Plug in to this short 1964 playlist of music tracks by some of the many popular local bands in the ’60s:
The Crescendos (pop band)
Naomi and the Boys (pop band)
The Checkmates (guitar band)
The Quests (guitar band)
1960s: The Golden Age of Singapore Music. View
“It all started, he said, with a performance by Cliff Richard and The Shadows in November 1961. “That concert made pop music seem big and glamorous,” [Joseph Pereira] told LOUD. “The people watching wanted to emulate those five sharply-dressed men in suits.” Emulate them they did: Bands in the mould of Cliff Richard and The Shadows mushroomed all over the island. Prominent recording companies, Philips International and EMI, took advantage of this sudden enthusiasm.”
“The scene waned towards the end of the decade, due to what Mr Pereira called “a hardening of attitudes” towards local music. The British military withdrawal from Singapore saw a drop in demand for gigs and performances, and a government ban on tea dances and live music in clubs contributed to the end of this golden era.”
Apache Over Singapore: The Story of Singapore Sixties Music – Vol. (Book written by Pereira Joseph C.)
Synopsis: “The Cliff Richard and the Shadows concert in November 1961 opened the floodgates for Singapore pop music. It and subsequent pop music developments made for a very exciting pop scene in Singapore as there were releases to look forward to every week from EMI, Philips, Decca and other record companies, including local labels. With shows almost nightly and tea dances to welcome the week it was pop heaven. This book examines why it was so. Individual profiles of the bigger acts study their careers in details and trends like rhythm and blues, the blues movement and psychedelia are examined. The attitudes of officialdom to this phenomenon in Singapore as well as other factors like the infrastructure that helped the sixties pop music movement are also discussed.”
This book is available for purchase from our Select Books Catalogue. Browse
Beyond the Tea Dance: The Story of Singapore Sixties Music – Vol. (Book written by Pereira Joseph C.)
Synopsis: “This is the second volume of Joseph Pereira’s comprehensive survey of the Singapore pop music scene in the 1960s. The second half of the sixties saw seismic shifts in the global music scene. In Singapore, newer breed of bands was coming to the fore, many with outlandish names. Tea dances became increasingly popular. Discotheques started sprouting up to cater to a new hip crowd. Pop Yeh Yeh, which had always been active alongside the mainstream pop music scene, came into its own with many releases. Singapore bands were very active playing the British services circuit and in Vietnam. But, as the decade drew to a close, several pivotal events signaled the end of this glorious era for Singapore pop music. Beyond the Tea Dance examines in rich detail all the major bands and singers in this turbulent period.”
This book is available for purchase from our Select Books Catalogue. Browse
Outside of Singapore, 1964 was also the year the world discovered “Beatlemania”.
1964: Beatlemania (The Atlantic, 29 May 2014) View
“John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney and George Harrison set off on a series of tours in 1964, starting in Europe, later visiting the United States, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand. Beatles fans were so excited and determined to see the band that police sometimes resorted to using fire hoses to hold them back. Their first televised concert in the U.S. was on the Ed Sullivan Show, on February 9, 1964. 73 million viewers watched that performance — 34 percent of the American population.”
On July 2, 1964, The Beatles made a stopover in Singapore for all of 55 minutes:
The Beatles arriving in Singapore. (The Straits Times, 1 July 1964) View
“As soon as the plane touches down, a special van will drive up to the aircraft and take the Beatles to the VIP suite at the end of the departures block of the new passenger terminal.”
Hysterical S’pore teenagers in Beatle battle. (The Straits Times, 2 July 1964) View
“THEY BREAK THROUGH AIRPORT GATES AND CLIMB WALLS | Nearly 3,000 Beatle-struck teenagers screamed hysterically at Singapore Airport tonight for Britain’s top pop-singing group, when they flew in for a 55-minute stopover on their way home…”
The Quests beat Beatles to reach top of Hit Parade (The Straits Times, 20 Nov 1964) View
“Making a debut with their disc “Shanty” a composition of their own, they were at the top of the Singapore Hit Parade Chart shortly after its release – beating to second place a Beatles recording.”
By Daniel Teo
Published on 19 September 2014
