Remembering Bryan Aloysius Jeremiah

I was taken back to learn that Bryan Jeremiah passed away on the 11th of this month at the age of 63 in Penang.  For those who are not in the know, Bryan Jeremiah was the guy who sang "Love Knot In My Lariat" during the 1971 Bakat TV show [our own version of American Idol then].  He came out nineth but nonetheless Malaysians, for the first time, had the chance to see how a local 22-year old boy could really yodel into the hearts of the audience and those watching at home.

Born in 1949, Bryan Aloysius Jeremiah won Radio Malaysia's Talentime in 1967 at aged 18 as he astounded Malaysian audiences with his country and western Slim Whitman inspired yodelling. Since then he had participated in numerous talent shows singing and accompanying himself on the guitar. In 1971 he became one of the finalists in Bakat TV, Malaysia and sang, Love Knot In My Lariat a popular Whitman hit. This talent contest attracted the best from the local pop music scene which included the late guitarist Paul Ponnudorai, singer Sudirman Arshad, the Silhouettes, Strange Brew, and Shagul Hamid amongst many others.

Jeremiah had studied at St Xavier’s Institution in Penang, Malaysia and was known not only as a singer on stage but also as a sports enthusiast on the field. As he progressed in the entertainment industry his love for the media led him to be a broadcaster for Radio Malaysia as he honed his singing and yodelling talent.

 According to his daughter *Dawn Jeremiah, "My dad is one of the hardest working people I know, acquiring his life lessons by overcoming various challenges growing up in Penang in the 1960s. He is a talented individual with closets of trophies from everything ranging from football to badminton to ping-pong to bowling to hockey."

The very popular Bakat TV Series in Malaysia.

In an article about Father's Day in 2010 she added that, "The one award that wasn’t derived from sports was for Radio Talentime 1971, in which he secured top placing. He then proceeded to compete as a finalist in the RTM’s Bakat TV 1971 with the song Love Knot in My Lariat." Jeremiah came in ninth.

Apparently his talent was a gift because he stood up from his baby cot when he was two years old to hum and mumble the words to Buttons and Bows, a 1947 Bob Hope song which was playing on the radio. Bryan Jeremiah went on to be recognised as one of the most popular artistes and shared the limelight with a host of other Malaysian entertainers. As a hard-working professional he was a dedicated logistics specialist but he had since passed away in October, 2012 at 63 years young.

Bryan Jeremiah in later years.

RIP Bryan and may God bless your soul.