I WAS THE MALAYSIAN STEVIE WONDER

The Sunday Times
Sunday, June 05, 2011,
by Tan Choe Choe


Alfred Ho in his heyday. Some avid fans dubbed him the "Stevie Wonder of Malaysia" at one time, although Alfred Ho's instrument of choice is the guitar.

Robbed of his sight at the age of three after an attack of the measles, Perak-born Ho learnt to play the guitar from a schoolmate when he was admitted into St Nicholas School for the Blind in Penang for his primary education.

As he entered adulthood, it was obvious to anyone listening that he had a beautiful voice and could do almost perfect imitations of a range of singers, including Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard, Engelbert Humperdink, and Pat Boone.

Although he secretly harboured hopes of becoming a full-fledged singer, Ho, coming from a practical family, enrolled for vocational training when he was 15 at the Gurney Training Centre for the disabled, where he learnt to be a telephone operator.

He also wrote to Radio Rediffusion -- one of the hottest media channels in those days -- hoping to get an audition to play a few songs on the show. "One of those people who auditioned me was Patrick Teoh. "They gave me a chance and I did a few shows with them," said Ho. Not soon after, television entered the Malaysian entertainment scene. Someone who had heard Ho on Rediffusion recommended that he participate in a show. "I was an amateur, but I felt confident enough to take part because there were people who really liked my music. "I thought I was going to be a guest artiste on some music programme. But what I didn't know was that it was actually a music contest! It was the 1971 Bakat TV, Bintang RTM now." The surprised Ho was also the only blind contestant in the singing competition. Although he didn't win, he managed to make it to the semi-finals.

As Ho took on a job with the Penang City Council as a telephone operator, he also did the rounds in pubs around town, playing his heart out, hoping that his music would be heard and appreciated. He even got to play at an Australian army base in Butterworth. "They really liked me and commented that if I were in Australia, I would have been a big hit," said Ho with a laugh.

It was during those days in the 1970s that he penned some of his own compositions, such as Train to Tennessee and Wendy's Love Song. The former is still remembered by many loyal fans. As his fan base grew, so did his confidence. Finally, he decided to quit his day job and become a full-fledged singer. "A lot of people advised me against it. "But I wanted to realise my dream."

The young Ho even dreamt of entertaining the crowds in Las Vegas. With such aspirations, he got himself a contract to play at a hotel in Terengganu. From there, he went on to play at various places in Malaysia, including in shopping complexes, before finally making Kuala Lumpur his base. In the capital, he was engaged for various private and corporate events. He was being recognised for his impressive renditions of old English songs, as well as for some of P. Ramlee's golden melodies, including Getaran Jiwa and Dengar Ini Cerita. He could also sing Mandarin, Hokkien and Thai songs. As his popularity grew, he even got the chance to join Time Highway Radio for a year as a disc-jockey.

Now at 62, Ho's life is still heavily intertwined with his love for singing and his guitar. "It seems I have always been playing the guitar and singing. "I think I will do this for as long as I can... until something happens and I am unable to sing anymore."

But chasing his dreams did not come without a price. He met a string of event organisers, who either conveniently forgot to pay him, delayed payment, or halved his pay after a performance by giving the excuse that they didn't have enough money. Many thought that he was easy prey because of his handicap. So he and his wife, Rufina, spent a considerable amount of time and effort having to chase after payments. "I don't understand... why do people want to take advantage of a blind person? We were not begging or asking for donations, just payment which had been promised."

Rufina, a clinic nurse, who often accompanied him on his gigs, was also treated badly most of the time. "Other singers had their manager's transportation, lodging and food paid. But in my case, I couldn't even get food for my wife," he lamented with a sigh.

Sometimes, he was asked to sing for very little money in exchange for opportunities "supposedly guaranteed" that he would be able to sell some albums. Ho, with the help of his wife, had managed to produce five albums throughout the years. "However, sometimes, after playing and entertaining the audience, the organiser would conveniently forget that he would help me sell some albums. So, I ended up with nothing much."

These days, the childless couple is still trying to source for opportunities to perform as rising inflation and cost of living has taken a toll on them. But being caught in the whirlwind of the digital age and the rapid growth of the entertainment industry, Ho, with Rufina, have been struggling to get his music across to the masses.

"Those days, playing in shopping complexes was cheap. But the exposure was good and opportunities for gigs were there when people saw how you performed. But now, as shopping complex managers become younger, many do not want to give me a chance because they
haven't heard of me, or my songs."

When he gave a 10-minute live demonstration on his guitar during the photo-shoot for this
article, interested shoppers immediately gathered around to listen and take photos.

Desperately trying to reach out to more listeners, Ho struggles to keep a blog, which he updates with the help of his wife. He has also opened up a Facebook account as well as a YouTube
channel, where he uploads his renditions of some easy-listening old favourites. "Although I'm not very familiar with Facebook I will also upload my videos there," he said.

Truly, this is a man who will continue to do his best, whatever the odds, for the one thing he
loves -- music.

To listen to Alfred Ho's music, go to www.nst.com.my.