Participants & Supporters Of Local 60s Music

Friday, November 20, 2009

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.

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Heavy Metal/Latino Guitar - 60s Music - BOBO

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Heavy metal, Latino or rock, Bobo is always there to lead an instrumental number, accompany his singers and please his audiences in Singapore. Still in the music circuit, Bobo has been playing with his own group, Los Bobos (earlier posting on this blog), for many years now.

Bobo, whose real name is Abdulah Yusof Nawawi, was once with The Neu Faces or Muka Baru. They did an LP, Muka Baru, which featured the sound of a motor-cycle and Bobo had brought his own bike to the studio to record the sound of its engine.

Four of the tracks on the album had lyrics and music by Bobo. They are Hari Minggu, Gadis Manis, Joget Jual Beli and of course, Motor with original sound effects. (From: To Be A Rock But Not To Roll/Jerry Fernandez, July 2009, Douglas Gomez/Comdesign Associates.)

Image/Original article: Andy Lim.

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Book Launch - Jerry Fernandez & The Neu Faces

Sunday, July 12, 2009

The launch for Jerry Fernandez' magnum opus came to fruition when more than 150 invited guests attended it at the Quality Hotel at Balestier Road last night (12.07.09). Most of the people mentioned in his book were there to wish him, congratulate him and hug him.

And there were performances too; all the bands he was with in the past 40 years, appeared. There were The Peddlers, The Idols, The Neu Faces with Jerry fronting and singing, Proud Mary, Johnny B. Goode, Midnight Hour, Quando, Quando, Sway and other sizzling hot numbers. Jerry stumped his audience of family and fellow musicians, with his powerful vocals and stage presence. And someone commented, "Better than ever!"

Accolades for Jerry came fast and swift as the guests spoke about their relationship with him. But beneath the veneer, what impressed personally, was when Jerry's second son came on stage, cried his heart out to reveal that he wanted to be like his father. When Jerry introduced his grandson, the baby clung to him comfortably and refused to budge from the grip of this really loving family man. Action - louder than all the words that night!

Congratulations Jerry! You are blessed. And that's important.

Image/Article: Andy Lim Collection.

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Jerry Fernandez Neu Faces Be A Rock Dont Roll

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

"Across fourteen countries and two continents... Setting us apart from the rest of the pack..." It's here. After more than four years of hard work, Jerry Fernandez's book, To Be A Rock But Not To Roll, will hit the bookshops after its launch on Sunday 12th July, 2009, at the Quality Hotel Singapore at Balestier Road.

Opening the book to look at the inside front cover, there is this beautiful map of Orchard Road, highlighting the venues or 'hot spots' where Jerry & The Neu Faces performed from 1968 to 1994. Impressive!

Haven't read the book yet but flipping through the pages, it is user friendly, has loads of photographs and information about Jerry's life, from the time he was a teenager, his years as a soccer lover and, more importantly, his established role as a musician both in Singapore and the world. He has also documented friends and colleagues who helped him along the way, on his life journey as a pop DJ, MC, singer, musician and business man. Sounds promising and could be a great read...

(Jerry Fernandez hosts the concert at Orchid Country Club this month.)

Image/original article: Andy Lim collection.

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Singapore 60s - British Invasion - Tom Jones

Saturday, May 2, 2009

There is no discussion on 60s music without mentioning Welsh singer Tom Jones and another man of similar status, because they both appear at about the same period during the 60s. But while Tom Jones invaded Singapore with his British brawns, sexy image and powerful voice, the other swooned his fans with cool, quiet sensuality.

Jones' first song didn't make the hit charts but his second one did and soon everyone was singing, "It's Not Unusual", in early 1965. He went on to sing pop, R&B, ballads and soul with 54 albums, more than 390 hits and 100 million records, so check him out at his own website.

Tom Jones' impact on the Singapore's pop music scene still has local artistes singing and playing his songs today. Many songs have been translated into Chinese and Malay, or at least the melodies are similar.

There are also many Tom Jones impersonators in Singapore. One of them is Halil Chik and the other is Ismail Haron. Many singers with powerful voices are able to emulate the Welsh sex symbol. Jerry Fernandez, a popular DJ and MC, is another Tom Jones impersonator. He sings with the Neu Faces at the Singapore Cricket Club on Saturday afternoons.

Tom Jones is as active as ever on the world circuit, singing his own hits as he would have nearly 50 years ago. Sir Tom Jones is a living legend!

But who's the other one who hit Singapore 60s with as great an impact? Check the next post.

Image: http://www.jasondunn.com

Original article: Andy Lim

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