Versatile: Singaporean Randy, Indonesian Ervinna

Both had hit records in the 70s. Randy Lee (image 2, left) of the Stylers had EP and LP vinyls sold in the thousands because of the cover songs the group recorded during those golden years. Likewise with pretty lady singer Ervinna (image 1,2 right) who was another S.E. Asian hit maker.

The Stylers with rhythm guitarist and leader of the pack Randy, had recorded in English, Chinese and Malay. Even today, in record shops, The Stylers vinyls dominate the shelves with their cha-cha, a-go-go and other dance instrumentals. Rhythmist Randy is now involved in the administration of a company that deals with body-building equipment.

Ervinna, a Chinese Indonesian singer from Surabaya, was one of Indonesia's pop vocalists, having released more than 200 albums of Western and Chinese songs recorded in Singapore in the 70s and beyond. The figure did not include dangdut, Jawa, keronchong, Melayu and other traditional songs.

It is common knowledge that during her hey-day, Ervinna often released 3 albums in a month. Besides The Stylers, she had been accompanied by other groups like Singapore's Thunderbirds, Charlie and His Boys, The White Cloud Orchestra and the Orches Melayu Pancaran Muda of Indonesia.

These two artistes met recently in Surabaya, Indonesia to chat about old times and for Randy to present Ervinna with the first series of CDs that had recently been taken hot off the press from The Stylers stable of pop songs.

Images: Andy Lim and Randy Lee Collection (Copyright).

Original article: Andy Lim.

Stylers Band 1971 Casino Song In Fujian Dialect

Two casinos have been built in the southern part of Singapore and they have been in the news these past months. One monolith stands tall bestriding the entrance of Marina Bay and the other is situated at Sentosa Island.

It is appropriate now to revive a rib-tickling, made-in-Singapore song about a gambling man who tries his hands at the gaming table. And the band responsible for this rollicking deal? The Stylers! The versatility of this home grown garage group is legendary. They recorded the humorous piece called, Our Casino Song in 1971. It is sung in Hokkien by Stylers' lead guitarist John Teo (image: centre man).

Hokkien or Fujian is a Chinese dialect which originated in the Fujian Province of China. This dialect is understood by many people living in the South East Asian region. Although it is not as widely spoken as Cantonese, the dialect can also be heard in the West. But whether it's in Hokkien or English, the lyrics run along a similar theme; that if you go to the casino be prepared to lose all your money.

However, if the listener still needs to understand the lyrics, here's the literal translation in English. Meantime, just enjoy the beat and the music. Does the tune sound familiar?

Our Casino Song

(Chorus repeated after each verse) Aiyoh, my money is gone, is gone, aiyoh...

Translation:

I played gin rummy /Loved the indulgence /Never thought that my wallet /Would 'follow them' /I haven't got a cent 'by my side.' /Went to Toa Payoh, Lorong 3 /(A place in Singapore) /Gambled everything away /Including my ring and wages /With nothing left to my name /But it's useless to regret /Gamblers get muddled /And become promiscuous /Abandoning their wives /Advice to others not to/Make the same mistake/Gamblers have no future.

Image 1 from: Antelope Record CTEP 1041 - The Stylers 8 Hits For Your Party Non-Stop Dancing.

Image/Original Article: Andy Lim.

Our Casino Song: You Tube Video on Right Bar by MrRainbow64.

Thanks to Randy Lee (image: far right) and Alvin Tan for translation.

Singapore 60 Men Fashion On Vinyl Covers (Part II)

Now the boys. Just as fashionable as the ladies, they dress as well for that stage performance and look set with their tops, bell-bottoms or drain-pipes. Each gentleman cuts a dashing figure with his outfit.

Handsome and clean cut Randy Lee (left image), rhythm guitarist with The Stylers, is preparing for an evening bash with his boys in a dark grey 70s cut suit. He looks exceptionally confident in the simple yet stylish outfit. Tie and shoes to match. She's A Yum Yum, I Get So Excited, Mississippi Line and Love Grows (Where Rosemary Goes) are the four songs featured on this particular EP (Panda Brand: HREP 7003).

Chinese singer Chai Chen hangs his white jacket and flirts by the beach in white long sleeves and a maroon four-button vest and dark pants. Brown suedes complete the look. All he needs is to don the jacket and he'll be ready to croon Sayonara with his accompanying band The Travellers. Together with three Chinese songs, his recording under Jubilee (JE 5044) sold many copies.

With a short crop, Chinese singer and go-getter Peter Shu beats the lot in his eye-catching, always attractive red, black and white combination. The informal black vest with white trims and double whammy belts around his waist complete the picture. The stream-line white boots, accentuate his bell-bots. There's A Kind Of Hush, Love You Love You, Black Is Black and Proud Mary (InterWorld Record: WAA 1504) are the songs available.

Images: From record covers already acknowledged. Article: Andy Lim.

In Memory Of Robert Song: Vocalist And Percussionist: The Stylers♪ Band: bogetman65

The Stylers Celebrate Chinese New Year In Style

There's a truly fabulous website on The Stylers and I am sure my namesake Andy who created it will not mind if I connect this particular posting to the site. It's a Stylers bunny year. Thanks again Andy and Randy. Without these two gentlemen we would have lost a treasure trove of Stylers goodies.

A HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=TheStylersBand#p/c/3C62E1DD3102ABD5

Shades Of Blue! Anita Sarawak, Stylers, Silver Strings, Tidbits, Rediffusion Tan Swee Leong

(Image reads: The new Shades consist of Rich, who plays the lead guitar, sleepy Joe on rhythm, Vince on bass, Malcolm on drums and vocalist Raj. The boys are practising very hard for this morning show, and with their talent and co-operation, they will do their best to entertain you.)

In October 1968, a church in the east coast of Singapore organised a musical concert at the Odeon Katong cinema called, Morning Melodies. It was certainly not the usual service because the names of the stage performers on the programme were unique indeed. They were to appear that early Monday morning at nine, so it could have been a public holiday.

The entertainment included a guitar group called The Shades Of Blue (image), a Reverend Philip Chan (dubbed on the programme as 'The Singing Pastor'), the Heralds Choral Society of Singapore, four female vocalists who could have sung in Chinese, Malay or English. They were Hazel Lee, Judy Lee, Fong Yin and Murni Sarawak. There were also male vocalists Steven Ong and Chang Suen.

What was most surprising were the appearances of Las Vegas diva Miss Anita Sarawak, The Tidbits (early-teen school girls: Melina Wee, Serene Wee and Bernadette de Souza - Radio Television Singapore, 1968 Talentime winners and RCA recording artistes), The Stylers and The Strings (The Silver Strings momentary change of name). And the compere for the morning event was Rediffusion's Tan Swee Leong, debonair DJ and pop MC for many stage and musical shows.

The show was in aid of an "educational and scholarship fund", so you could have imagined the heat on stage that morning with these top performers giving off their best for a cause. Wow! It was an alumni of the best musical talents from the late 60s, gathered under the Odeon Katong roof.

Do you remember this gathering of 60s music stars? Were you in the organising committee? Were you a member of Shades Of Blue? It's been a long time but if you still remember Morning Melodies, please write in.

Information/Image: From Souvenir Programme. Thanks to Randy Lee of The Stylers.

Original article: Andy Lim.

(C) The Stylers Story: Recordings A Plenty

RANN LEE (FOUNDING MEMBER, RHYTHMIST) TALKS TO ANDY:

The Stylers would have *recorded so many albums that only a serious collector could answer a difficult question like, "How many albums do they have to their name?" Even Randy Lee, Stylers founding member and rhythm guitarist, was not able to provide a figure because, as he explained, they were with more than one recording company and it would have been impossible to collect statistics as to the number of albums pressed.

Randy and I were at a food outlet having satay and dessert when a group of young men and women converged on the place to enjoy a late night supper. As they gathered and sat around us, a young lady noticed the gleaming CDs on our table. She looked at one as said, "I know the Stylers!" Deja vu I screamed to myself. Like Larry Lai's interview!

Randy was surprised. "But you are so young," he remarked. "True," she said, "but my mother is a fan and she has a good collection of your records." An older gentleman and also a member of the group remarked, "Yes, the Stylers are very popular, especially amongst the Chinese educated in the region." And so the conversation went.

The rather large group was getting noisier and some of them joined in my conversation with Randy, so in my enthusiasm for figures Randy mentioned, "I cannot recollect the actual numbers but they are estimated to be in the hundreds."

"Approximately?" I asked but he did not elaborate. "Our own record company alone had completed about 100 albums, not forgetting the others like, Panda Records, Polar Records, Chuan Tat Records, TNA, and others."

The group recorded in sound studios all over Singapore island from the 60s to the 80s. These would include Kinetex and Form in Kallang, Life in Jurong, Quad at Bendeemer Road, Boss in Paya Lebar Road, Digit and Happy Records at King George Avenue. The last studio had since closed. Then there's the famous EMI Studio at McDonald House and Oscar Studio at the Tan Boon Liat Building and later Genting Lane," he added.

The mostly popular songs they recorded also went into the hundreds and as Randy rattled off the titles, I realised there were too many to document. "John (Teo/band leader) is remarkable. He did the music arrangement for every song, but because he is such a gifted musician, he did it with speed and accuracy," said Randy. "The change in group dynamics over the years did not affect us very much because it was a simple matter of working hard and achieving our targets."

The youngsters milling around were very noisy and the weather too warm, so we said our goodbyes and promised to meet again the next time he visited Singapore. Randy, by the way runs a very successful company in Indonesia but it has nothing to do with music.

*Albums recorded and not copies sold (which would have been more.)

Image: Randy Lee Collection

Original article: Andy Lim.

Leggy Fashion Models, Drooling Band Boys

A long time ago in the 60s and 70s, way before Jade Seah and Nadya Hutagalung appeared on our local catwalk, Singapore had its share of beautiful, leggy and sexy fashion models. One of the more popular modelling agencies that had these damsels was Joan Booty's.

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Annual dinner and dance events held by business organisations had top bands, pop artistes, comedians and variety shows to entertain the staff but they were incomplete without these agencies providing models to strut the stage of the hotels, theatres and nightclubs in Singapore. So wherever the get-together was held, these ladies provided the oomph and glamour and the more revealing the girls were, the larger the members in the audience and louder the wolf whistles.

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When I spoke to the 60s band boys about such events and the live music they provided as the models appeared on stage, one comment was, "We try to play the simplest tunes with the simplest chords because we'd rather drool over the girls and their swimming costume changes than think of our guitar chord changes." The statement is meant more as a joke because the bands take their music accompaniment of models on stage seriously, so woe betide those bands that are frivolous or non-professional because they will not get another contract the next time around.

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[Note: Spelling of 'boutique' to 'Bootigue' understandable but why 'gue' and not 'que'? The above advertisement appeared in a souvenir magazine for White And Blue Nite at the Victoria Memorial Hall on Saturday, 28th February, 1970. The dance was to celebrate the 5th Anniversary of the P.I.E.U. Bridgestone Branch and sponsored by Bridgestone Singapore Company (Private) Ltd. Anyone attended this function?]

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The band in attendance was The Stylers and the compere was Larry Lai. Hey LL, you remember this one?

Original article: Andy Lim

Image: Randy Lee Collection.

(B) The Professionals: Stylers' Story Continues

xxxxxxxxxxxxWhen the Stylers began their musical journey they played for home parties around the Geylang and East Coast areas. While the stars were just glimmering for the group at the beginning, they showered their brilliance when The Stylers took second place in the finals of The Shadows Competition at the Sky Cinema at Great World (1962) where they had participated. The Stompers were first and The Trekkers third.

But they didn't care because the publicity they received from the show opened doors for them. So with a resounding, "Let's Go!" and John Teo leading the pack, Randy Lee providing the rhythm, Frankie Abdullah pounding the bass and Osman commanding the drums, they never anticipated, that for the next 15 years or more they would be one of the top instrumental groups in the country in terms of record sales and financial gains.

The team's line-up changed and group dynamics improved when former Flamingos and Checkmates veteran Robert Song (vocalist/percussionist) joined them. Then Douglas Tan (bassist) and Alvin Wong (drummer) joined the S-Team too.

As they turned professionals and record sales soared, their income individually, reached 4 figures a month and as businessman Randy puts it, "It was the 60s and more than the amount we were getting in the administrative services we were working for!"

Randy gave up his post even when he was about to be promoted and his boss encouraged him to quit his position when he heard the amount Randy was earning.

And as their journey continued, their musical experience included stints where they performed with the prestigious Radio Television Singapore (RTS) Orchestra.

The group had worked together with home-screen celebrities like, Winston Filmer (bass), John Lee (tenor sax), Renaldo Lachica (alto sax), Olimpio on trumpet (deceased), David Chen (trombone) and Bonny de Souza (piano) who was not from RTS.

Information/Images: Randy Lee
Original article: Andy Lim

Marie Tang Talks About Talentime, Larry Lai, Stylers, Charlie Lazaroo, The Man From UNCLE

MARIE TALKS ABOUT UNCLE LARRY, UNCLE CHARLIE AND THE MAN FROM UNCLE:
Hi Andy,

Wow! This is really a surprise! The one and only EP I cut was with The Stylers, and I have some very fond memories of the many practice sessions we had during those days for my record, which also contains the song from The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Uncle Solo! Oh my goodness! I was only 15 years old then...

You have a very interesting blog and it will surely bring back many wonderful memories and smiles for many of us who contributed to the music scene during the 60s. Your **posting of my mum... I've just sent it to her through MSN and she too was mesmerised and surprised.

1969 Talentime... Host, Larry Lai - addressed him as Uncle Larry then - best host in Singapore, compared to some of the existing ones. Uncle Charlie (Charles Lazaroo) was such a wonderful and helpful musician.

During those days they had prizes for the top 8 contestants. I was 7th and I think I won myself a watch with changeable straps... ha, ha, ha... the simple life. I also competed in a few more talentime contests organised by Cathay Cinema in conjunction with the movie The Oscar and took first prize with my song, Fireball XL5.

Hey, I got myself an Oscar trophy, which is still in my home. And in the same year I took another first prize for a talentime organised by Boys Town but can't remember the song I sang. My singing talent was definitely my mum's genes but there were other priorities for me and I did not pursue a singing career.

Thank you once again Andy, for bringing back such good old memories.
Cheers,
Marie (Tang): 21st May, 2010.Thank you so much Marie for sharing. Really appreciate!

**Saturday, December 27, 2008:
Ocean Park Hotel Singapore With Wilma Tang

Image:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3093/2543814906_17ac440dc9.jpg

(A) The Stylers - Professional Music Makers 60s

Stylers Story as told by Rann Lee (rhythm guitarist) to Andy:

It was the usual thunderous applause when they appeared at nightclubs, concerts, theatres or dinner and dance events. Whether they were accompanying singers or SE Asian film stars, recording vinyls, playing as an orchestral group with a dozen musicians, or just providing dance music, they were one of the most versatile and reputable bands during the peak of the guitar instrumental mayhem.

From Singapore to peninsular Malaysia, Sabah & Sarawak, Indonesia, Thailand and Hong Kong, The Stylers reigned supreme. Known previously as The Angels, the boys began their journey from the quiet 1960s kampong areas in the East where they each lived, either at Geylang, Katong, Joo Chiat or Tembeling Road.

While participating in a show for the cinema giant Cathay Organisation, they decided for a name change because one of the managers, who saw them on stage, told them that they played with grace and "plenty of style". The name stuck and the familiar band logo (image), that partially resembled a Playboy bunny, became synonymous with a-go go, off beat cha cha, hala hala, rock and ballads. The group became a professional Singapore 60s music icon with a niche in the Chinese pops recording industry.

Image/Information: Randy Lee.
Original article: Andy Lim.
Read: Ronnie See & The Stylers - His Story - Part II

The Stylers Revived: From Rhythmist Randy Lee

IMAGE 1: EARLY 1960s (posted Sunday, January 4th, 2009)

IMAGE 2: 1970

Coincidences can really mystify. When I was taking out a vinyl of The Stylers today and checking my blog for Comments, I saw Randy Lee's note on a Stylers posting (image 1) dated Sunday, January 04, 2009. It read, "Hi Andy, Members of the Stylers from left to right of the image: Randy Lee (rhythm guitarist), Frankie Abdullah (bass), Osman (drums) and John Teo (lead guitarist). Regard Randy. February 24, 2010 12:26pm.

Thanks Randy for writing. And as I blog on this particular post, I have another line-up of The Stylers (image 2) taken from one of their numerous Top Hits EP (1970) featuring, Knock Three Times, Who'll Stop The Rain (vocalist John Teo), Have You Ever Seen The Rain? (vocalist John Teo, Douglas Tan) and 500 Miles (vocalist Robert Song).

So from the left, there's Douglas Tan (bass ), Alvin Wong (drummer), John Teo (lead and anchor man), Robert Song (percussionist) and Rann Lee (rhythm). Depending on the dates of recordings The Stylers, personally, are as versatile as the music they play. And line-ups do change too.

Do you still remember The Stylers? Do write in to comment about their music!

Image: Back sleeve HREP/7005, Hoover Records Trading Company, Singapore.

Original article: Andy Lim Collection.