A Nostalgic Sunday - The Saints

Starting from this weekend, I am not going to talk about politics. They are so depressing to say the least. So to lighten things up, I am going to take you guys, those in their fifties and sixties, down memory lane, especially visiting the works of some of our local musicians who made the headlines in the sixties and seventies. This was an era we will long remember and will never come back again, simply because of these artistes who have endeared themselves to us for many years, long after they ceased recording. One significant point to note is that all recordings were done in English and the fans cut across racial and religious lines. We cannot say that there would be one household without at least one of their albums in their collections.

Let's rock and roll ........

Malayans (then) and later, Malaysians, were truly blessed for they were greatly influenced by pop music from both sides of the Atlantic. Back in the fifties and early sixties, we were brought up on a diet of Elvis Presley, The Ventures, Bobby Vee, Bobby Darin, Richie Valen and The Drifters from the States, while from UK, we had Cliff Richard and The Shadows, Adam Faith and Tommy Steele to keep us entertained. When 1963 came around, suddenly there was a burst of bands emerging from the local scenes and some went on to record their works.

This Sunday, I would like to talk about The Saints. A group born out of Kuala Lumpur who initially got my attention when they performed at "The Young Ones" contest held at the Capitol Theatre in 1961 in conjunction with the film of the same name which starred Cliff Richard and The Shadows. They emerged as the second runner up in the contest and after this event, they were seen regularly performing at the then Radio Malaya live show and concerts at the Merdeka Stadium. They were also a regular feature at the Si Rusa Inn in Port Dickson. When television was later introduced, they were the first of many bands to appear on the "Serbanika" show together with the Sonny Ho dance group.

The first single was "Jo's Monkey" which went on to receive a placing on the local chart for many weeks. On the "B" side, they recorded "I saw Liliane last night".

Here they are, once again, The Saints ....

Since Singapore was part of Malaysia then, artistes across the Causeway will also be featured on alternate weeks, showcasing their works and talents.