Last September 25 marked the second anniversary of the passing of my friend and fellow counterpart, Ges Barundang, who was a popular Elvis tribute artist known as Elges Presley.
He left behind his loving wife, retired teacher Helen Menon, and four university-educated children, along with a few grandchildren. Not to mention his collection of thirteen customised EP jumpsuits and various trophies won in contests, including the Elvis of Kuching title in 2002, where I came in second place.
Ges was perhaps the first Elvis tribute artist from Malaysia to visit Graceland, the mansion of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Elvis Presley, in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, in 2004. It was a dream come true for him.
During his stay at the Heartbreak Hotel, he even had the opportunity to perform in his light blue EP jumpsuit. He showed me a photo of himself in front of the gate to Graceland and on the mansion’s entrance steps, wearing his blue EP jumpsuit.
Ges became the chairman of the Elvis Presley Fan Club of Sarawak (EPFCS), which he founded in 2014. The only Elvis fan club likely registered with the Registrar of Societies (RoS) in the country.
Shortly after the club’s formation, we made a courtesy call to the Senior Minister of Urbanisation and Development, Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom, to appoint him as our Club Advisor. He graciously accepted the position and made a substantial contribution to help us get started.
From then on, Ges and I went around requesting donations from VIPs and generous individuals. Within a year, we had accumulated a significant amount of money in our bank account to cover expenses for the club’s functions, as well as to pay nominal fees to the Elvis tribute artists (ETAs) for their performances.
We also shared Elvis music and songs with fans at our shows in various venues, including joints, hotels, and functions held in Kuching and other towns in the state. We even had the opportunity to perform in Kuala Lumpur, including two shows at Ol Skool in PJ in 2014 and 2016.
I was closest to Ges, and we performed together on several occasions in Bintulu, Sri Aman, and Kapit. We also collaborated with other ETAs for shows in Sibu, Miri, Kuching, KL, and Kota Kinabalu. Our bond grew stronger when Ges joined the New Sarawak Tribune as a proofreader around 2012.
When Ges passed away in September 2021, he became the eighth Elvis tribute artist and crooner from our group to join their forebears. He joined his late cousin Reynolds Gregory (who passed away in 2010), Alex Ting of Miri (2013), Ali Hassan (Safar Gafar’s eldest brother, who died in 2013), John Sia of Sibu (2016), Jimmy Adit (2020), Eskandar Eyaw (April 2021), and Albert Blassan (July 2021). May they all rest in peace.
These memories bring back fond recollections of performing together with Reynolds Gregory since 2002 in karaoke pubs in Kuching, as well as with other EP crooners such as Wilfred Vincent Ragam, who held the Sarawak EP title twice, and Eskandar Eyaw, another Sarawak EP titleholder.
Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of performing with Aubery Chan, John Sia, Alex Ting, Albert Blassan, Ali Hassan, Valentine Udie, Elges Presley, Azmi Jahidin, Adrian David Jr, Jimmy Adit, Christie Duin Tanggi, Marveyn Dato Sri Tajem, Sebastian Bong from Miri, Martin Ong, Christ Gomez from Sabah, and several others from Malaya, including Elvis Jo from Penang, Sunny Tai (Elvis of Selangor), Paul Lee (Elvis of Penang), Frankie Fong (Elvis of Malaysia), and Eddie Francis (a self-styled crooner who won the Elvis of Malaysia title in 1976). Other singing buddies preferred to remain anonymous.
Ges had several favourite songs, including “GI Blues,” “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me,” “Kissing Cousins,” “I Don’t Want to Know,” “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again,” “Way Down,” “Shopping Around,” “Runaway,” “Give Me The Right,” “Let Me Be There,” “The Love Machine,” and many more.
Eskandar Eyaw regularly performed “Kiss Me Quick,” “Stuck On You,” “Wonder of You,” “Tender Feelings,” “Suspicious Minds,” and a few others, while Albert Blassan’s favourites included “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” “Way Down,”.
The views expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the New Sarawak Tribune.
