My letter to
MediaCorp’s TODAY Newspaper on the above personality is published today, Monday
22nd June 2015.
Having enjoyed the music of The Quests for decades, I was
saddened by the death of its popular guitarist Reggie Verghese, who had to
grapple with ill health over the past few years (“The Quests’ Reggie Verghese
dies, aged 67”; June 18).
He reminded me of Hank Marvin, lead guitarist of The
Shadows. To this day, I can listen to the The Quests over and over, and not get
bored.
I recall the days of black-and-white television, when the
group was on many local shows.
It was a pleasure to watch and listen to Verghese
perform. He was a guitar maestro who, together with his band, took local music
to a high level and influenced other performers to contribute to the music
industry.
To cherish and remember the icon he was, our radio
stations could accord a fitting tribute to Verghese by playing the band’s
music. It would also help if record companies could reproduce and market the
music of The Quests on CD, which many Singaporeans, young and old, would surely
buy. In celebration and support of SG50, seniors could be offered a discount.
Many of our local performers who can no longer secure
contracts because of ageing issues may have difficulty paying for medical
treatments. As part of efforts to recognise these musicians who brought glory
to Singapore’s music scene, I propose that a fund be set up to help them with
such expenses. A person should not be forgotten just because he or she is ill.
RAYMOND ANTHONY
FERNANDO
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