15-12-20
Cantonese Opera dominated the music scene of Hong Kong in the 50s. In the 60s, ‘Cantonese film songs’ sung by popular movie stars replaced the trend, but these pieces were usually old-style and insipid. The glorious days of modern Hong Kong Pop took place in the 1970s when some upbeat and contemporary singers made an important portal of entry to the music world. Among them, Sam Hui(許冠傑), more appealing to the young crowd and Roman Tam(羅文), more appealing to the mature group, were the most successful figures.
Roman Tam was born in the Chinese Mainland in 1945 and came to Hong Kong alone to look for a new life in 1962. Being the member of a marginalized group i.e., new immigrants, he was saddened by the harsh reality that when he had a dream of becoming a great singer, he had no means in his arms. He earned his poor living as a tailor, apprentice and messenger. Luckily, he won a singing contest and was offered a job to sing in bars in Tsim Sha Tsui, the nightlife area. Sweet came after sweat. Phase by phase, Roman climbed up to the top of the music world in Hong Kong and received countless awards. He was crowned as the ‘Godfather of Cantopop’. In the 90s, Roman was around 50 years old and that may be the youth of old age but surely the old age of youth. His popularity was on the decline but the passion for singing made him motivated to move forward in life. The sun could not shine again after snows in the second half of his career. His enduring struggles nevertheless inspired many generations of young singers. He had no regret when he died of liver cancer in 2002 at 57. He, for example, cultivated the best talent Joey Yung(容祖兒) who is at present the Pop Queen of Fame in Hong Kong.
I want to know more Roman Tam and asked my friend Eddie Chiu(趙文海) who worked with Roman in the 80s. He produced his records. He was one of the 2 music directors responsible for Roman’s first grand musical in Hong Kong. Eddie played piano and electronic keyboard. He has been a music composer, arranger and producer. He counted among the most gifted composers in those years.
Eddie said, “We all die but not every man really lives. Roman lived his life to the fullest as a super legend. Legends are charming and mysterious. They could do what we could not bear. Legends are embellished with rich stories which create impacts upon the listeners. Roman may be larger-than-life but is important symbolically to the pop cultures of Hong Kong.”
He continued, “I must dare to say Roman was the first singer in the history of Hong Kong to establish 2 things: that singers must act professionally. As a public figure, people may criticize a singer’s style but not his skill, demeanour or personal life.”
I agreed, “For lawyers, our code of conduct also stipulates that we must conduct ourselves properly in private matters and should not bring disrepute upon the profession.”
Eddie finished his soup, “Before Roman’s time, concerts were just about singing. Roman demonstrated to Hong Kong that concerts were an experience and had to be a great one: from the venue, stage, music, special effects, costumes, opening act, classic songs and even the surprise guest. He set the standard and performed at a level that other singers had to follow. He even took a fearless step of taking nude photos to prove stars were different in the 70s.”
Eddie laughed, “On the other hand, he never shared his private life with the public. Roman was secretive and spent most of the time in his home shelter. He would not hang around in the open. He believed that a legend should be concealed and mysterious, like a star that existed only in the galaxy. When he went out and this was mostly only for work, he was always fully dressed up with fantastic make-up and accessories. I did not see him in shorts and T-shirts.”
Eddie was grateful, “Roman was very kind to us. He often said, ‘Together, we can do something wonderful.’ I remembered when he first met me, I was only 19 years old as a music production assistant in a record company. He greeted me with a supportive smile, ‘Eddie. It is my honour to know you. I wonder if you would agree to write some great songs for me. Obliged.’ My God! What a polite and humble superstar he was! He told me that teamwork was to work in a united manner towards our common vision and the individual contributions would help him accomplish the music objectives. He was therefore seldom mad at the team. He never owed us a penny or tried to cut our fees.”
Eddie kept on praising Roman, “A singer who follows other singers will get no further than them. Roman liked to walk alone and lingered up to a place that no one had even been.”
Some did not like Roman and condemned that he was feminine. I would like to quote what the great filmmaker Orson Welles opined: every man who is any kind of artist has a great deal of female in him.
While we, being ordinary, do not want to be a superstar. But, if you have got the quality and a lot of soul; and you do not mind how hard it is and what it takes to be a superstar, be one! Roman Tam dreamt big after he came alone to Hong Kong in pursuit of success as a performer. God gave him what he deserved and we should now give our due respect and appreciation to Roman that he merited in the music history of Hong Kong, for the hundreds of marvellous songs still left with us as Hong Kong’s cultural treasure!
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