The Music plays on....in Bangalore

At the onset, this page is dedicated to all the Musicains of Bangalore, present and past, and those who went before us giving us the joy of a melody from their souls in a true spirit of love for music.The background music is composed by Gussy a musician from Bangalore, dedicated to Bangalore. I also would like to tell all my friends and fellow musicians of a miracle that took place on 30 January 2000. Four musicians (Henry Stevens, Gussy Rikh, Romaine Hayes and Alen Fintzel) from Bangalore put their mites together and gave me a Fender Jazz Bass guitar, and one friend (Joy Chase) visiting India from California brought the guitar down from Delhi. They have dedicated the guitar gift to the late Devil Beats members Ronnie Rikh, Chippy Briggs and Ginger Peck. This really puts me in a spot as I have to really do some playing and get myself an amplifier to match the guitar!!This was all because I had a dream 'I owned a Fender Jazz Bass!!' Miracles and Dreams do happen!! Now I dreaming of a bass amp!! Ha! Ronnie!

CHECK OUT THE SOUL SEEKERS GOSPEL MUSIC FROM BANGALORE!!"

In view of todays tragic loss to the world, I personally along with my family, and the musicians of Bangalore, would like to send our condolences to Paul McCartney (ex - Beatle ) on the loss of his beloved wife Linda McCartney, and to their family. May God be with you through this time of emptiness, but it is always full when you have it in your heart. My home page http://www.oocities.org/Athens/2960/index.html supports the 'Pink Ribbon' for Breast Cancer Awareness.

A music chat on "All That Jazz" ... on one of the Indian Sites was a little confusing ..

Being one of the not too old veterans of the Music scene ... Jazz as I can remember in the days belonged to Big Brass Bands like Fred Hitchcock, Eddie and His Rhythm Stars , Claude Thomas & the Elite Aces (EAces notes ), (as per Alec Alverez, this Band was contracted to the Bowring Institute, and also used to play at different occasions like the Blue & White Ball with Fred Hitchcock's swingophonians, and the A.F.I. Band, courtesy of it's Commandant, Lt. Col. E.D. Davenport, ex-teacher of St. Joseph's E.H. School, as it was then known. Claude's tombstone mentions his leadership of the Elite Aces, and can be found at the Hosur Road R.C. Cemetery, Plot 9 last row. ) ,... and so on ... they played real cool dance music that floors of the Halls of Bowring Institute and Bangalore Club bounced (being wooden floors with springs) ... other maestros were late Dizzy Sal (played with Duke Ellington). the late J.T. Williams (organist of St. Andrew's Church, Choirmaster, Jazz Musical, Bandmaster of a number of Schools, his son Ashley Williams has taken over the mantle. Ashley is Musicmaster at Sophia Girl's School ) ; late Ralph Mitchell, Aubrey Mitchell, David & Tom Fritzgerald are some of the great entertainers. I had a letter from Eric Welsh and he recalls the music scene of the '40's. Will be putting some details a little later. Check out the Richmond Town Park Music Revival Concert, April 30, 2000! Check out the Concerts at the Guru Nayak Bhavan on 1st & 2nd July, 2000 for Richmond Town Park! CLICK for Concert for Dominic Saldhana, "Jazz for a Cause", Sat. 13th May, 2000, at the "Pinch of Jazz", Central Park, Bangalore

Later down the line came the Pop scene of Biddu, Ignatius, Loy Machado.. Biddu did have a group called the Trojans that played at Trinkas in Calcutta.. they took the Beatles styles very down to tights and hair... of course the trail back at Bangalore the home of most of the contemporary musicians. Groups like the Devil Beats (Late Ronnie Rikh, Late Chippy Briggs, Romain Hayes, Allen Fintzel, Late Ginger Peck, Gussy Rikh. Allen named the group, I just contacted him after 34 yrs!!), Ivan Peres remarks 'I was also associated with the Devil beats. I did a few gigs with them when they played at the Bus Club and the Moodys Queen Ball and ITC dances. I played piano accordion which was a sort of substitute for Organ which was way beyond the reach of ordinary beat groups', The Pacesetters, Missing Links, Dinosaurs, Tramp, Axis, Void ( Gussy Rikh orMahajit Rikh - the most famous guitarist of Bangalore, Fiaz Ahmed, Ravi (Ravi Born 15 July 52, met with an accident on 30 July 2003 at Dubai, cremated on 2 Aug 03 at Kalpali, Bangalore) & Sudhir Rao), Konarak ( Gerry D'moss - drums, Ramani Krishnan - bass - now in Germany or Israel and Cookie on guitar. Konorak, an experimental rock group, today a jaz-rock-fusion group that was around in the '70's and made different music. Cookie is a good guitarist who experiments with all types of rythyms, I remember is famous VOX100 Bass amp that they used to move around on a cart like a coffin (understand that this amp has finally been buried!!). , Silencers (from Malaysia, a group of students with their VOX Amps and Fenders!!), Heartbreakers (Paul (drums), David(lead guitar) & Marianne Santiago(vocals) with Jude Gonsalves(bass guitar), all are in Australia), Late Tony Fonseco and the local BS&T's, and so the line goes on... there used to be a lot of sharing of kits as the City did not have enough to go around ... can you imagine that.. there used to be the Simla Beat Competitions, andm jam sessions almost every weekend... so the musicians were full time on the road!! .. of course for 99% of them .. it was a second job or a break from college.. other musicians were Carl Peters (Bass), Prem Naidu (Drums), Podgey (Drums), Bundu (Bass) ...Late Peter Neuman (on Drums, and being Santa at the Catholic Club, and other places).... another great group that used to specialize in 'Stepphenwolf music' was the Dinosaurs who were led by Roy from Malaysia (lead vocals), John Iype (lead guitar), Christie (bass guitar), Derek Sequeira ( Drums) and their manager was Chubby the Blond! later Robert Stacey joined the group on guitar. Another group was the Apaches - Conrad & Glen Domingo (guitars), Lance O'Guedes (guitar; e-mail: lccrafts@globalserve.net ), and their cousin on drums. Lance had his own band in Canada called "Man Alive"! Raymond D'silva of Whitefield remembers Lance playing with Desmond Atkins. I met Babu Khan (M.A. Khan)(Pacesetters, singer and bass guitar) and had a talk with Romaine Hayes's son in Bangalore, one recalled his music days the other listened about his father's ways! Another musician not to forget is Peter Issac, who I understand is with the Chronic Blues Band, and will be performing at the Richmond Town Park!

Some serious musicians moved to Bombay (Mumbai as the City is now called) and reformed like Sky with Xerses & Gussy (Human Bondage & Void / Devil Beats), groups also came down to Bangalore to support the local trade like Atomic Forest, People, etc... that was some of the heavy stuff with Madhukar Chandradas.

What is confusing about the account of the Human Bondage on the referred to data, is that I remember that their singer was Babu (Henry Joseph, who also played steel flute, has a band Out of the Blues in Spain, recently had a concert at Bal Bhavan in Cubbon Park and also at the Tamirind Tree!), Suresh Shottam on Guitar (understand from Dr. Tommy Chandy, that Suresh has his own Music Studio in the States, and writes Music Scores), his brother Ramesh on Drums (now he plays with Embryo in Germany. Ramesh visited Bangalore on 11 Jan 1999 with a Jazz music troupe called 'Madras Special' to perform at Chowdaiah Memorial Hall. Ramesh is presently based in Cilogne, and was commissioned by Westdeutscher Rundfunk - West German Radio to perform in South India and make a 50-minute recording in interaction with Brahaddwani Research Centre in Madras, and the Karnataka College of Percussion in Bangalore. He had returned in the mid-seventies to study the tavil, a traditional temple music drum. Madras Special also features Norbert Scholly on the Guitar, Zoltan Lantos on the Violin, Jorgos Psirakis on Saxophone, and Carl-Ludwig Hubsch on the Tuba. Ramesh looks a lot different when I last saw him, and theres quite a lot of top-turf missing.), Xerses on Bass, Hammie Gabriel jammed in with Keyboards, Radha did join them later, their hangouts in Bangalore were " The Only Place " (What is now Motha Arcade), "3-Aces"(was burnt down years ago?), " High Gates Hotel " (still going strong on Church Street), Bamboo Grove ... these were the Cool Sites!! of those days!!

Before Human Bondage was formed, there was the group called The Spartans* .. Suresh (lead guitar) & Ramesh Shottam (drums) and Adolph (Bass) & Malcom Fernandes (guitar).. this group were brilliant on harmony vocals like Everly Brothers, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.., name the harmony they fell in to the category...after the Bondage was formed, the Fernandes brothers were joined by their younger brother, Kenny Francis and (Dr.)Tommy Chandy and carried on the Spartans for a few more years.. later we find other groups like the HydroCarbons (late Peter Neuman played drums), Missing Links, Beatlets (Babu Joseph, Malcom Fernandes, Aldolf Fernandes, Tommy Chandy, Kenny Francis .. this input I get from Dr. Tommy Chandy), Barbershop Harmony to name a few.... I remember our first gig as Axis .. Vincent Lobo (guitar) Tommy Alexander (drums) Late Loy Machado (guitar) Ronnie Johnson (bass) all on vocals ... we performed with the Spartans at Galaxy Cinema foyer ... Suresh, Ramesh, Madhukar (Atomic Forest) all studied at Loyola Madras, there were some great groups at college... I should know, Suresh was my classmate at Loyola! (*) There is an update on the Spartans expected from Dr. Tommy Chandy, original member!!!
When Woodstock the Movie first came to India in 1970 at Galaxy, it ran full house all shows, and the afternoon show and evening shows had a live rock band performing on the Cinema Hall stage before the movie, and when the crowd was really turned on (one only had to enter the theater and take a breath of air and become high!), they would "sleep" their speakers and amps on the stage and the movie began ... all groups played free and it was real fantastic ... it lasted for about two weeks ...of this.. till they ran out of groups ... that was a real Bangalore experience of Woodstock... now that way back into time .. three of the most outstanding guitarists that influenced Bangalore was Suresh Shottam, "Gussy" Mahajit Rikh ( Devil Beats/ Void/ Sky, now with JNU Delhi (with his wife Angili) in the Music Department and plays at night in one of the top 5-star joints)... later to Bangalore came the more affluent musicians, and electronic music was introduced... that killed talent ... further to add to the musicians woe was the banning if live bands in restaurants in Bangalore.. which was the coupe-de-grace.. guess this change in music all over is changing .. Chicago whose trademark along with Blood Sweat & Tears was a Brass section, today it's a Keyboard section!! Some of the early sponsors to the music scene were the Chandavakars and Hari Nettkalappa ( the present Deccan Herald, Chairman & MD), and a whole gang from Central College. The first few Discos in the '70's came up in Bangalore at Hotel Bangalore International, Shilton's Guest House (demolished opposite Cotton Girl's School), Princes to name a few... apart from all that Rock stuff, there were some noteworthy Choirs that would come together at the Basel Mission program , like Bangalore Musical Association , Cecilian Choir , Glorious, St. Mark's Cathedral Choir, Holy Ghost Church Choir, Bangalore Musical Association , New Life Voices, Praise Singers, Bangalore Music Academy, The Gospel Train, Richmond Town Methodist Choir, Basel Mission Choir, St. John's Church Choir, Bangalore Amateur Choral, ... some of these Choirs have been disbanded, and also share their resources of voices ... as for the Rock Groups .."Millennium" which had "Star TV" and "MTV" fame have lost their Bassist Malcolm who has left for Australia in September.

Special mention needs to be made about the "Fabulous Bartleys" , as they were known and who sang their way through their education. Mr. "Ted" Bernard Bartley, with his wife Maureen and children Carlisle, Lorraine, Marilyn, Sharon, Corrina, Denise and Rodney had been putting up the "Fabulous Bartley Shows" for more than ten years during the late sixties through the seventies. Popularly known as India's Von Trapp Family (Sound of Music), this Anglo-Indian family spread their musical talents in various parts of India. They gave many 3-hour performances of song and dance. Maureen choreographed the entire show, played piano, designed and tailored the various costumes ranging from Broadway gowns, hats, umbrellas, Hawaiian grass skirts, Cowboy outfits, Sailor outfits, etc. All their shows were for charity purposes. The Idea of forming a "Family Group" grew over the years. The children would gather around their mother, Maureen, who used to sit at the piano. They would mark the notes on the keys and Maureen would guide them. All the children learnt to play the piano. Carlisle, Lorraine, Marilyn and Rodney learnt to play the guitar. Ted was the popular humorous compere of the Shows and also supervised the Sound and Lighting ... referred himself as "Producer" of the Fabulous Bartleys. Maureen always refers to the Stage as her first home, for when she was seven years old, her mother gifted her a piano, and it's been in the family always after. All the children have a go at it, but it's been well seasoned over the years with good old foot - stomping - table - thumping - beer - spilling - rock - an' - roll - country - music ( II should know, I was their neighbour when they stayed on King's Street in Bangalore!!- Ron.). At sixteen, Maureen sang for Fred Hitchcock's Band (always considered as one of Asia's leading Bands). She also sang at Clubs and Concerts. Carlisle was also the pianist for Raymond Carr and his Quintet who played at Hotel Ashok. He had done his course as a Clinical Lab Tech and was earlier working at St. Martha's Hospital. Because of his work timings Carlisle had to give up his musical career. Today Carlisle worked in the Gulf and became a Snooker Champion there. He played keyboards and sang in a Band with his wife Judy (Carlisle passed away at Muscat on 5th March 1999, and will be burried in Bangalore on 10th March 1999 at the R.C. Cemetery on Hosur Road). Lorraine played a vital role in the Show with her versatile voice, and also had sung at the Ashok and West End Hotels. The sportswoman of the family was Marilyn . She was the captain of Karnataka State Women's Hockey Team. She was sent to attend special a coaching camp in Patiala in 1978 for the World Cup selections and was selected for the Indian Team. Marilyn still plays competitive women's hockey in District Tournaments in N.S.W., Australia. Sharon had great showmanship. A good dancer, she would always steal the show in their Hawaiian dance number. Corrina followed the tradition set by her mother and sisters when she was at school by becoming the Head Girl of Sacred Hearts Girl's High School. She represented the school in debates, dramatics, singing and hockey. She composed a lot of Ballads. Denise had a lot of early singing, starting when she was three!! She sings with her brother Rodney's Jazz/Funk Band in Sydney. She had done many stage shows in Bangalore. Rodney , the youngest, won several prizes in school competitions. He studied in St., Joseph's Boys' High School, Bangalore. He plays keyboards and sings in his own Band, does a lot of solo gigs and plays with various Jazz Bands in Sydney. He has developed a unique style of his own down the years. Most of the Family are now settled in Australia, perhaps soon the next generation would take up the mantle!! Hats off to Maureen and Ted, a rare breed of dedicated God-fearing parents one could come across. "Goodonyou Mate, Have a Great Dai" to you Ted & Maureen, and all the rest of the Gang Down Under, and also to other Friends from Bangalore, - Ron.
More on the Music Scene ... Dr. Thomas Chandy (son of Mr. Kora Chandy) of Hosmat has a famous collection of musical instruments from around the world, and also plays a few of them very well. We cannot pass by without mentioning the Boys' from our Block ... the Stylus (Peter Faria - Keyboards, Nicholas "Nikki" Furtado - Lead Guitar, Micheal Furtado - Drums, Kenneth "Kenny" Beale - Bass Guitar).

Talking to Barbara Thomas, she pointed out that there was something missing from the music of Bangalore, the Classical Music of Bangalore, the musicians, the concerts, the Exams and so many things about it. This is a Section of Music that needs to be treated with more finesse and by experts in the field - Classical Music .
There is another area of music that today is very effective, that is the Ministry of Music. One of the regular Groups that come to Bangalore to share the Word of God through their music are the Celebrant Singers , who have visited India 17 times and Bangalore 14 times!!.

It dont mean a thing if it aint got that SWING!

Updates from some of the Bangalore Wallas!
From: " Alfie Roberts " Date: Sun, 07 Mar 1999 23:08:40 +0800
Recently I was introduced to your Home Page by a friend of mine. I read with interest the above article and it brought back a lot of memories. I kept in close touch with Eddie D’Silva here in Perth ( Eddie and His Rhythm Stars) until he passed away in 1987. . I studied at Baldwin Boy’s High School along with my brothers Alan, Christopher and Edward.

I feel the need to remind you of a few more musicians/entertainers that did not get a mention in your article.

There was Marie Samson who became a big name in Calcutta - Firpos, Blue Fox and others. She is now known as Marie Wilson and a Jazz icon in Sydney. She represented Australia in India a few years ago at some huge event there. Last year she won the Jazz Entertainer of the Year award.

There was also Ann Burby who married Horace Spring. She sang at all the major clubs and hotels in Bangalore. She came to Perth and made a big name for herself here. Unfortunately for us financial considerations drove her also to Sydney where she is well received.

Conrad deRozario was a very talented musician who virtually played any instrument and was well known in Bangalore for his involvement in many musical shows and he also was a member of the Max Mueller Bhavan Orchestra.

Then there was Basil and Thelma Richardson who sang through various musicals and choirs.

Donald Fernandez - drummer and Louis Armstrong impressionist. Played with Eddie & His Rhythm Stars among others. He died at the Richmond Institute playing drums at a wedding ceremony.

Charlie Monterio manufactured electric guitars but also had a band. I cannot recall the name. Played at various dances and functions.

Clarrie Bushnell was a singer and he wrote some songs that were sold to either Tony Brent, Pat Boone or Englebert. You may get more information in Bangalore.
One must not forget Shyam and the Westwind a great dance band!

The Bonjour Brothers who sang various songs of The Blue Diamonds and others.

Lastly let me not forget to mention myself. I belonged to a duo named Don Briggs and Alf Roberts. We sang songs from The Everley Brothers, The Blue Diamonds, The Brothers Four etc. We sang mainly at the Catholic Club, The Bowring Institute, The B.U.S Club and the Armed Forces Club on M.G. Road. I forget what it was called ( RSI). Don and myself were also part of a foursome named The Four Amigos which consisted of Dave Fitzgerald, Basil Ellis, Don and Myself (Alfie). Basil has a son who has made a name for himself as a crooner in the U.K. Perhaps you could get more information from David Fitzgerald. I do hope this information is of some use to you and I would appreciate your thoughts whenever you have the time to e-mail me a few lines. Bye for now Yours sincerely Alf Roberts . Thanks Alfie, these memories will really be appreciated by all old times who were in Bangalore in the late 50's to the late 60's, and I do regret I forgot some of the good musicians that you mentioned.

From: "Vijendran Sathyaraj " To:
Subject: Bangalore Date: Wed, 08 Sep 1999 13:11:54 +0800
Dear Ronnie:

Thanks you for the wonderful job you have done in preserving the old Bangalore through the web. It really is invaluable, especially for those of us who live outside. I used to play in the Max Mueller Bhavan Orchestra, starting out with the violin and then moving to the viola (playing along with Dr. Dennis Lobo) when Dr. La Fontaine gave up playing. It was interesting to hear about Marcus
through his email. Please provide updates when possible of what is happening there musically. I would very much like to get news of Mrs. Philomena Thumboochetty and feel that her story of musical achievement should be preserved as well. Hope to hear from you!
Warmest regards,
Vijendran
(Anyone can help on the Thumboochetty family music background till date, I remember a Ravi who played guitar and violin, and whose mother also was a violin player, but now no contact - please help Ronnie)

From: "Eric Pereira " To: "Ronnie Johnson"
Subject: The music plays on in Bangalore Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2000 01:13:38 -0000
Dear Ronnie, I chanced upon your home page by accident whilst searching for Tony Brent, and your article entitled "The music plays on...in Bangalore" intrigued me.
It was very informative too, but I was quite shocked to learn of the demise of J.T.Williams. I got to know Tommy and Sarah and their children Dumbo (?Richard ), Ashley,Jenny,and Rachel quite well during my stint at St. Martha's hospital, circa 1966.Can you confirm if I have made the right connection.They used to live in No.6, Curly street, Richmond Town and Tommy used to teach at Baldwin Boys School.Please see the attachment which has some photographs.
I used to do a spot of singing with a group called the Harmonics and we used to practice at the YMCA hostel behind St.Martha's hospital. I have lost touch with members of the group but these photos might jog someone's memory.The leader guitarist was Jacob David and his brother Sonny played bass guitar. I think they lived in Jayanagar at the time.Check this web page.
Eric Pereira's Music Page on Bangalore
You mentioned the "The Simla All India Beat Contest". Well that brought back memories as I was a judge when that contest was held on the 1st.September 1968 at the Rex theatre.
Any feedback will be appreciated. Regards. Eric .

From: "Cannan Parameswaran" To: "Ronnie Johnson" ,
Subject: The Vocal GuitarsDate: Wed, 8 Sep 1999 22:50:24 +0200
Hi Ronnie,
I'm not sure if you'll remember me - "Siddarth". I was one of the group that included Ronnie and Gussy Rikh, Alan Finzel, Romain Hayes, Gilbert and Chippy Briggs.If I'm right you formed (or tried to form) a group called the "Vocal Guitars" Our hangouts used to be Briggs' place on Kasturba(?) Road or David Fitzgerald's behind Baldwin Boys'...Alexandra Street ? I left India in the seventies and am living here in Formello, a small town near Rome since the early eighties. I last met Gussy in Bombay about 20 years ago when we yapped about our days at Baldwins and our pre Devil Beats outfit called the "RRB". I saw Ronny and the kids whenever I came to Bangalore and am still in touch with their mom Mona Rikh. Is Romain in Bangalore? and Alan? I t'd be great if we could meet when I come down to Bangalore in...............December perhaps. Ciao !
Cannan "Siddarth" Parameswaran, via Emilio Bassanelli 16, 00060 Formello (RM), Italia
cannan@tiscalinet.it , cannan@libero.it

From: MWELBY@aol.com To: ronnie.johnson@usa.net
Subject: Max Mueller Bhavan Orchestra Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 08:38:47 EST
Ronnie
I read with interest your page on Bangalore.I am the third child of Colleen Mersh (Aquino). She had five children, 4 boys and a girl. We were all trained in piano playing and did Trinity College of Music exams. I went on to get my Licentiate and then studied at St. John's Medical College. I am now a surgeon in Houston, Texas. After Dr. LaFontaine died I took over as secretary/archivist of the Max Mueller Bhavan Orchestra until I left Bangalore in 1978. Dr. LaFontaine's son Dennis went on to be the Commander in Chief of all the Indian armed forces before he retired. My father Air Commodore John Dunbar Aquino, IAF was his commanding officer at the Air Force Academy. I used to play the bassoon, an excellent instrument that was bought from Germany by the Goethe Institute as we Indians could not possibly afford such an expensive piece. Dr. Alfred Mascarenhas the conductor was my professor of surgery and my mother played the piano. I spent may enjoyable evenings at orchestra practice and gained invaluable experience in playing with a group. During this time I taught theoretical music. My pupils included Naomi Heredia and Vijanti Bhateja, who later went on to become a Professor in Pathology at a local medical school. I attended St. Joseph's Boys High School and was taught among others by Alec 'Alvee' Alvarez and 'Smiler' D'Cruz. I have to say that 'Alvee' was the best teacher I ever had. Luke 'Lugan' D'Souza taught me Geography and I have to admit that I felt the weight of his hand across my face on more than one occasion. The Aquino Boys- Marcus, David and Brian were good swimmers and represented their colleges at the aquatic meets. We used to train together and before the meet would decide which one of us would win which events......hey.. blood is thicker than water. 'Normous Norman Hayde was often part of the competition. David now is a partner in a chartered accounting firm in London and Brian is a physician in Houston, TX. Oldest brother Johnny who was active in the Amateur acting scene BADS is in Perth Australia after training as a chartered accountant and getting his MBA. The brothers still gather from time to time to sail, something we started at Hessaragatta Lake. I apologize for this disjointed letter but hope you find some of this information useful. Thank you again for the trouble you have taken to put it all together. Marcus Michael Aquino, MD, FRCS, FACS (Part of this letter is suited also for the 'People' page on http://www.oocities.org/Athens/2960/people.htm , but if I put it there the music scene would not be complete, I willhowever give a tag from there to this page -Ronnie)

On 3rd March 2000, I had a surprise call from Melbourne, Australia, from Ian Mackenzie, an ex- Germainite and Josephite. He remembered the Fernandez family who are in Melbourne, who were part of a group in Bangalore called the Mojos. I do hope Ian will dig in and get me some old snaps to share. .. ron

Henry Stevens, A Bangalore Musician of the 70's and 80's:
Henry Stevens born 14th April 1960, graduated from St Joseph’s College of Commerce. A Youth leader in St Patricks Church for 7 years and an Altar boy for 9 years. Rep School and College in Soccer and Hockey.
Henry hails from an Anglo Indian family, who’s grandparents roots goes back in the 1800’s. His grandfather the late Mervyn Arthur Pereira was the Oldest British Pensioner In India when he Died and the most Paid. Henry’s father died when he was 7 years. At the age of 7 with two older brothers and a sister living with his maternal Grandparents went on to face life’s challenges.

Henry from 7 has been talented in Singing and Acting. He represented the school in all theatreical performances and singing and was an active singer in the church Choir. At age 12 he was the key in the Kristu Jyoti’s Opera "Challenge on the mountain" an opera that practiced for 6 months. "Hello Dolly" was another of his great performances, and later on he represented his school and College at Inter collegiate festivals at a National level.

Branded as the Junior Jim reeves, with a rich deep voice stole quite a few awards at talent shows in Bangalore. In 1985, he appeared on the Local Television Program, the programme was prepared at Kristu Jyoti Studio, and was backed by the group called Stylus: Kenny Beale (Bass Guitar), Nicky Furtardo (Lead Guitar), Mike Furtardo (Drums), Peter Faria (Keyboard) and Arthur Pais (Backing vocals).

He now lives in Canada after spending 10 years in the Gulf with his wife Fiona and 4 children, Joshua, Rebekah, Amos and Grace.

He’s in the leading field of technology and currently holds a Senior Management position at a National level for a fast growing communications company. He is also the worship leader in the Church he attends in Canada, and has recently composed and written his own songs. Henry also has a flair for writing and is self publishing his book in India, that speaks about his life and the Victory of living in Christ.

Henry's vision is to continue in his musically excellence and go forward in the Worship Ministry and lead people to Christ through the power of Praise and Worship.
Those musicians from Bangalore who know Henry will surely know that he will be successful in his music career, and wish him God's Blessings to fulfill that dream!

Sun, 01 Oct 00 18:16PM IST From:"Eric Welsh"
To: Subject: musicians in Bangalore
G'day Ronnie
Just came across my name on your article about musicians in Bangalore, present & past. Yes, I am on the internet now. Please reply just so that I know u have recd it. Your article was most interesting. I am afraid I only remember the muso's of my time. There were so many. In the 1940s the New Opera used to be the center of activity on Sunday mornings because of the morning dances that were held there. There were 2 bands. One was the late Frankie de Souza from Bombay. A brilliant musician who played piano, clarinet & sax and also composed. The other was the late Harry Rose from Burma who had evacuated to India. He led a band & played violin (hot fiddle) and sang. They took turns. The New Opera used to be packed out with troops & there were numerous fights between the US & UK servicemen. Liquor flowed. The US troops usually brought their own cases of beer. This is where the local girls became very good 'jitterbug' dancers & it was wonderful to see some of these huge American guys doing splits on the floor with their partners. These were the years when there was another restaurant called the 'Winston' on the street that ran down the side of the BRV cinema towards Blackpully. Leo Owen ran a band there & I think they played every night. Also packed out with troops. It had a huge sign in front with Winston Churchill with cigar in hand! Later Willie Saldanha ran a band called the 'Jazztocrats' at the Hua Nan restaurant on Brigade Road. This had Bobby Lay on drums for a while. He was a well known drummer in his day & also went to Rangoon on contract. Another drummer was the late Ronnie Reay. He too had worked up north as well. Another famous trumpeter during those years was Jakie Rosario who played with the AFI band which had Joss Andrews on drums (brother of the 2 sister teachers from St Josephs). Unfortunately my memory fails me at 74. Clifford Forbes was also a famous tenor sax player, so was Mervyn Papi on trumpet. Our trio (Joe David on sax/clarinet.' Dad' Clifford Bance drums & self on piano) played at Funnels ( later became the Deccan Herald). We played at the restaurant downstairs while Fred Hitchcock played upstairs.
So long for now. cheers. Eric Welsh in Perth, Western Australia.

Peace Concert and Freedom Jams at Guruskool, Bangalore

At this time of updating this page, we lost two of Bangalore's good musicians on the 5th March 1999, the great pianist Mother Good Shepherd, of Sacred Heart's Girls' High School, Bangalore who was interred on 6th March at the Convent, and Carlisle Bartley passed away at Muscat on 5th March 1999, and will be buried in Bangalore on 10th March 1999 at the R.C. Cemetery on Hosur Road .... Ron, 9th March, '99.

CARNATIC MUSIC & INDIAN MUSIC

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