SINGAPORE 60's: ANDY's POP MUSIC INFLUENCE IS A PERSONAL MUSIC, MEMORY TRAIL. BLOGGER DOES NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO VIDEOS, AUDIO TRACKS AND IMAGES. THEY ARE UPLOADED FOR FUN, EDUCATIONAL, ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES AND HAVE BEEN CREDITED. BLOG IS NOT SPONSORED NOR ADVERTORIAL IN ANY WAY WHATSOEVER. INFORM BLOGGER OF COPYRIGHT ISSUES AND POST WILL BE DELETED IMMEDIATELY. DO NOT COPY THE POSTS; GET PERMISSION N CREDIT ME IF YOU DO. ANDY LIM LA (NOVEMBER, 2008) -
(新加坡六十年代安迪的流行音乐影响力), SUDI MAMPIR !
1] Number 2 on the top 15 'Best Music Blogs in Singapore'.
2] Number 21 on the top '50 Best Music Blogs in SE Asia'.
3] Read by President Tharman S.
4] Archived by National Library Board Singapore.
5] Mentioned on VintageRadio.SG interview, 'Music n Me'.
From CHAT GPT:
"Andy Young's Singapore 60s Music is a blog dedicated to the music of the 1960s in Singapore. It is run by Andy Young, a music enthusiast and collector who has been researching and collecting Singaporean music from the 1960s for many years.
The blog features reviews of music from the era, as well as interviews with musicians and other Singaporean music aficionados. It also includes a comprehensive discography of Singaporean music from the 1960s, and a list of recommended albums. The blog is a great resource for anyone interested in the music of Singapore in the 1960s 𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅰𝆕."
at the Mandarin Orchard, Singapore, in the mid-90s.
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It's not anytime that you know an international pop singer and become great friends. Autographed pictures poured into my iPhone as HH Chew explained he and his wife's close contact with Ms Skeeter Davis.
He is the quiet one, always polite, never a show-off and a good friend. But looking at the pictures one realises that HH has many stories to tell, sophisticated and unassuming that he is. A man of few words, here's one.
Thank you Hee Hong.
Dear Andy,
"I met her three times. We first met after her performance at Matthew's in Orchard Tower. Freddy Fender was performing there too. She took my offer to take her back to her hotel at the Ladyhill, opposite the Shangri-La. She stayed at the Ming Court Hotel and Mandarin Hotel for her two subsequent visits and concerts. We exchanged letters, cards and I received an autographed CD too.
I took her for a vegetarian meal as she was on this special diet. I found out that she had two failed marriages. When I first met her she was married to Joey Spampinato but they divorced in 1996, after nine years of marriage. She explained how she only had her dog for company and was then residing in Tennessee."
[Author: HH Chew].
HH and Ms Davis became good friends and kept in touch but she became unwell and although she had the utmost faith that she would make it through, she passed away in 2004 due to breast cancer.
From everyone who has read this blog post: Rest In Peace, Skeeter Davis.
Skeeter Davis "The End of the World"
YouTube Video from: KingOvHell
Above is a letter from Ms Davis
to HH and his wife.
Author HH Chew with Ms. Skeeter Davis
Skeeter Davis, Floyd Cramer: My Last Date
YouTube Video from: academic51
HH Chew today at the Hollywood Walk of Fame
@ Vine Street, Hollywood Boulevard, California.
The star beside him is top Musicals' singer
Julie Andrews from movie: 'The Sound of Music'.
Images above are
Copyrights Reserved.
She is well known for an album where she duets with
six male pop singers, answering their lovelorn letters.
Skeeter Davis n Bobby Bear: A Dear John Letter [1965]
From the FB post of Stephen Han.
If you take information from this article for your own use,
The man who made 'Rock Around The Clock' a top 50s hit
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In the 1950's when Singapore was devoid of television and with a few radio stations, young boys were running around in shorts, either kicking a rubber ball or playing marbles and coloured rubber bands.
Some, like today's blog contributor Robert Gay, turned to music and learned to play a guitar, singing his favourite pop 50s songs. Later, he gathered a few friends with the same ideals. Let's read what he says about pop music in the 50's in the area where he lived:
"Here is a short history of our music in Frankel Estate, at Singapore's East Coast.
In 1956, Willie (later Willie of London; the hairdresser) came to my house which was our meeting place and taught a few of us how to play the guitar. We learnt a few chords. C, F, G7, F, C7, B flat and G. We learnt to play songs like “Singing The Blues”, “Red Sails In The Sunset” and “ A White Sports Coat And A Pink Carnation”!
One day Willie brought a washtub with a broomstick and a thick string attached to it [image]! It was the age of skiffle we played songs of Lonnie Donegan! We belted out “Putting on the Style” with a washtub, a stick and a string, as bass! It was fun!
The next era was even more fun!
Bill Haley and his Comets.
Rock Around The Clock [1955].
YouTube Video from: 33Evenstar.
One day my dad brought an EP [Extended Play Record] and put it on while we we sitting around chatting! My dad usually listened to classical music. He was a tenor! But the music he had put on astounded all of us! It was Bill Haley and his Comets singing, “Rock Around the Clock”. The age of rock and roll had come!
Soon we were all singing this and, “See You Later Alligator"! Elvis had already been singing “Heartbreak Hotel” and “Hound dog” but to me the definite moment we embraced Rock and Roll was when we heard Bill Haley! Other singers coming on stage did not necessarily sing rock songs but we classed them as stars of the Rock and Roll era!
The primary school on Siglap Road, which was in the East Coast of Singapore too often had fun fairs where one of the features was music requests! The music could be heard over half of Frankel Estate! I remember one occasion where “Island in the Sun” [Harry Belafonte] and “Love Letters in the Sand” [Pat Boone] competed to be the favorite all afternoon!
During that period, we used to listen to the Top Twenty from America every week. One week The Everly Brothers jumped into the scene with “Wake Up Little Susie” and “ Bye Bye Love”! I was fascinated by their perfect harmony! “All I Have To Do Is Dream” was one of my all time favorite songs. The Everly Brothers influenced our singing tremendously. I bought every one of their albums and we sang their songs! A pair of us, Dennis Tay and Philip Goh excelled in singing their songs.
In 1959 they won the Anglo Chinese School [ACS] Talentime contest singing, “Bird Dog”. Michael Goh, the Dean Martin of Singapore came second with “My Rifle, Pony and Me”! Later they entered the Everly Brothers contest in Singapore and tied first with another pair! This was held at the Odeon Cinema at North Bridge Road.
With guitars: Michael Goh [right] and brother.
Blogger Andy with Contestant [side]
Capitol Cinema Singapore backstage, 1959.
In the meantime I had another group that also included Dennis and Philip that sang Christian songs in churches all around the island!
Rock and Roll introduced a new genre of music into the world! But it was not just Rock and Roll. It was a new era for pop music! and a new ear for teenagers! The war and postwar babies now in their teens became a huge market for music an fashion! Teen idols sprouted everywhere! Paul Anka with ”Diana “ was a millionaire when he was sixteen! “Rebel Without A Cause”, Starring James Dean he typified the mood of teenagers of that time! Cinema tickets sold by the millions.
Youth in the UK during the 50's when
the skiffle boom exploded. The Beatles
came later but started out playing skiffle.
From the record cover of a Skiffle Group in England.
Note the washtub, broomstick and string as bass.
With a washboard too.
I bought every Everly Brothers album as soon as they appeared in the shops!
The songs reflected the moods and aspirations of teenagers! It was a time for parties, funfairs, tea dances and barbecues! We sang at parties, barbecues and church outings! There was a huge demand for teens looking for action and looking to change the world!
Amidst this came the Evangelists the most famous being Billy Graham! Youth for Christ International set up in Singapore and we got involved in singing at their rallies!
Writer: Robert Gay
from Singapore but now
lives in England.
Anita Sarawak: Proud Mary [ABPBH '05]
YouTube Video from: Koleksi Campur Hangus 2.0
Images:
Google
My Exclusive Condo/New Launch Condo [2016]
A personal collection.
The changing of the social scene in the Fifties was driven by war children coming into their teens! With the music came dancing and socializing! I remember suddenly becoming more interested in girls! So I learnt to dance!
There was a really nice girl who was friendly to us in Frankel who taught us to do the Cha Cha and Jive! Joe Loss "Wheels" was the most popular song we learnt to! Easy one two, one two three. Xavier Cugat was one of the popular bands we danced to! A group of us used to go to the beach by the Ocean Park hotel on East Coast Road! The film studio by the hotel made Malay movies! We went to listen to the live music from the hotel!
Meeting Anita Sarawak!
Ms Anita Sarawak.
It was pleasant just sitting on the beach listening to the music! One evening a beautiful lady came and chatted with us! She was Siput Sarawak [Malay movie star} and told us about her daughter Anita Sarawak [image] who was in England when she found out I was going to England for further studies!
Foolish person that I was I did not ask for her address! Years later when I saw Anita she was a big star! She sang in Las Vegas for a few years! I saw her in Singapore when she sang somewhere! Can’t remember where! Never got a chance to speak to her!
This post is specially for good friend Cedric Cork, percussionist for many bands from the 60s, who experienced the Vietnam music scene when he played with Singapore bands at certain venues there to entertain the troops.
It has happened, is now happening and will happen again.
Checking out the number of popular songs that discusses war stands at more than 10,000 compositions! That's a mere trickle of the actual numbers not published... and how peaceful hearts are thumping in anger and despair everyday to realise this!
My family and I were in Danang, Vietnam, for a holiday in the Summer of 2018 and we visited the beach where the American troops landed in March, 1965. It's a peaceful place today but turn back the times and a raging war took place in Vietnam for some years and many songs were composed to stamp these terrors of time.
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
Saigon Bride: Joanne Baez
YouTube Video by: Vietnam War Song Project
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 Search And Destroy The Stooges 1973 Billy Don't Be A Hero Paper Lace 1974 Straight To 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 [1971] - John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band
(w The Flux Fiddlers) (Ultimate Mix 2018) - 4K REMASTER
YouTube Video: by john lennon.
Below is a list of postings found on this blog pertaining to the same topic:
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 from a Singaporean composer?
John Lennon's: 'You may say I'm a dreamer...' from song 'Imagine'.
This poster was taken by Anni Taylor [FB] at
St. Kilda's Beach, Victoria, Melbourne, Australia.
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