FACEBOOK BLOGSPOT CONNECTIONS FOR ANDY'S 60S MUSIC A BIG THANK YOU

Thanks to the many, many old friends and blog readers who LIKE my Facebook postings these past years. You know who you are. KAMSIAH.

I would also want to thank the following new list of readers below who LIKE my world-wide postings on the blog, FB, Twitter, and email. I appreciate the support from all, especially those who have never read my blog and are now checking in. So a personal thank you to:

Pc Kee
Lylia Jong
Alvin Choy
Vincent Ng
Yit Yuen Leong

Lim Swee Tin
Rubendra Raj
Azizah Mohd
Wong Woon Hock
Kannan Thirugnanam

Hoong Thomas
Elaine Soon
Edwin Yeo Soon Leong
Muzaffar Abdul Rahman
Jackson Tan Seow Poh

Brett Han
Yui Lok Cheung
Philip Wong
Amanda Maloney
Ho Victor

KS Neo
Sheila Wright
Sarah Buchanan
Sylvia Marr
Simon Gibson

Terry Yeo
Derek Hendricks
Rajasegaran S.
Tinnakorn Attapaiboon
Razali Hussein

Gary Steen
Let-Let Garay
Peggy Green
Bill Hamilton
Tom Teh

Peter Loh
Pokiah Tukang Gambar
Sheila Gan
Lilian Lim
Reuben Eusebio

Yui Lok Cheung
William Miller
Bret Hann
Amanda Maloney
Denzil Temmers

Lorna Wong
Rendy Low
Alvin Pek
Mohd. Ezeidy Abdullah
Ruth Hammon

Razally Hussein
Mong Wai Kheong
Seenivasen Joseph
Leong Kam Seng
Renea Solsbury Bissell

Vicky Stern
Linda White
Vicky Sarabia
Judy Jenkins
Linda Lancaster

Samdam Dvnjidmaa
Gurubalan Balan
Ng Chai Ming
Ayan Leo
Kt Teo

Yeo Sik Chu 
Julian Vim Selvanayagam 
Eliza Tajuddin
Chenan Wahab
Mohd. Salleh

Rajendram Ponnudurai
Simon Yeong
Mei Ling Tan 
Lim Guat Hoon 
Nicholas Yvonne Wong

Badrulshah Ismail 
Kevin Gregory Rajan
Linda Hagar
Annette Kokan
Tim McDonald

Sandy Lee
Larry McCarthy
Dan Boice
Dan Lisiecki
Diane Rost

Lori Bradley
Harry Wagner

If I have missed you, please excuse me. This list will add on...

Images: Google and A personal collection. The young once, still looking good.

COMMENTS:

Stephen Han:
The young one still looking good.

Andy Young 
Thanks, guys for the thumbs up.
And Stephen too.

Zainal Abidin:
The best stress reliever is music.

Andy Young

Hey brother, thanks for the poster. yes, another way to avoid stress is making posters. Cheers.

Winston Koh 
Looking great Andy!

Andy Young 
That's a 5-year-old photo brother. :-) Thank you.

Winston Koh 
Andy, You still looks good now!

Andy Young 

KAMSIAH. Winston, we must go for the BAK CHOR MEE @ The Capitol again. Haha.

Winston Koh
Andy Young just let me know when! Oh, you on school holidays now so timing no issues right?

Jimmy Appudurai-chua 
Best music blogger in Asia

Andy Young 

Oh, Jimmy thanks for the accolade. That's an extremely difficult title to uphold. You're giving me more confidence now.

Koh Sui Pang 

Five ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ good looking.

Andy Young 

Hi Sui Pang. Thanks. That's a lot of stars. Wait kepala pusing. 😉

Robert Suriya 

You the man Andy.

Andy Young 

Hello Robert. Been a long time now; 7 years since we met? Gosh!

Alphonso Soosay 

Andy, 60's Music means so much more now as we reflect back. Thanks for keeping it alive.

Andy Young:

Thanks Alphonso. You'll live in SG music history with Naomi and The Boys.

Hiroshi Deguchi 

Come to think of it, we haven't met in person.

Andy Young 

No, we haven't. Should be interesting.

Robert Suriya 

We will catch up soon Andy -Will have some teh tarek together--Or maybe play some music together

Andy Young 

Should be fun. "Mighty undertaking here... Play the game keep the flame..."

Jimmy Appudurai-chua 

Andy, I can actually visualize Robert's smooth guitar playing and your beautiful voice, doing some selected ballads... With, a lift drummer, with brushes and double bass... Hmmmm

Jimmy, It's great to describe Robert's smooth guitar playing and I can agree with that; but the beautiful voice part, hmm, that needs some miracle from up there to create... But your visualization sounds soft and palatable. Thank you for the pleasant thought.

Andy 60s Music Poster Designs

Here are a few posters I designed for fun and for my WhatsApp profile.   So if you have my smartphone number, you would have seen some of them. 

Above each poster, I explain why I created it. 

Again, no showing off here but just some stuff from my right brain craziness.

What I send to my iPhone friends when they greet me

with a good morning poster.

This poster speaks for itself. Narcissism will have its rewards?

This group gave Jimmy Appudurai a big

send-off @ MBS on 9 March 2019

Very true, no message can ever be clear, especially today. 

Yes? How many songs communicate this theme?

In this new world of the internet, our ego boosts to such a size,

we don't realize how arrogant we can be. You're So Vain is one

song we can relate too.

                             Yes, the internet has quietly stopped people from talking; 

better start the practice again. 

Like the song, Happy Talk and You Talk Too Much

For my grandchildren, especially my elder grandson, who's on gaming for hours each day. Computer Games a late 70s song by Mi-Sex

A vinyl record that I hope to cut one day, with the children.

The words come from Dean Martin's hit, Change of Heart: 

"If the sky can change from cloudy to butterfly weather,

Have a change of heart and swear that you'll be mine..."

I had a Malay neighbor once who had a cat like this one; it's always relaxing and eternally at ease and in peace. Man!!! Cats have their persistent pride, well 

described in a popular Malay song called, Aksi Kucing.

The rest of the posters below have appeared on this blog.

A poster made for fun 

showcasing the group

This one fronted the Song From Movies Quiz

This poster appeared on a Chinese New Year story.

Teresa Teng and Her Moon Songs

This poster could have attracted DPM Tharman 

to write to me and tell that he finds this blog interesting

An unassuming singer who could do Cliff Richard better

than anyone else in Singapore

She's as famous as this lovely little island

because she sings HOME, an SG national melody.

We use friends to climb up but crush them afterward and

 leave them just to gain false fame without fortune.

Images are mostly original.

Walter Koh: Singapore's Pat Boone: The Passionate Entertainer

23RD AUGUST 2021. ACCORDING TO HIS SON PERRY KOH, WALTER PASSED AWAY TODAY. RIP WALTER. CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILY.

UP TO 1,400 VIEWS. 25 COMMENTS, CONDOLENCES

ARTICLE BELOW WAS POSTED ON 6TH MARCH, 2019

He rocks, he rolls and shimmers away as he belts out that Elvis favorite, “You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog.”  If you’re walking towards just that sound, you’d be forgiven to think it’s the voice of a middle-aged man.  Your curiosity will cause you to venture further and you ask someone from the cheering crowd, “Who’s that man and how old is he?”  

The answer causes you to remain in pure admiration. Then you finally conclude that you’re in the presence of a legend- 86 year old Walter Koh.  Then when you think he’d tire after belting out that tune, he motions to the musicians to stay with the rhythm and bring on the next song. Now he sees you because you look ravishing in that red dress and as he opens his line, “I just wanna be your Teddy Bear…”, he invites you to join in the dance.

That’s Walter now slowing down after more than 60 years in the entertainment industry. When the world continues to revolve and evolve concerned with fluctuating economies and with their fundamental needs, Walter will just smile through it all and look for the nearest microphone to sing into.

In a short interview that I recently had with him, he shares how it all started for him - as a young boy he would accompany his father and grandfather to their Peranakan singing sessions and loved it so much that in a few years he would join his first band, the Broadway Musical Party, a Peranakan band naturally.

The young Walter then wasted no time and participated in the first RTS (Radio Television Singapore) Talentime and claims he made it all the way to the Finals. In between his stints with other well-known bands then, namely the Marilex and the Sambodians, Walter joined the Singapore Pat Boone contest held in Odeon Katong and walked away with the title and the trophy.

His singing career highlights include his contract to be the lead singer for the 9-piece band, The Sambodians and being annually invited to the Victoria Theatre to sing and ring in the New Year through the national radio broadcast.

In his later years, Walter would be invited to sing at community events as a soloist or with his band, The Hawaiinaires.

In between his singing routines, Walter also lived out his other passion, organizing football tours for fans of the very popular Singapore national team in the 60s, 70s and early 80s.

Singapore supporters always recall fondly their tours with Walter as “never a dull moment” because he would be entertaining them from the start to the end of their bus journey, sometimes even depriving them of their sleep. Yet no one was complaining. Feeling somewhat sad at the current state of the local football, Walter feels that it’s about having the right calibre of players and awaiting once again for another special coach to come by akin to the likes of the legendary Choo Seng Quee.

These days, Walter continues to find every opportunity to sing and feeling much alive and kicking at his age, he is very thankful that he still has the energy and enthusiasm to be able to enjoy his passion for music.

Walter Koh - Living Life with a Passion.

Images and article belong to Brady Koh.
Copyrights Reserved. 

READERS COMMENTS:

Perry Koh:
Thanks, Andy, for the work you do to honor others. Love the layout on your blog. Amazing work at your age.

Daisy Koh:
He comes from a musical family. His grandfather was the founder of the Dondang Sayang group... and was a Musician himself who also wrote pantuns (Malay folk poems) and compose tunes on his violin which is still displayed at the National Museum under the early Peranakans Section. 

Richard Rajoo: 
Andy bro, Me and my two girls and brothers and friends in the Dover area have traveled many times with Walter for the Malaysia Cup in Selangor. Those were the good old days. Unfortunately, the old block where he used to live at Holland Drive and Bouna Vista area has long been demolished but memories linger on. Bless him.

Steve Ho (The Heartbreakers lead singer): 
Good day Andy, I met Mr Walter Koh in a pub a few years back. He is ever ready to sing and always the consummate showman. He is still rocking it up at the age of 86. Wow! Now through your article, I know much more about him. Thank you, sir.

Nora Tann: 
Andy, have you met Walter's son Patrick Koh who is a renowned crooner? Next time Pat is in town, you should go listen to him sing.

Andy:
I have ma'am. Thanks again. He's known as PAT 'KING' KOH in Hawaii similar to NAT 'KING' COLE. It's on the blog's comment page and provided by HAPPY TAY, VANCOUVER'S ELVIS PRESLEY, who was from SG.  Again thanks, Nora. Appreciate all the info. you provided.

Patrick Koh: 
What a great honor & blessing it is to have others remember your music & the joy it brings to others. Thank you, Andy and everyone for honoring our Dad with this blog. He will be blessed. 

Cedric Cork: 
Here's one with The Hawaiian band, the late Randel-Neil & Baby Lau! Only a Walter ( with the green shirt ) and I left !!

You can read other feedback by clicking Comments below:

Wu Ying Yin (吳鶯音) : Nasal Queen of Chinese Evergreen

I am no Chinese scholar nor even speak the language but quite familiar with a few of her songs because she was as much a 40's Shanghai music icon as Zhou Xuan but I do not know her name and only managed to learn her identity through a few proficient and bi-lingually educated friends. 

Wu Yingyin (Woo Ing Ing - image) had passed away.  This songstress, known as the 'Nasal Queen' because of the quality of her voice, had recorded many songs which are now Chinese evergreens.

                                                     Wu Yingyin 吴莺音 - 岷江夜曲

Again, I learned of the songs through my mother, who used to have stacks of 78 rpm. records. Of course in the midst of moving from one home to another during the '50s when I was still a child, the heavy black records disappeared, either broken or just discarded. 

Some of the songs from these records included: The Bright Moon Sends My Love To You (Ming Yue Qian Li Ji Xiang Si), Regretting Not Falling For You (Hen Bu Zhong Qing Zai Dang Nian), Min River Serenade (Min Jiang Yue Qu), I Had Been Loved (Wo You Yi Duan Qing) and the New Year Song, Spring Returns (Da Di Hui Chun).

At 24 years, she won a nightclub singing contest and was immediately contracted to a Hong Kong record company and, I Wish To Forget You became a top hit in 1946.

A sampling of the song but not the singer. Uncertain.

Pathe Records in China made her famous and she went on to record many pop hits. Her voice was that of an *Oriole or Ying Yin as she recorded her first hit, I Want To Forget You. She went on to record more than two dozen hits.

Queen of the nasal voice became very famous and recorded many more songs in Hong Kong until the 1980's when she migrated to the US. She kept up her singing career.

At 82, she appeared in Singapore to hold a solo concert and became the oldest singer ever on record. She lived in Los Angeles, California with a family, friends and many fans to mourn her loss when she died at age 87.

Edited article from The Straits Times Life Section, Singapore (December 21st, 2009).

Images:  Google.

This article has been re-posted because of its popularity. 

*The Oriole bird  (image below) has a range of clear melodious whistles and Chinese songstresses of yore with beautiful voices have been compared to this particular bird.

Singapore Trivia: 
The image of the Oriole appears on the SG $500 bill under the Bird Series and the SG 50 Cents stamp (1991) and $1.00 stamp (2002) Garden Bird Series.

Donald Trump & Kim Jong Un In Vietnam February 2019 Songs To Remember

Whether this second summit between President Trump (USA) and Mr Kim (PRNK) will bring about a successful bid to a complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation is still unclear. 

What is clear during this meeting is the venue. Vietnam reminds many pop song enthusiasts the music that made the charts in the 60s and 70s during the infamous War.

My family and I were in Danang for a holiday last Summer 2018 and we visited the beach where the American troops landed in March, 1965. Put these two pieces of information together and the number of pop songs on the topic is a nuclear blast. 

Here are some of the more well-known ones that have been taken from a few websites. I have included some of the anti-war protest songs, a soldier's plight and lament and home-sweet-home songs. It's a mix bag actually:

Blowing In The Wind Bob Dylan 1963
Detroit City Bobby Bare 1963
Masters Of War Bob Dylan 1963

I Ain't Marching Anymore Phil Ochs 1965
We Gotta Get Out Of This Place The Animals 1965
Green Green Grass of Home Tom Jones 1965

Bring 'Em Home Bob Seegar 1965
Feel Like I'm Fixin' To Die Rag Country Joe McDonald and The Fish 1965
Ballad Of The Green Beret Barry Sadler 1966

7O'clock Great News/Silent Night Simon Garfunkel 1966
The Letter BoxTops 1967
Backlash Blues Nina Simone 1967

Saigon Bride Joan Baez 1967
All Along The Watchtower Bob Dylan 1967
Purple Haze Jimmy Hendrix 1967

Waste Deep In The Muddy Pete Seeger 1967
Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay Otis Redding 1968
Draft Morning The Byrds 1968

Sky Pilot Eric Burdon 1968
The Unknown Soldier The Doors 1968
Fortunate Son CCR 1969

Vietnam Jimmy Cliff 1969
Susan On The West Coast Waiting Donovan 1969
Leaving On A Jet Plane John Denver 1969

Give Peace A Chance John Lennon 1969
Gimme Shelter The Rolling Stones 1969
Okie From Muskogee Merle Haggard 1969

War Edwin Starr 1970
Run Through The Jungle CCR 1970
What's Going On Marvin Gaye 1971

Imagine John Lennon 1971
Chicago Graham Nash 1971
Peace Train Cat Stevens 1971

I Want To Come Home For Christmas Marvin Gaye 1972
Happy Christmas The War Is Over John Lennon 1972
Give Me Love Peace On Earth George Harrison 1973

SearchAnd Destroy The Stooges 1973
Billy Don't Be A Hero Paper Lace 1974
StraightTo Hell The Clash 1982

Joan Baez asks in Saigon Bride:

How many dead men will it take
To build a dike that will not break? 
How many children must we kill? 
Before we make the waves stand still...

Imagine by John Lennon. Song was recorded in 1971.
Below is a list of postings found on this blog pertaining to the same topic:

https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2009/05/vietnam-war-protest-songs-60s-music.html

https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2016/04/us-troops-from-vietnam-plays-motown-on.html

https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2016/06/les-miz-miss-saigon-singapore-to-london.html

https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2009/05/elvis-presley-dont-cry-daddy-vietnam.html

https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2009/09/singapore-f1-formula-race-and-beatles.html

Seriously, let's just remember John Lennon's words: 

I wonder if you can, 
No for greed or hunger, 
A brotherhood of man.
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one.

Let's hope for a more conclusive summit this time around and another singer songwriter can compose a new peace treaty melody. Perhaps a Singaporean composer?

Google Images.