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.

不變的心 (1944)

作曲：陳歌辛
作詞：李雋青
主唱：周璇

你是我的靈魂
你是我的生命
我們像鴛鴦般相親
鸞鳳般和鳴

你是我的靈魂
你是我的生命
經過了分離
經過了分離
我們更堅定

你就是遠得像星
你就是小得像螢
我總能得到一點光明
只要有你的蹤影

一切都能改變
變不了是我的心
一切都能改變
變不了是我的情

你是我的靈魂　
也是我的生命

經過了分離
我們更堅定

你就是遠得像星
你就是小得像螢
我總能得到一點光明
只要有你的蹤影

一切都能改變
變不了是我的心
一切都能改變
變不了是我的情

你是我的靈魂　
也是我的生命