Singing is my passion, my first love and the secret of my energy. Music to me is like finding my inner self, my soul. It gives me a great joy to see audiences enjoying with me. I have given my heart to singing. When I sing, I can feel romance in everything around me.
— Kailash Kher, Indian playback singer
It has been an interesting singing journey for me starting with my first performance at the age of eight in 1962.
‘Twinkle-Twinkle Little Stars’ was neither a big hit nor a big accomplishment by city or town standard but in the pre-Malaysia days and for a kid whose knowledge of the English language was close to zero, it remains in my memory forever.
Whenever I view YouTube and see a six-year-old Briton Connie Talbot belting her landmark Over The Rainbow for Britain Got Talent in 2007, it always reminds me of my first stage performance circa June, 1962 for our inaugural school land sport meet — the only difference was nobody cried due to my rendition but Connie’s song reduced BGT judge Amanda Holden to tears with her number. Now aged 21, Connie is already an established British singer and has a net worth of $3 million.
In our remote primary school in the Bornean jungle of Krian, Saratok my first idol was Indonesian diva Ernie Djohan with her song Teluk Bayur circa end of 1965 — she became the first Indonesian singer to receive the golden platinum in 1966, thanks to Teluk Bayur.
Fast forward 35 year later, it was an unexpected honour for me to perform with my childhood idol when we were both invited to perform for Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah’s 54th birthday on July 15, 2000 at Bandar Seri Begawan.
A day earlier, we met at the Crowne Princess Hotel to practise with the band. Then at 49, the amiable international star Ernie was still dazzling. Apart from her landmark Teluk Bayur, she also performed Speedy Gonzales, originally by Pat Boone (1962).
In 1978, I also had the opportunity to perform with another Indonesian great Broery Marantika (now deceased) at the Penang Expo, held in December. Also performing was Noor Kumalasari.
Broery performed a few songs while I did my favourite It’s Now or Never as an unknown despite being tagged Penang Elvis. Nevertheless, I was given a thumbs-up by Broery who was about my height due to his ‘Afro’ hair-do. Back stage, I did enjoy some hilarious moments with comedians needing no introduction such as Badul, Jaafar, Yahya Sulong and AK Jailani.
During a 1977 show in USM, I also performed two EP songs with my favourite The Blues Gang, led by Ito. It led to another show held in RTM Penang where I used my first self-designed blue EP jacket.
In my early Elvising days, I heard of the likes of ‘Elvince’ Wilfred Vincent Ragam and met him for the first time in 1982 in Sibu. I also listened to Iban songs in radio and was enthralled by Pengerindu Ku Enda Berubah (copied from I Can’t Stop Loving You) by ‘Elrey’ Reynolds Gregory circa 1971.
I made friends with Elrey when we both performed as guest singers at a Kuching pub in 1986. Elvince, Elrey and I started sharing the stage in a group show since 2002.
I completed the circles of performing with my EP idols when performing together with Malaysian Elvis titleholder Eddie Francis in Kota Kinabalu in 2012 and 2014 in KL. In fact, I was supposed to compete against Eddie in 1976 in KL for the Malaysian title as a representative of Penang but was too poor for an undergraduate to make it.
Aged 75 in 2014, Eddie was still rocking the sequinned suit complete with pelvic thrusts. We call each other ‘bro’ as I do with Elvince while the late Elrey and I addressed each other as ‘Jang’. By treating others as your equals doesn’t necessarily mean you stop idolising them.
In 2010 just days prior to Christmas Day, I performed together with another childhood idol Rose Iwanaga (Sarawak’s first recording artiste) at Holiday Inn Kuching for a big function.
Four years later, I also had the opportunity to share the stage with my another idol, namely popular Iban artiste Andrewson Ngalai when we performed in front of then prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak at BCCK Kuching for a show hosted by Sarawak Dayak National Union.
Also in attendance was then CM Tok Nan (Pehin Sri Adenan Satem, now deceased) — whose favourite was Can’t Help Falling In Love (by Elvis Presley). We performed together for an impromptu show in 1986 at Ferritel (now Rajah Court). His stage name was Eddy Satem.
When recalling my own excitement in those shared stages with my own idols, I am sure members of a band comprising my former students (of SMK Saratok) were feeling similar delight when backing me (their former principal) for a show to commemorate our alma mater’s 50th anniversary in 2013 at Rumah Dayak, Saratok. Such privilege doesn’t come by often.
