The New Sunday Times - Sunday People (17th Oct 2004)

DOWN MEMORY LANE WITH ALFRED HO
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Perseverance and a love for perennial pop favourites drive Alfred Ho to sing. Although he has had to face more odds and obstacles than the average person, he relishes painting new mental pictures of the songs he sings over and over again.

By anyone's count, Ho is a veteran in the music circuit. He carved a name for himself in the 70's, singing the popular standards as well as his own compositions. He became a star of sorts when he entered Bakat TV, s popular talent contest organised by RTM. He didn't do too badly. He reached the semi-finals, a journey which led to other opportunities on radio and TV. Even today, he gets recognised in the streets.

Everything has changed since then. Contemporary hit songs are heavily saddled with bass beats, rap rhymes and crunching guitar sounds. In that realm of cacophony, Ho believes there's still a strong following for the pop evergreens. His repertoire spans everyone from Ray Charles, Johnny Horton, Elvis Presley to Cliff Richard.

"There are a lot of evergreen songs that I would love to share because they always sound good and bring happy feelings," enthuses Ho. "I enjoy the element of spontaneity because the audience tends to loosen up. By performing song requests, I expect that they will enjoy a slice of golden nostalgia."

After all these years, Ho sounds like someone whose faith in hope and joy is renewed each time he sings. In his heyday, he was often referred to as the "Jose Feliciano of Malaysia," a very flattering nickname considering that Feliciano is a six-time Grammy Award winning singer, guitarist and composer who was born blind.

Ho may not have a Grammy on his mantle shelf but like Feliciano he is blind, caused by a measles attack when he was three. Nothing, however, deterred this strong-willed man from trying to achieve his dream.

One fine day, Ho hopes to perform in Las Vegas. It may sound like an unattainable dream, but nothing seems impossible for Ho who used to attach rubber bands to a biscuit tin and then strummed it like a guitar. With help from a schoolmate, he learned a few basic chords and taught himself to play. By the time he reached adulthood, he had polished up his guitar-playing skills and even composed a few songs.

He did not have any formal musical training or family support but Ho was always confident and wanted a chance to prove himself. His lucky break came when he asked a local radio station for an audition to play music on a show. They asked him to appear on a show called TAKE FIVE alongside some radio personalities, one of whom was Patrick Teoh. With encouragement from friends, he entered Bakat TV and the rest of the story...well, the story has many more chapters to go.

Unfortunately, such opportunities have been few and far between. Ho feels there is a lot of discrimination towards disabled performers based on his many experiences where people have expressed interest in his work only to withdraw when they learned that he is blind. He is also saddened by the lack of support from blind associations and other organisations.

But these are minor setbacks as Ho is an optimist. Today, he brims with enthusiasm for just the chance to share his songs with an audience. All the better if they sing along with him.