Aznil's Uncle, Malaysia's Spanish Singer Zainal Cugat Dies At 74
Zainal Cugat, the first Malaysian Spanish singer, passed away at the age of 74 after a long illness on March 15.
Zainal was the first Malaysian to sing the Spanish song Amor written by Gabriel Ruiz back in the 1950s, long before Julio Iglesias sang it.
Born Zainal Abidin Abdul Hamid in Kuala Lumpur, he made Cugat his stage name in honour of the late Spanish violinist Xavier Cugat who visited Malaysia (then Malaya) in 1954.
Zainal was a self-taught vocalist who sang fluently in Bahasa Malaysia, English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French, Japanese and Tagalog.
Zainal first performed in the 1950s as a back-up singer of Radio Television Malaysia (RTM, then Radio Malaya).
In 1954 and 1955, he participated in talent search Teletime, organised
by Rediffusion Radio (now Red FM) at the Chinwoo Stadium, Kuala Lumpur.
He sang Volare (made popular by Dean Martin) and Come Closer To Me (made popular by Nat King Cole) and won first prize both years.
Zainal subsequently formed The Saint which became one of the first pop acts to appear live on television in the 1960s. He sang and played the drums.
Zainal's pop group was among the first to perform on board a decorated float at the first Merdeka (Independence) celebration in 1957.
In an interview with me last year, Zainal said: "We performed keroncong (Latin-influenced Malay pop music) and traditional Malay pop as well as contemporary pop numbers.
I later joined Gema Pesta and Puteh Lima, groups which backed music legends such as Datuk Ahmad Jais, Tan Sri P. Ramlee, Puan Sri Saloma and Fazidah Joned."
He was also part of Ramlee's famous Ben Puteh Orchestra and performed with the legendary violinist Hamzah Dolmat on television.
Zainal, the youngest of four siblings, "fell in love" with Spanish music during his teens.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Zainal performed with veteran pop singer Dahlan Zainuddin's group The Gypsies at Federal Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.
He subsequently formed Latin group The Muchachos which performed in the Crown Princess and Flamingo Hotel in Kuala Lumpur as well as the Regency Hotel in Port Dickson.
He also performed regularly with the Kuala Lumpur City Hall Orchestra.
Zainal was expected to launch his first album last year, but ill health caused its launch to be postponed.
He subsequently suffered a stroke, and did not recover.
One of his last acts was an RTM concert in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, with his nephew, ex-Akademi Fantasia host Aznil Nawawi, and AF singers Aizat Amdan, Nubhan Ahamad and Ebi Yaimal.
Four of Zainal's sons are musicians or recording artistes in their own right.
His fourth son Raizan Zainal Abidin better known as Neves, is the lead singer and lyricist of award-winning rock group Pretty Ugly.
Interestingly, Raizan's stage name is a tribute to his father. Zainal is survived by seven children and "Neves" is "seven" in reverse.
His third son Razlan, better known as Ozone, used to lead the band Natures which was popular in the late 1990s.
Razif, the youngest, is better known as Pretty Ugly's guitarist J. A. while fifth son Shahrizal, who excels in the guitar and Spanish music, used to be part of The Muchachos.
Amylea Azizan, Anith Lim, Fify Ahmad, Ridzuan Sharifuddin, Tomok Ismail, Nine Jaafar and Aweera Noriyissham, in their condolences to Zainal's family, described him as an irreplaceable musical icon of Malaysia.
BAHASA MALAYSIA VERSION
Bapa Saudara Aznil, Penyanyi Sepanyol Zainal Cugat, 74, Meninggal
Zainal Cugat, penyanyi lagu Sepanyol Malaysia yang pertama, meninggal dunia pada usia 74 tahun akibat strok pada Mac 15 yang lalu.
Allahyarham adalah orang Malaysia pertama membawakan lagu Amor yang ditulis oleh Gabriel Ruiz, di tahun 1950an, lama sebelum ia dipopularkan oleh Julio Iglesias.
Allahyarham yang bernama Zainal Abidin Abdul Hamid lahir di Kuala Lumpur dan memakai nama Cugat sempena idolanya Xavier Cugat, pemain biola Sepanyol yang melawat Malaysia pada tahun 1954.
Zainal yang belajar menyanyi sendiri pandai membawakan lagu Bahasa Malaysia, Inggeris, Sepanyol, Itali, Portugis, Perancis, Jepun dan Tagalog.
Zainal mula-mula mennjadi penyanyi latar Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) pada tahun 1950an.
Dalam tahun 1954 dan 1955, beliau memenangi pertandingan Teletime yang dianjurkan oleh Radio Rediffusion (sekarang Red FM) di Stadium Chinwoo, Kuala Lumpur.
Allahyarham membawakan lagu Volare (yang dipopularkan oleh Dean Martin) dan Come Closer To Me (yang dipopularkan oleh Nat King Cole).
Zainal kemudian membentuk kumpulan The Saint yang menjadi band pertama muncul secara langsung di RTM pada tahun 1960an. Allahyarham menyanyi serta bermain gendang.
The Saint adalah kumpulan pertama membuat persembahan atas kereta berhias pada sambutan Hari Kebangsaan (Merdeka) pertama tahun 1957.
Dalam temubual bersama saya tahun lalu, Zainal berkata: "Kami membawakan lagu keroncong, asli dan pop moden.
Saya kemudiannya menjadi ahli Gema Pesta dan Puteh Lima yang menjadi kumpulan sokongan untuk Datuk Ahmad Jais, Tan Sri P. Ramlee, Puan Sri Saloma dan Fazidah Joned."
Allahyarham turut menjadi ahli kumpulan P. Ramlee iaitu Orkestra Ben Puteh dan membuat persembahan bersama raja biola Allahyarham Hamzah Dolmat di RTM.
Anak bongsu empat beradik, Zainal "jatuh cinta" dengan lagu Sepanyol di zaman remajanya.
Dalam tahun 1960an dan 1970an, Allahyarham menyanyi bersama penyanyi veteran Dahlan Zainuddin dan kumpulannya The Gypsies di Federal Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.
Allahyarham kemudian membentuk kumpulan penyanyi lagu Latin (Sepanyol, Portugis dan Itali) The Muchachos yang kerap membuat persembahan di Hotel Crown Princess dan Flamingo Hotel di Kuala Lumpur serta Regency Hotel di Port Dickson.
Allahyarham turut membuat persembahan dengan Orkestra Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur.
Zainal dijangka melancarkan album sulungnya tahun lalu, tetapi acara itu terpaksa ditunda sebab Allahyarham sakit.
Allahyarham kemudian diserang strok dan meninggal dunia bulan lalu.
Acara muzik besar-besaran yang terakhir buat Allahyarham ialah konsert RTM di Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, bersama anak saudaranya, bekas hos Akademi Fantasia Aznil Nawawi, dan penyanyi AF Aizat Amdan, Nubhan Ahamad dan Ebi Yaimal.
Empat daripada anak lelaki Allahyarham ialah artis rakaman dan pemuzik yang dihormati.
Anak lelaki keempatnya Raizan Zainal Abidin atau Neves ialah ketua kumpulan, penyanyi utama dan penulis lagu dalam kumpulan rock pemenang anugerah iaitu Pretty Ugly.
Nama samaran Raizan ialah penghargaan buat ayahnya. Zainal dikurniakan tujuh cahaya mata dan "Neves" adalah "seven" (tujuh) ditulis secara terbalik.
Anak lelaki ketiga Allahyarham, Razlan atau Ozone, adalah bekas ketua kumpulan Natures yang popular di tahun 1990an.
Anak lelaki bongsu Allahyarham iaitu Razif ialah pemain gitar Pretty Ugly yang digelar J. A.
Anak lelaki kelima Allahyarham iaitu Shahrizal pernah menjadi pemain gitar The Muchachos.
Amylea Azizan, Anith Lim, Fify Ahmad, Ridzuan Sharifuddin, Tomok Ismail, Nine Jaafar dan Aweera Noriyissham hari ini mengirim salam takziah buat keluarga Allahyarham dan menyifatkan Allahyarham seorang ikon muzik yang sukar dicari ganti.
Zainal was the first Malaysian to sing the Spanish song Amor written by Gabriel Ruiz back in the 1950s, long before Julio Iglesias sang it.
Born Zainal Abidin Abdul Hamid in Kuala Lumpur, he made Cugat his stage name in honour of the late Spanish violinist Xavier Cugat who visited Malaysia (then Malaya) in 1954.
Zainal was a self-taught vocalist who sang fluently in Bahasa Malaysia, English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French, Japanese and Tagalog.
Zainal first performed in the 1950s as a back-up singer of Radio Television Malaysia (RTM, then Radio Malaya).
In 1954 and 1955, he participated in talent search Teletime, organised
by Rediffusion Radio (now Red FM) at the Chinwoo Stadium, Kuala Lumpur.
He sang Volare (made popular by Dean Martin) and Come Closer To Me (made popular by Nat King Cole) and won first prize both years.
Zainal subsequently formed The Saint which became one of the first pop acts to appear live on television in the 1960s. He sang and played the drums.
Zainal's pop group was among the first to perform on board a decorated float at the first Merdeka (Independence) celebration in 1957.
In an interview with me last year, Zainal said: "We performed keroncong (Latin-influenced Malay pop music) and traditional Malay pop as well as contemporary pop numbers.
I later joined Gema Pesta and Puteh Lima, groups which backed music legends such as Datuk Ahmad Jais, Tan Sri P. Ramlee, Puan Sri Saloma and Fazidah Joned."
He was also part of Ramlee's famous Ben Puteh Orchestra and performed with the legendary violinist Hamzah Dolmat on television.
Zainal, the youngest of four siblings, "fell in love" with Spanish music during his teens.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Zainal performed with veteran pop singer Dahlan Zainuddin's group The Gypsies at Federal Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.
He subsequently formed Latin group The Muchachos which performed in the Crown Princess and Flamingo Hotel in Kuala Lumpur as well as the Regency Hotel in Port Dickson.
He also performed regularly with the Kuala Lumpur City Hall Orchestra.
Zainal was expected to launch his first album last year, but ill health caused its launch to be postponed.
He subsequently suffered a stroke, and did not recover.
One of his last acts was an RTM concert in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, with his nephew, ex-Akademi Fantasia host Aznil Nawawi, and AF singers Aizat Amdan, Nubhan Ahamad and Ebi Yaimal.
Four of Zainal's sons are musicians or recording artistes in their own right.
His fourth son Raizan Zainal Abidin better known as Neves, is the lead singer and lyricist of award-winning rock group Pretty Ugly.
Interestingly, Raizan's stage name is a tribute to his father. Zainal is survived by seven children and "Neves" is "seven" in reverse.
His third son Razlan, better known as Ozone, used to lead the band Natures which was popular in the late 1990s.
Razif, the youngest, is better known as Pretty Ugly's guitarist J. A. while fifth son Shahrizal, who excels in the guitar and Spanish music, used to be part of The Muchachos.
Amylea Azizan, Anith Lim, Fify Ahmad, Ridzuan Sharifuddin, Tomok Ismail, Nine Jaafar and Aweera Noriyissham, in their condolences to Zainal's family, described him as an irreplaceable musical icon of Malaysia.
BAHASA MALAYSIA VERSION
Bapa Saudara Aznil, Penyanyi Sepanyol Zainal Cugat, 74, Meninggal
Zainal Cugat, penyanyi lagu Sepanyol Malaysia yang pertama, meninggal dunia pada usia 74 tahun akibat strok pada Mac 15 yang lalu.
Allahyarham adalah orang Malaysia pertama membawakan lagu Amor yang ditulis oleh Gabriel Ruiz, di tahun 1950an, lama sebelum ia dipopularkan oleh Julio Iglesias.
Allahyarham yang bernama Zainal Abidin Abdul Hamid lahir di Kuala Lumpur dan memakai nama Cugat sempena idolanya Xavier Cugat, pemain biola Sepanyol yang melawat Malaysia pada tahun 1954.
Zainal yang belajar menyanyi sendiri pandai membawakan lagu Bahasa Malaysia, Inggeris, Sepanyol, Itali, Portugis, Perancis, Jepun dan Tagalog.
Zainal mula-mula mennjadi penyanyi latar Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) pada tahun 1950an.
Dalam tahun 1954 dan 1955, beliau memenangi pertandingan Teletime yang dianjurkan oleh Radio Rediffusion (sekarang Red FM) di Stadium Chinwoo, Kuala Lumpur.
Allahyarham membawakan lagu Volare (yang dipopularkan oleh Dean Martin) dan Come Closer To Me (yang dipopularkan oleh Nat King Cole).
Zainal kemudian membentuk kumpulan The Saint yang menjadi band pertama muncul secara langsung di RTM pada tahun 1960an. Allahyarham menyanyi serta bermain gendang.
The Saint adalah kumpulan pertama membuat persembahan atas kereta berhias pada sambutan Hari Kebangsaan (Merdeka) pertama tahun 1957.
Dalam temubual bersama saya tahun lalu, Zainal berkata: "Kami membawakan lagu keroncong, asli dan pop moden.
Saya kemudiannya menjadi ahli Gema Pesta dan Puteh Lima yang menjadi kumpulan sokongan untuk Datuk Ahmad Jais, Tan Sri P. Ramlee, Puan Sri Saloma dan Fazidah Joned."
Allahyarham turut menjadi ahli kumpulan P. Ramlee iaitu Orkestra Ben Puteh dan membuat persembahan bersama raja biola Allahyarham Hamzah Dolmat di RTM.
Anak bongsu empat beradik, Zainal "jatuh cinta" dengan lagu Sepanyol di zaman remajanya.
Dalam tahun 1960an dan 1970an, Allahyarham menyanyi bersama penyanyi veteran Dahlan Zainuddin dan kumpulannya The Gypsies di Federal Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.
Allahyarham kemudian membentuk kumpulan penyanyi lagu Latin (Sepanyol, Portugis dan Itali) The Muchachos yang kerap membuat persembahan di Hotel Crown Princess dan Flamingo Hotel di Kuala Lumpur serta Regency Hotel di Port Dickson.
Allahyarham turut membuat persembahan dengan Orkestra Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur.
Zainal dijangka melancarkan album sulungnya tahun lalu, tetapi acara itu terpaksa ditunda sebab Allahyarham sakit.
Allahyarham kemudian diserang strok dan meninggal dunia bulan lalu.
Acara muzik besar-besaran yang terakhir buat Allahyarham ialah konsert RTM di Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, bersama anak saudaranya, bekas hos Akademi Fantasia Aznil Nawawi, dan penyanyi AF Aizat Amdan, Nubhan Ahamad dan Ebi Yaimal.
Empat daripada anak lelaki Allahyarham ialah artis rakaman dan pemuzik yang dihormati.
Anak lelaki keempatnya Raizan Zainal Abidin atau Neves ialah ketua kumpulan, penyanyi utama dan penulis lagu dalam kumpulan rock pemenang anugerah iaitu Pretty Ugly.
Nama samaran Raizan ialah penghargaan buat ayahnya. Zainal dikurniakan tujuh cahaya mata dan "Neves" adalah "seven" (tujuh) ditulis secara terbalik.
Anak lelaki ketiga Allahyarham, Razlan atau Ozone, adalah bekas ketua kumpulan Natures yang popular di tahun 1990an.
Anak lelaki bongsu Allahyarham iaitu Razif ialah pemain gitar Pretty Ugly yang digelar J. A.
Anak lelaki kelima Allahyarham iaitu Shahrizal pernah menjadi pemain gitar The Muchachos.
Amylea Azizan, Anith Lim, Fify Ahmad, Ridzuan Sharifuddin, Tomok Ismail, Nine Jaafar dan Aweera Noriyissham hari ini mengirim salam takziah buat keluarga Allahyarham dan menyifatkan Allahyarham seorang ikon muzik yang sukar dicari ganti.
posted by cai at 2:59 AM
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