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Fabulous Falcons – Part 1
'The Falcons' formed by four young men in 1960 had changed its name and shape twice as members came and went, becoming first 'The Teenage Fentons' and then 'The Drifters'. It was not surprising therefore that those who were still available decided to reform the Falcons in 1964 and continue to fame. In this revitalised Falcons, Christopher Choong, previously on drums, now played the lead guitar and the others, namely Tommy Ong (a classmate) was the bassist, Tony Lee took on the drums and Vincent Ham, the rhythm guitar.
The band went on without Joe Chin (the original lead guitarist in The Falcons, The Teenage Fentons and The Drifters) for some time and recorded an original, a composition of Christopher’s, the Midnight Express under the EAP label. An important addition to the band in technical support was Kai Leong, who succeeded in custom-building amplifiers equal to those branded ones. The band went on several road shows just like every other band back then. This provided them with some income and the exposure made them quite famous. Later, there was a group of guys from Kuala Lumpur who called themselves the Little Falcons and this posed a problem to the band as they feared people would become confused. It was then The Falcons issued a statement in the Straits Times about the authenticity and their right to use the name. However, this issue gradually died without any recourse. It was then that Christopher decided that they were to be called the Fabulous Falcons.
After his Senior Cambridge year in 1964, Joe Chin was invited to join the band as one of its members was asked to leave. Joe immediately accepted the offer to become the lead guitarist and Christopher returned to the drums. In 1965, The Fabulous Falcons toured with Rocky Teoh, the ‘Elvis Presley’ of Malaysia around Malaysia and Singapore alongside leading bands. In mid 1965, the band also recorded four songs on two singles, ‘Mayflower’ and ‘Hotspot’ on one record and ‘Lonely Star’ and ‘Misty Breeze’ on the other. Although the band did not receive any offers from famous recording companies and their albums did not sell quite as well, they were still very proud to be recording artistes at seventeen. In 1965, the band was offered gigs to play live at movie cinemas as was the norm then. The band played with Rocky Teoh and eventually became the supporting band for his recording singles, ‘Crying in the Chapel’ and ‘There’s Always Me’ which provided them instant fame.
The band then received an important offer from Bangkok, Thailand. In the late 1965, they left for Thailand to perform on a three-month contract. The trip was a memorable one and it gave The Falcons an exposure outside their usual domain. The opening night at the Lido Nightclub in Bangkok was a huge success as the band captivated the crowd with their single, The Midnight Express. The performances in Thailand proved successful and they were awarded the title ‘The Shadows of Bangkok’. This was followed by press coverage in Thailand. Their road trip took them to Udorn Thani, the north of Thailand, where they performed and into Vientiane, Laos. There they performed in movie cinemas and received great support. After two weeks, the band returned to Udorn Thani for several performances before they finally headed for Bangkok where they were required to play dining music at the Amarin Hotel. It was at this juncture, Christopher, the drummer fell sick and the band had to do some rearrangement and play without him. Finally, Christopher recovered and rejoined the band.
After their short stint in Thailand, the band returned home to increased popularity and more contracts. They were then asked to perform on weekends at some of the Ipoh hotels which ended after some months. The Falcons did not have a manager all this while so when they were told that Romy Tan, the son of a tycoon was interested, they didn’t waste any time in making him their manager. Romy provided them the financial backing and all the latest equipment then. All this new equipment paid off well as the fans began to like the band even more. On Christmas night 1966, the Fabulous Falcons played at Romy’s house and everyone enjoyed themselves.
Early 1967, the band received its first blow when Romy had to leave Ipoh and ceased to manage the band. Tommy Ong’s father stepped in to assist but the second blow was from Joe Chin’s parents. They were concerned as to their son’s career and eventually managed to secure a government job for Joe in Grik. Joe however was reluctant to leave the band and Ipoh but finally relented in December 1967. After this the Fabulous Falcons disbanded and the rest of the band members formed 'The Brain' in Singapore but disbanded eventually as some of their members moved on in their lives. Unfortunately, Christopher, the drummer of the Fabulous Falcons became a victim of a ‘hit and run’ motor vehicle accident in Fair Park, Ipoh.
The pictures show from top left to right; two posed photographs of the band in front of the Sultan Yussuf Circle Fountain, from left; Joe, Tommy, Thomas and Christopher; next, shows the Falcons during a performance at the Lido Theatre, Ipoh; bottom left, The Falcons at Romy Tan’s house during Christmas 1966.From left : Tommy Ong, Christopher Choong, Thomas Ham and Joe Chin.
To read about The Fabulous Falcons - Part 2 and hear some of their tracks from "Midnight Express", click here.
To read about The Falcons, click here.
To see the Midnight Express album by The Fabulous Falcons, click here.
To see the Lonely Star album by The Fabulous Falcons, click here.
To see the Hot Spot album by The Fabulous Falcons, click here.
To read about The Teenage Fentons, click here.
To read about The Drifters