The First Singtao Amateur Singing Contest took place in 1960. Among the thirty finalists was Wong Jum-sum, who had adopted the stage name ‘Wong Jim’ for fear of being embarrassed from losing.

The contest was divided into a Mandarin and a Western pop section, with, rather symptomatically, no Cantonese section. More than a thousand people joined. Their choice of songs reflected closely the musical leanings of the time.

Wong Jum-sum was ousted at the final 15, an event he regretted for life. By contrast his good friend Judy Jim comfortably got the grand prize in the Western pop section, by taking a leaf from the Patti Page songbook.

The winner of the Mandarin section was Cheung Hoi-wan. She received classical music training and sang the ever-popular Liang Le-yin composition ‘The Song about Selling Sweets’ with a tantalizing mix of inflections.

Very soon, singers from both sections would take a big stride forward, stepping into a brave new world we call the 1960s.

王昭君 (1959)

作曲：金鋼
作詞：金成
主唱：梁萍

王昭君悶坐雕鞍思憶漢皇
朝朝暮暮暮暮朝朝
黯然神傷
前途茫茫極目空翹望

陽關初唱往事難忘
琵琶一疊回首見身世　
飄零總斷腸憶家庭景況
樁萱恩重隸萼情長
遠別家鄉舊夢前塵
前塵舊夢空惆悵

陽關再唱觸景神傷
琵琶三疊凝眸望野草　
閑嘆驛路長問天涯莽莽
平沙雁落大道霜寒
胡地風光賸水殘山
殘山賸水無心賞
一曲琵琶恨正長