R.I.P, Sudirman

Fans of Sudirman are invited to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his passing at:
Venue: Restoran Puteri in Taman Tun
Time :3:00pm
Date : Saturday 25th Feb

Datanglah ramai ramai. Terima Kasih :-)



A journalist friend from the Star asked Sudirman's Manager Dani'el Dharanee Kannan a couple of questions for their upcoming tribute. I asked Dani'el's permission to share his answers with Spanking readers, as I too am a Sudir and P Ramlee fan. 

You can catch another tribute on tv9 on Saturday 25th Feb at 8:00pm on Apa Saja FBI.

Here are Dan's answers, quoted verbatim: 

I am well, thank you, and also thank you for the opportunity to contribute towards your tribute to commemorate Sudirman's 20th death anniversary. It is my honor and pleasure to share my memories with your esteemed readers. Please forgive me if my answers are long winded, this is a subject that is close to my heart.

1.   What does Sudirman represent in today’s generation of manufactured, fast-food artistes and the "discard-after-use" culture?

Sudirman Arshad was the Number 1 Asian Singer from Malaysia. He was affectionately known as the “Singing Lawyer”, "People's Singer" and also called the "Elvis of Malaysia".

Possessing a clear piercing tenor with a surprising breadth of range and dynamic control especially at the extreme high end, Sudirman's voice was instantly recognizable. His ability to act through his voice is evident from songs such as "Bercanda di Pasiran Pantai", a Latin-flavored duet with Anita Sarawak which displayed the sultry quality of his voice.

While most local singers at that time would resort to pop songs, trust the late Sudirman to do the unprecedented and pick a Broadway song like Cabaret to make his mark, and what a scintillating statement it was. He was the most outstanding Malaysian artist, an international mega-star until sadly, his early demise.

Sudirman was a great Malaysian with a love and respect for multicultural mores, practices and tastes. He would make the effort to sing Chinese, Indian and other ethnic songs, and did them well too. And his performances were always uniquely choreographed. He was even known to have sketched the portrait of a fan while singing. He was not just a singer but an all round entertainer, a quality sadly lacking in today’s young talents.

2.   What did he bring to the entertainment industry that truly drew him apart from the rest?

The year 1989 marked a momentous occasion for Sudirman when he bagged the first and only Best Asian Singer Award at the Royal Albert Hall, London.

Sudirman was also the first Malaysian singer to perform at The Paddock at the Hilton of Kuala Lumpur in 1983 and was the singing ambassador for companies such as Proton, Malaysia Airlines and Honda Cup.

In 1986, Sudirman performed a concert in front of 68,000 people along one of Kuala Lumpur's busiest areas in Chow Kit. The Star wrote that "Kuala Lumpur came to a standstill and it had nothing to do with the recession, but with one man, Malaysia's top entertainer, an electrifying performance and most memorable night".

Sudirman always worked hard to take note of his fans expectations and exceed them. 

Unfortunately that didn’t put him in the good book of the bigots.

There was an incident when Sudirman and his (at that time) best singing/performing sidekick Noor Kumalasari were dressed up in traditional Chinese costumes for a performance, but they were harassed by the ultras into not appearing in Chinese traditional wear. Noor was reduced to tears by the brutality of the harassment.

There was another encounter with Muslim fundamentalists at UKM. Aparently the student unions and academic staff, including the then dean of the Islamic faculty, were all against his performing at the Uni. Anonymous threats were made that if he dared to show up for the concert, he would have acid thrown in his face.

The story goes that Ybhg Tun Dr Mahathir, then PM, stepped in to ensure Sudirman performed, because of the bigger picture at stake for Malaysia. Dr M didn’t want the fundamentalists to derail Malaysia’s modernization programs in any way.

3.    How has his legacy endured through the years? Is he as apparent as he should be in the eyes of the Malaysian public today?

Sudirman died of pneumonia on February 22, 1992, in Kuala Lumpur. His last album was "Salam Terakhir". Even today, his songs are popularly played especially during National Day and Aidil Fitri. Two decades after Sudirman's death, his hit songs, such as "31 Ogos, 1957" and "Balik Kampung" are still popular with the masses. How many of today’s artistes will be able to top this achievement?

If he was alive today, he would be 58. Sadly, he died aged just 37. HRH the Sultan of Pahang honoured this son of Pahang posthumously with a Datukship.

4.   Would someone like Sudirman thrive (survive?) in today’s entertainment industry? How? Why?

Sudirman would not only thrive, he would be on top of his game in today’s entertainment scene. He had this unique quality of being multi-talented. His comedy sketches with Yusni Jaafar were genuinely funny.

Sudirman wrote his autobiography Dari Dalam Sudir in addition to penning cartoons and weekly columns for magazines and local newspapers such as Karangkraf publications. One of his books for children was recognized as the best by Mobil-Mabopa, a Mobil Oil book writing competition.

He was also a journalist and columnist, who wrote on various serious issues. Among those he interviewed included the late Tun Ghaffar Baba.

Besides singing and writing, Sudirman also acted in a film called Kami, released in 1982. This film also spawned a track, "Pelangi Petang", which has been heralded as an iconic song by Malaysia's music industry.

Sudirman also successfully hosted Malaysia's TV gameshow "Keluarga Bahagia Singer", sonsored by SINGER Corporation.

Sudirman was also well known for his charity work where he helped invite veteran artists to his shows for generous donations. Charity for mosques and people in need was something he would do willingly. During his life, he had also adopted and brought up an Indian boy from a poor family and he would actively seek charity work through PAPITA.

Sudirman also became Malaysia's first ever successful singer entrepreneur promoting Malaysia's most famous carbonated drink “Sudi” with business magazines and TV programs from Australia to Hong Kong Within six months, Sudi broke five per cent of the carbonated drink market. Later, Sudirman opened a franchise called Sudi Shoppe apparel and a Sudi restaurant.

He was Malaysia's first singer to be on the cover of Malaysian Business and Asian Business magazine. He had an office atop the UBN Shangrila Tower and also in Sri Hartamas. He also served as Vice President of the Singers, Musicians and Composers Association of Malaysia (PAPITA).

Warm regards

Dani’el Dharanee Dharan Kannan