couple of years ago and was still singing his whopper.

The House of the Rising Sun is a traditional folk song, sometimes called Rising Sun Blues. It tells of a life gone wrong in New Orleans, many versions also urge a sibling to avoid the same fate. The most successful commercial version, recorded in 1964 by the British rock group The Animals, was a number one hit on the UK Singles Chart and also in the United States and Canada. The song has been described as the "first folk-rock hit.

From songfacts.com
Reaching top of UK pop singles chart in July 1964. It topped the U.S. pop singles, breezed into August and chart two months later, on 5 September 1964, where it stayed for three weeks: 


Historians have not been able to definitively identify The House Of The Rising Sun, but here are the two most popular theories: 

(1) The song is about a brothel in New Orleans. "The House Of The Rising Sun" was named after Madame Marianne LeSoleil Levant (which means "Rising Sun" in French) and was open for business from 1862 (occupation by Union troops) until 1874, when it was closed due to complaints by neighbors. It was located at 826-830 St. Louis St. 

(2) It's about a women's prison in New Orleans called the Orleans Parish women's prison, which had an entrance gate adorned with rising sun artwork. This would explain the "ball and chain" lyrics in the song.

(Image: The Animals: Vietnam War -"We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" - 1965)

60s Music Influence Vietnam War Protest Songs

While browsing through Roger Poh's postings (image) on his recent visit to Vietnam, the images show a peaceful and serene city with people going about their daily business. Readers very well know the situation in the 60's was the exact opposite, when the Vietnam War (1959 - 1975) was at its most explosive.

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Many songs in the 60's have been written about the war and its aftermath. The list is endless but the one below shows some of the songs that have been etched in the memory of those who understand the music influence during that period:

1. Detroit City - Tom Jones - 1967
2. Galveston - Glen Campbell - 1967
3. Leaving On A Jet Plane - John Denver - 1967
4. 96 Tears - The Mysterians - 1966
5. Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay - Otis Redding - 1967

6. We Gotta Get Out Of This Place - Animals - 1965
7. Yellow River - Christie - 1970
8. Johnnie B. Goode - Chuck Berry - 1958
9. Don't Cry Daddy - Elvis Presley - 1969
10. Where Have All The Flowers Gone? - Peter, Paul n Mary - 1962
11. Bad Moon Rising - Creedence Clearwater Revival - 1969

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Wikipedia explains that well known American protest songs include "We Shall Overcome", first associated with labor organizing and later with the Civil rights movement; Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" and Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On". John Lennon's "Give Peace A Chance" referenced the American anti-Vietnam war movement and the arms race, although he was British.

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Image: From Roger Poh's Collection and Google.