Remembering Great Voices, Malaysian and American

January 12, 2011

by Syed Nazri @www.nst.com.my

THE story of Ted Williams, the man with the golden voice from America, which hit the headlines last week, has truly captured our imagination. How many familiar names can we think of whose claim to fame come from just the sounds of their expressions?

It was so heartwarming to see on the news channels and in the newspapers how this man, down and out, sought to change his fortunes using his most valuable asset — his voice. And succeeding.

The episode provided a welcome respite from the relentless political intrigues and the nothing but overcast skies over the country the whole week. You have to watch it on TV or on Youtube to feel the full effect of the Williams story. And as it resonates, the story brought smiles to our faces and set us to wonder how many people in the world actually can claim to have really good voices.

Williams, whose deep, velvety voice and touching story prompted an outpouring of sympathy and job offers from across the country, has become an overnight sensation.

Left homeless after his life and radio career were ruined by drugs and alcohol, Williams has been offered a job by the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, and the 53-year-old is being pursued by NFL Films and others for possible work. Williams and his compelling tale became an online sensation after The Columbus Dispatch posted a clip of him demonstrating his voiceover skills while begging by the side of the road.

Now, he’s in demand. He’s America’s hottest — and most improbable — star. On Thursday, Williams, who was living in a tent near a highway in Columbus, Ohio, just days earlier, was in New York for an emotional reunion with his 90-year-old mother and to appear on NBC’s Today show — one of many interview requests to come his way.

“I can’t believe what’s going on,” Williams said on Wednesday in a phone interview with The Associated Press. “God gave me a million-dollar voice, and I just hope I can do right by Him.”

The amazing story seems to bring back memories of famous people with gifted voices, some dead, some still living. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of them but here is a very short list — some foreigners, but mainly locals — in quick recall and in no particular order.

Voices from Malaysia

If you talk about “the voice” among Malaysians over the years, two persons immediately come to mind — Bosco d’Cruz and Patrick Teoh.

D’Cruz was a leading figure among a group of very coherent English newsreaders on radio and TV in the 1960s and 1970s, who included Leslie Dawson, John Machado, Faridah Merican and Yahaya Longchik. With his very deep, commanding voice and with stage presence to match, d’Cruz later became a legend in the local theatre scene.

Teoh has come a very long way from his days as an announcer on the Rediffusion private radio station before establishing himself as one of the pioneers in mobile discos. In fact, till today people still associate Teoh with his voice though he is also into the arts and theatre.
Other famous voices include:

• The three tenors — definitely masters of their voices, Plácido Domingo, José Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti. They are opera legends.

• Saloma — the Malaysian nightingale long before Siti Nurhaliza. Struck up a very fine match with husband P. Ramlee and her voice was likened to buluh perindu, a magical bamboo that brings lovers together.

• Ismail Hashim and Rogayah Sulong — Malaysia’s most famous Quran readers from the golden era. Their melodious recitation, coupled with immaculate diction, often left the audience spellbound.

• Casey Casem — the most recognisable voice among the many hosts of popular music chart shows. He stands out above even Ryan Seacrest and Rick Dees.

• Jamal Abdillah — if you talk about gift and voice, this is the person in Malaysia. Probably the greatest male singer the country has ever seen.

• Frank Sinatra — if the Three Tenors represent the voice of the opera singers, then Sinatra leads (even in death) the legion of singers in popular music, particularly in the Swing era. The voice in the disco genre was in Barry White with his unmistakable deep raspy voice that melted the hearts of women. For rock, David Coverdale stands out among the many powerpacked vocalists.

• James Earl Jones — who can forget the unmistakable voice behind Darth Vader?

Other than it being just about plain voice, there’s perhaps another divine message behind the Ted Williams story — about second chances and how we should never let them go to waste. But there are people around us who blow even the only chance they have.

As for the gift of voice, Lee, a dear friend who has been around the social circuit, says that in some karaoke clubs there actually are a number of singers with really good voices. “They make good singers. But only radio singers,” he would laugh.

That, he says, is the real connection. Not everyone comes in one good complete package — good voice, good looks, good personality. Some refuse to accept that they don’t have the voice. But still insist they can sing.

They need to know, as Lee says, that not everyone can be Bob Dylan.

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