Bill Forbes (Kal Kahn)

Bill Forbes was born in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), educated at St. Peter’s College in the suburb of Bambalapitiya. At 17, he went to Britain to pursue his dreams of becoming a famous singer. He auditioned for the new and popular Oh Boy! show and was accepted, making his debut singing an upbeat spiritual song “God’s Little Acre”, picked for him by the producer Jack Good. Shortly afterward, he was signed by Columbia. He most successful recording was a cover of “Too Young” which reached no. 29 in UK’s NME Chart during December 1959. In Ceylon, “Too Young / It’s Not The End Of The World” was a double-sided no. 1 hit in early 1960, beaming proudly on the overseas English Services of the venerable Radio Ceylon, celebrating her famous son. Meanwhile, Bill was inspired by the successful comical song “Goodness Gracious Me” sang by Peter Sellers and Sophia Loren. He decided to record his own “baila” styled (Ladies of) Calcutta* and Aa-Chaa England (“Oh to be in England”, composed by Bill Forbes) under the name of Kal Kahn in 1964. Both songs are considered classics. Bill Forbes gave up show business in 1975 and settled in Huddersfield, UK. He is regarded as the first Sri Lankan solo artist ever to secure a recording contract and a hit recording outside his native country.

*Calcutta was originally a German instrumental titled Tivoli Melody composed by Heino Gaze. It was retitled Take Me Dreaming, then Nicolette, and Werner Muller Orchestra recorded it as Kalkutta Liegt am Ganges. Lawrence Welk Orchestra recorded it as Calcutta which became no. 1 on Billboard (USA) in 1961. The Four Preps also charted it in the same year with lyrics from Paul J. Vance and Lee Pockriss.

Bill Forbes at the Oh Boy!

(LADIES OF CALCUTTA)

I kissed the chicks of Naples
Yand burnt my lips you see,
I also smooched some French birds
Ooh La La Sheri.. (who came from “Paree”)

The Swedish Dolls aare loverly
Oh yeash indeed they aare
But the ladies of Caalcutta
Arre sweeter by farr
The ladies of Calcutta will steal your heart away
Yand when it has been stolen you say
… Dhani Dhani Deh

YEnglish birds are gorgeous
They do something to me
But the ladies of Calcutta are Eastern you see

Dhani Dhani Dani Dhani Dhani Dhoni Dhadi dhani Dhani Dhadi deh
Yadi Goni Gana Dani Dhoni Dhani
This Jockey gives me a play
A Dhani Dhoni Dadi Dhani Gami Goni dadi dum de dani dadi Deh
A Dani Danithi dani Dadi Doni Dadi
please play this rec…ord all the way

The ladies of Calcutta will steal your heart away
Yand when it has been stolen you’ll say …
Dhani Dhani Deh
Yenglish birds are gorgeous
They do something to me
But the ladies of Calcutta are Eastern you see …

Credits: Hillary Jay, for the introduction and sharing of music and songs from Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon.

Rowena 鳴茜

Ng Ming Sin started singing English songs as Rowena 鳴茜. She recorded under Diamond Records with slow and haunting romantic ballads like Sweetheart tree, Moment to moment, If you were the only boy, Crying in the chapel and Shadow of your smile. Her wide appeal on HK Rediffusion TV and expansive repertoire (incl. Mandarin and Cantonese songs) would make her a popular playback singer in various Chinese movies like the song 青年人的夢 (Dreams of the youth) in 小雲雀 The lark (1965) and the theme song of 公子多情 (My darling wife) (1965). Rowena Ng left show business in the 70’s and is now retired in Canada.

(SWEETHEART TREE)
Come along with me to the sweetheart tree
And your love will be true evermore
They say there’s a tree in the forest
A tree that will give you a sign
Come along with me to the sweetheart tree
Come and carve your name next to mine
They say if you kiss the right sweetheart
The one you’ve been waiting for
Big blossoms of white will burst into sight
And your love will be true evermore
Come along with me to the sweetheart tree
And your love will be true evermore
They say if you kiss the right sweetheart
The one you’ve been waiting for
Big blossoms of white will burst into sight
And your love will be true evermore

The Lotus (with Sam Hui)

They were called Bar Six but renamed as The Lotus after Sam Hui joined as lead vocalist in 1966. They were signed by Diamond Records and recorded “Just a little” which became a hit in Hong Kong in 1967. They became the hosts of the popular TV program for TVB called The Star Show. After the group disbanded , Sam Hui continued as a solo act and released the very successful “Time of The Season” with Polydor in 1971. (When the mood and taste of music shifted in HK, Sam Hui started singing in Chinese, popularizing Canto-pop by the fusion of Cantonese with Western popular music.)

The Lotus: Sam Hui (lead vocals, acoustic & electric guitar), Wallace Chow (lead guitar), Albert Lee (rhythm guitar), Danny So (bass), David Cheung (drums).

(JUST A LITTLE)
I can’t stay, yes I know
You know I hate to go
So goodbye, love was sweet
Our worlds can never meet

Can’t you see how I feel
When I say love’s unreal
But goodbye, it’s been sweet
Even though incomplete

Every night I still hear
All your sighs very clear
Now love’s gone, gone away
As I once heard you say

* So I’ll cry just a little ’cause I love you so
And I’ll die just a little ’cause I have to go away

Joe Junior

Joe Junior was the gentle “boy next door” teenage idol. He was of Macanese (Chinese and Portugese) ancestry. His family moved from Macau to Hong Kong where Joe was born and grew up. Joe and The Zoundcrackers recorded “I Gotta Find Cupid” in 1966 which went to the RTHK pop chart. After some major changes in band members, they regrouped as Joe Jr. & The Side-Effects. They recorded “Here’s a Heart” in 1967 which became his most successful single. They also released two successful LPs (“Effective” and “Tribute”) before disbanding. Joe Junior continued to sing and record as a solo act.

The Zoundcrackers (with Joe Junior)

Joe Junior & The Side-Effects

(EXCLUSIVELY YOURS)
No more playing the field for me
Since I met you my heart’s not free
I just wanna be exclusively yours
Once you kiss me that I found out
There’s no other I care about
I just wanna be exclusively yours
I’ll take you to the dance
I’ll take you to the show
I’ll take you every single place you ever wanna go
I don’t know where it is, I don’t know what we do
As long as I can just be there with you
If it’s my love you’re longing for
You can have it forever more
I just wanna be exclusively yours

Danny Diaz & The Checkmates

Danny Diaz & The Checkmates were three Filipino brothers with their brother-in-law (Romeo or Romy is married to Christine Samson, the one-time singer and bassist with D’Topnotes). They formed in Hong Kong and had a major hit “It’s So Easy” in 1966. The group’s big break came when they beat out the other top acts like Teddy Robin & The Playboys and The Mystics in the Levi’s Battle Of The Bands held in the Hong Kong Football Stadium in 1969. They went to the UK and made a few recordings out there including “Solomon Grundy”, 1969 UK). They disbanded in 1982.

Danny Diaz (vocal)
Rudy Diaz (bass)
Romeo Diaz (keyboards, guitar, flute, etc.)
Michael Samson (drums)

(IT’S SO EASY)
It’s so easy to give my heart to you
It’s so easy and that’s what I have to do
If I’ll give my love to you
Would you promise to be true?

All of my life, all of my life
You know I’ll never make you blue
Well, someday you may find
That all who love are blind
Each night I’ll pray, I’ll find a way
And then I’ll give my heart to you

It’s so easy to give my love to you
It’s so easy and that’s what I have to do
Well the night grows very near
Thoughts of you grow oh so few
Only it seems I’ll see you in dreams
And then I’ll give my heart to you
Give my heart to you
It’s so easy
It’s so easy

D’ Swooners (with Chris Solano)

They were a Filipino band formed in 1963. They went to Hong Kong and played in nightclubs. In 1965, they recorded “My Sonata of Love” (composed by Vic Cristobal) on the Diamond label which became a big hit. They opened for The Kinks and Manfred Mann in Hong Kong. A Japanese talent scout saw them and took them to Japan. They released two singles and two albums in Japan including the very successful psychedelic GS “Please Please Trina” on Philips in 1968.

Cris Solano (vocals, bass)
Charlie Cajilig (guitar)
Ernie Espiritu (organ)
Ronnie Parina (vocals, trumpet, saxophone)
Eddie Fortuno (drums)

(MY SONATA OF LOVE)
When love was new it was grand
We sat and gazed at the band
They were playing we were singing
Our sonata of love
Why did we quarrel and part
What have you done to my heart
Now I’m prayin’ and keep singing
My sonata of love
Love is just a gamble to lose
Would be too cruel
We can’t go on like this
Without you how could I exist
Nothing to say now you’re gone
Nothing is left but our song
Yet I’m praying and keeping
Singing my sonata of love
Nothing to say now you’re gone
Oh nothing is left but our song
Yet I’m praying and keep singing
My sonata of love

Vic O. Cristobal

Filipino musicians and bands started bringing music to Hong Kong’s shores in the 1940s. Generations of great musicians came, and over the years they have wielded a big influence on the island’s entertainment scene. Working quietly behind the scene was Vic Cristobal, the musical genius arranger-musician-composer. When the studios wanted a fuller sound, they always turned to Vic Cristobal and his band. Vic Cristobal also composed the hit song My Sonata of Love as well as four songs on Kong Ling’s “Theme For a Dream” LP: Lost in a Dream; Wishing; Jilted and The Stars are filled with Bliss. He has been credited with numerous film scores. After retirement, Vic Cristobal migrated to Vancouver, Canada. He continued to be active and mentored many aspiring musicians. The British Columbia’s Richmond Music Festival (dedicated to music development in piano, strings and woodwinds through the areas of performance, instruction, appreciation and presentation) has created a Vic O. Cristobal Memorial Trophy.

A. Ramlie & The Rythmn Boys

It was 1965 in Singapore. The Rythmn Boys emerged as the winner in the battle of the bands in the “Dave Clark Five” competition. They were amongst the early leaders of the kugirans pop-yey yeh, the new genre of Malay popular music. The Rythmn Boys became a household name by first backing singer A. Ramlie. They were eagerly sought and also recorded with singers like S. Mariam, Ramlah Aziz, Novel (from Indonesia), M. Amin, Adnan Othman, S. Ahmad and Shari Omar.

The Rythmn Boys: M. Ayob Taib (lead), M. Osman Said (rhythm), M. Ali Taib (bass), A. Rahim Razak (organ) and M. Nor Ahmad (drums)

(OH FATIMAH)
Oh Mas Ayu Fatimah nan ayu
Parasnya indah suara merdu
Senyum membawa hati rindu
Buat jiwa bimbang ragu
Oh Fatimah gadis Palembang
Pinggangnya ramping leher jinjang
Pakainya cantik istimewa
Budi bahasa sungguh indah
Oh Fatimah gadis ayu
Indah sungguh parasmu Mas Ayu
Kasih mesramu menawanku
Membelai harapanku
Oh Fatimah gadis manja
Membawa hatiku yang mesra
Bilakah masa kan bersua
Rasa cinta hidup ria

The Thunders

The Thunders from Macau won a pop music contest organized by HKTVB in 1968 which took them to stardom as well as a recording contract with EMI. The winning song “She’s in Hong Kong”, an original composition by band member Rigoberto do Rosário Jr., was released on an SP which sold out immediately. More hit makers followed including “A minha tristeza”, “Summer Fun” and “Macau Terra Minha (my hometown)”. The group disbanded in 1971 shortly after it completed a very successful sting at the famous Mocambo.

The Thunders: Herculano Airosa “Alou” (keyboard), Armando Sales Ritchie (bass), Rigoberto do Rosário Jr. “Api” (lead), Domingos Rosa Duque “Lelé” (rhythm), Manuel Costa (drums & percussion)

(SHE’S IN HONG KONG)
After a long search I’ve made around the world
I met a girl in Hong Kong
She’s the nicest girl in this world
So to her I’ll belong

I had many girls from other countries
But none of them were my right one
The one I love is staying in Hong Kong
So I sing a song, a happy love song.

Now I have someone to call
Now I have a true love to fall
She’s everything good for me
And my love for her
is bigger than the sea

I got no words to tell her
‘Cause I’m happy as could be
I really have fallen for her
As you all can see

The Kontinentals

The Kontinentals, a schoolboy band originated from King George V School, was Hong Kong’s answer to the British Invasion bands and became the first local guitar band to release a single. Its first single with an original composition by bassist Anders Nelsson, “I Still Need You”,  became a big hit in 1963. The Kontinentals had became the top billing act in HK music pop scene when Anders (whose parents were Swedish missionaries living in HK) was drafted into the Swedish military service in 1965. The original Kontinentals disbanded.

The original Kontinentals:(L-R) Mike Souza (organ), Anders Nelsson (bass, vocal), Danny Piry (rhythm), Sidney Fattedad (drums), Roy Davenport (lead), Dave Christian/David Cohen (guitar)

* Anders reformed a new Kontinentals in Sweden and recorded with Anette label briefly. He returned to HK to stay, and recorded with The Inspiration under Diamond Music and later, with his own band MING under EMI.

(I STILL NEED YOU)

When my lights are long
And I’m haunted by the blues
I will think of you
And recall the love we knew
I never thought it could go wrong
And I’d have to pay
Yes, I’ll remember the things you said today
I don’t want you
I don’t need you
I don’t love you anymore

When I walk alone
And my friend all say hello
I will try to smile
And pray my tears won’t show
But then at night when our special song rings through my head
I’ll remember the little things you said
I don’t want you
I don’t need you
I don’t love you anymore

I never thought it could go wrong
And I’d have to pay
Yes, I’ll remember the things you said today
I don’t want you
I don’t need you
I don’t love you anymore
But I still want you
And I still need you
And I still love you like before