When P. Ramlee liked my singing
Interview and pictures by Syed Abdullah Syed Mohamed
2009/02/19
Mohd Ismail Sman has two sons and stays in Bandar Baru Uda with his wife.
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| M. Ismail (right) performing with Ahmad Daud, Julie Sudiro and Saloma in the ‘Kalong Senandong Goes Latin’ TV show in the mid 1960s — Picture by Syed Abdullah Syed Mohamed |
MY singing career began when I was a primary four student of Sekolah Melayu Tanglin Besar, Singapore in the late 1940s.
Back then, I used to join my friends to sing Malay and Indonesian folk songs taught by our music teacher.
Born and bred in Singapore some 70 years ago, my vocal talent was really highlighted when I entered Stamford College secondary school in 1953.
As a teenager, my involvement in music became stronger when apart from traditional Indonesian and Malay music, my school mates exposed me to western music, especially rock and roll.
Unfortunately, both my parents were not in favour of me showing off my musical talent.
Coming from a highly religious family background, they instead demonstrated their approval whenever I recite verses from the Koran or serenade nasyid or qasidah (melodies that praise the Almighty or the Prophet Muhammad).
However, when I and my younger brother Selamat became joint champions in a singing competition held at a community centre, their displeasure wore off as we became the talk of the neighbourhood.
Even the older generation talked well about us to them and with it, they felt proud of our achievements.
In 1958, I entered a singing competition known as "Bintang Morisko" (of the keroncong genre) and became champion.
The organisers, Persama (an arts performing society run by Singapore Malay artistes) praised my style and nicknamed me as M. Ismail and urged me to perform on a higher platform.
With this recognition I was selected to sing regularly at Radio Singapura.
This exciting experience of singing live in a good studio, backed up by experienced musicians, enhanced my confidence in singing as a career.
In 1963, I became champion again when I won the Bintang Radio competition organised by Radio Singapore and Malaysia.
I managed to win the hearts of all three judges, one of whom was the late Tan Sri P. Ramlee.
P. Ramlee was satisfied with my performance and he proposed that I be rewarded with an additional prize, the best langgam (folk song) singer.
I did not record any album as my teaching job prohibited me from doing so.
I was a teacher at a secondary school and under ministerial regulations then, government servants were forbidden from receiving royalties from recording companies.
So, I kept on singing in local television shows like Kalong Senandong, Irama Keroncong, Dondang Sayang and many more.
It was from these shows that I had the opportunity to mingle around with popular artistes of that era like the late Saloma, Ahmad Daud, Julie Sudiro, Kartina Dahari and many more.
As professional entertainers, they boasted a huge following among all generations - young and old.
My best singing career years spanned from 1965 to 1970.
For four straight years (1965-69), I took first place in the keroncong, asli, langgam and sariosa category.
Then in 1970, I decided to enter an English singing competition organised by the local media.
Realising that the contestants comprised many non-Malay semi professional singers, I saw the need to practise even harder, especially singing with the right pronunciations and feelings.
My hard work earned me a runner-up position after I blew out One Day Soon a lovely piece popularised by Matt Monroe.
Outside my singing activities, I acted in a local television drama, but not for long as my talent in the vocal field fit me more.
Apart from that, I taught formal music lessons at Serangoon Gardens Technical School (SGTS) in the early 1970s after attending a two-year specialist course in music education.
My experience in conducting choir performance, arranging musical pieces for mini orchestral concert shows and vocal training at SGTS led to my appointment as chief conductor and trainer for the Sriwana musical choir, a popular arts centre patronised by the Singapore government then.
Composing was also one of my favourite activities. In 1982, one of my compositions Cinta Dua Insan was selected as the theme song for a local Malay drama by the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). The organisers awarded me a cash prize of $1,000, a trophy and a certificate of appreciation.
I am grateful to my wife of 45 years, Noraini Ibrahim, a Johor Baru-born who supported my activities through thick and thin.
After staying in Singapore for 30 years, we decided to shift to her hometown where I, too, have many companions and a very good kinship with my in-laws and other family members.
Although I've retired from formal teaching in 1997, I am still involved in part-time and voluntary work like organising musical workshops, arranging songs for choirs and nasyid and also as judge for singing and choir competitions.
Lately, I am also involved in promoting jazz numbers for the JB city council combo's performance at Hutan Bandar, Tasek Utara.
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