Personally, I have always admired the famous siblings Brian Wilson, Dennis Wilson and Carl Wilson of the American band The Beach Boys in their performances of songs throughout the 1960s. My similar admiration goes to Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb and Robin Gibb of the British singing trio The Bee Gees for the same reasons. Their involvement in the entertainment industry in their respective countries has shown that siblings could be the best team when it comes to music or even business, provided that they share the same level of responsibilities and remain on the same wavelength in their thoughts and understanding in everything they do.
Back in Singapore in the same decade, there are many pop yeh yeh bands whose members were siblings. However, in this article, I wish to focus on one band of this kind. Uniquely, the members were not only skilful in music and songwriting but could also sing well too. Another positive thing about the band is that it had opened opportunities for singers, mostly from their community (the Boyanese), to carve their respective singing career. The band that I refer to is The Cliffters.
The Cliffters consisted of brothers Alistini Badjury (lead guitarist/vocalist), Rickieno Badjury (bassist/vocalist), Marstino Badjury (drummer) and Kalimuda Lubis (rhythm guitarist). The band was the champion of Singapore’s Rolling Stones Competition held in the republic in 1965.
The Cliffters with the trophy that they won from said contest.
Following their success, the Ngee Fat Gramophone House, a leading local recording company, offered The Cliffters an opportunity to record under its labels – Playboy Records, Ngee Fat Records and Chap Piring – between 1966 and 1967.
For a start, the band accompanied Jasni (1918-1987), a veteran singer, who had been active in studio recording since 1938, with four songs. In addition, a split EP was also recorded by him with the band with two more songs. It was an attempt by Jasni to make a comeback, after a halt in 1959. Jasni had been recording songs for both studio and film soundtrack recording alongside P. Ramlee, R. Azmi and other big names throughout the 1940s and the 1950s, apart from acting in the first Cathay Keris film titled Buloh Perindu in 1953. However, by 1966, he had turned into 40s, an age considered as veteran for the entertainment industry at that time, and it would be very hard for him to compete against other pop yeh yeh singers, who were as young as his daughter, actress Roseyatimah (1943-1987). Perhaps due to this factor, Jasni had decided to call it a day.
Jasni & The Cliffters - Apa-kah Dosa-ku (What Sins I’ve Ever Committed) [1966]*
*to search for audio
Jasni & The Cliffters – Aku Tertawan (I’m Attracted to Someone) [1966]
Jasni & The Cliffters - Aku Tertawan - 1966
Jasni & The Cliffters – Sayang Dek Sayang (My Love…Oh My Love) [1966]
JASNI/ THE CLIFFTERS- SAYANG DEK SAYANG
Jasni & The Cliffters – Gadis Seberang (The Girl from the Other Side of the Border) [1966]
JASNI - Gadis Seberang , Lagu2 Melayu
Jasni & The Cliffters – Amat Salah Sangkot (Amat is Attracted to a Wrong Lady) [1966]
"AMAT SALAH SANGKUT" Jasni dan The Cliffters 1966
Jasni & The Cliffters – Bunga Kesuma (The Kesuma Flower) [1966]
JASNI/ THE CLIFFTERS- BUNGA KESUMA
On the other hand, another budding singer was discovered and partnered with The Cliffters in their next recording work. He was M. Wari. Born Maswari Marwan in Singapore in 1941, Wari began acting in theatres after leaving school in his late teens. Thanks to his acting talent, his handsome looks and his well-built body, he was recruited by Cathay Keris film director M. Amin to act in under the latter’s film direction titled Ayer Mata Duyong (A Mermaid’s Tears) [1964], Panglima Besi (The Steel Warrior) [1964] and Mata Dan Hati (Thee Eyes and The Heart) [1965]. While waiting for more acting offers from the film company, Wari tried his luck in singing. He was deemed fortunate that Ngee Fat offered him a recording contract, with The Cliffters as the accompanying band.
M. Wari & The Cliffters – Ingin Berjumpa (I Want to Meet You) [1966]
m wari & the cliffters _ ingin berjumpa
M. Wari & The Cliffters – Oh Puja’an (Oh My Idol) [1966]
M Wari & The Cliffters Oh Pujaan NFEP 5003 , 1966
M. Wari & The Cliffters – Pada Angin Ku-Pesan (I Sent My Message Through the Wind [1966]
M Wari & The Cliffters - Pada Angin Ku Pesan , NFEP 5011 , 1966
M. Wari & The Cliffters – Hanya Dinda (Only You) [1966]
m wari & the cliffters _ hanya dinda (1966)
M. Wari & The Cliffters – Kechewa (Disappointed) [1966] *
*to search for audio
M. Wari & The Cliffters – Renongan-ku (My Observation) [1966]
M Wari & The Cliffters Renungan Ku NFEP 5011 1966
The recordings by M. Wari were indeed a success. One of the factors was the strategy by Ngee Fat to promote his record by including photos from the film Panglima Besi that he acted in.
Another singer that The Cliffters had accompanied was June Abdullah. Prior to singing, she acted as an extra in some of Malay films produced throughout the decade. The most notable one was in the Shaw Brothers’ Malay Film Production release titled Dahaga (Thirst for Love) [1966], where she became a dancing model in a scene, in which Aziz Jaafar (1935-2005) performed a song called Senyum-mu (Your Smile). With The Cliffters, June Abdullah recorded a split EP in 1966 and a full EP in 1967. Her songs Pengembara (A Traveller) and Oh! Di Mana-kah Bahagia (Oh! Where is the Happiness) in the said split EP had hit the top charts in both Singapore and Malaysia. Besides the original composition, June also recorded the cover versions of current English hits – Sandy Shaw’s Long Live Love and The Coys’ A Lovers’ Concerto – in Malay, both contained in her second EP.
June Abdullah, the only female singer accompanied by The Cliffters
June Abdullah & The Cliffters – Pengembara (A Traveller) [1966]
Jun Abdullah & The Cliffters ~ Pengembara ~
June Abdullah & The Cliffters – Oh! Di Mana-kah Bahagia (Oh! Where is the Happiness) [1966]
Oh Dimanakah Bahagia - Jun Abdulah & The Cliffters
June Abdullah & The Cliffters – Pesta Yang Lalu (The Last Fiesta) [1967]
(223) JUNE ABDULLAH-PESTA YANG LALU - YouTube
June Abdullah & The Cliffters – Aku Rindu (I Miss You) [1967]
June Abdullah & The Cliffters - Aku Rindu - 1967
June Abdullah & The Cliffters – Bisekan Kalbu (Whispers of the Heart) [1967]
June Abdullah & The Cliffters - Bisikan Kalbu - Mac 1967
June Abdullah & The Cliffters – Anis (Anis) [1967]
June Abdullah & The Cliffters - Anis (senikata/susunan: Sharifah Rogayah) - Mac 1967
Besides playing music, brothers Rickieno Badjury and Alistini Badjury were also talented singers. According to Radio Singapura DJ, the late Mohamed Ismail Abdullah a.k.a. M.I.A. (1945-2021), Rickieno, who was a former boxer at his school Methodist Boys’ School, left the sport after being attracted to the guitar performance by a Western band called Les Paul & Mary Ford. Rickieno’s own composition Pengembara, sung by June Abdullah, was a successful hit; so were Renongan-ku, Pada Angin Ku-Pesan and Kechewa that he wrote for M. Wari. Rickieno sang his own composition of Harapan Hampa (A Disappointed Hope), Chium-ku Lagi (Kiss Me Again) and Bisekan Cliffters (The Cliffters’ Whisper), all of which were also top hits at that time. On the other hand, Alistini was more inclined to sing in Boyanese.
Rickieno Badjury & The Cliffters – Harapan Hampa (A Disappointed Hope) [1966]
rickieno badjuri & the cliffters _ hampa (1966)
Rickieno Badjury & The Cliffters – Chium-ku Lagi (Kiss Me Again) [1966]
rickieno badjury & the cliffters _ chium ku lagi (1966)
Rickieno Badjury & The Cliffters – Bisekan Cliffters (The Cliffters’ Whisper) [1966]
Rickieno Badjury - Bisekan Cliffters
Rickieno Badjury & The Cliffters – Penjaga Lembu (The Cows’ Caretaker) [1967] *
*to search for audio
Rickieno Badjury & The Cliffters – Luka-ku (My Wound) [1967] *
*to search for audio
Rickieno Badjury & The Cliffters – Merantau (Travelling) [1967] *
*to search for audio
Rickieno Badjury & The Cliffters – Kechewa (Disappointed) [1967] *
*to search for audio
Alistini Badjury & The Cliffters – Oh Alek (Oh My Girl [1966]
Alistini Badjuri & The Cliffters - Oh Alek - Julai 1966
Alistini Badjury & The Cliffters – Sapa Nyama Na (What is Her Name) [1966]
The Cliffters 04 Alistini Badjury - Sapa Nyama Na
A full EP by Rickieno (with his surname re-spelt as Badjuri) and The Cliffters under the Orchard label in 1967 marked the end of the musical career of the band. Rickieno then cut an EP under Life Record with The Fantastics Indonesia in 1969, before joining Orkes Zindegi as a bassist until 1974. He then pursued his studies in electrical work at an institute in Bandung, Indonesia.
M. Wari then continued his recording work with another band called The Fabian’s Boys, in which his younger brother M. Masnawi (1946-2020) was a drummer cum vocalist. Wari then recorded a few kronchong songs for a compilation LP called Kronchong by Muntiara issued by TNA Records in 1967.
To our surprise, Alistini Badjury (this time he changed his surname’s spelling as Badjuree) also played with The Fabian’s Boys as a guitarist cum vocalist too.
After a short break, June Abdullah recorded songs with Kombo Ahmad Wan Yet for a Radio Malaysia program called Dendang Tebrau (Songs from Tebrau).
Long Live Pop Yeh Yeh!
Warmest regards,
Ghaz, KL
Credits to:
1. Cathay Keris Fim Production, Singapore
2. Shaw Brothers’ Malay Film Production, Singapore
3. Ngee Fat Gramophone House, Singapore
4. The late Mohamed Ismail Abdullah a.k.a. M.I.A. (1945-2021)
5. Radio & Television of Malaysia (RTM)
6. Radio & Television of Singapore (RTS)
7. Rickieno Badjury’s Facebook
8. Yudhie (Sarawak)
9. Nostalgia Hassny
10.Imran Ibrahim (Malacca)
11.Nasri Mohd Kelan
12.Feiruz Shah (Singapore)
13.Ababil123
14.popOk classical
15.Discog
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