Malaysia’s Sam Hui:
At 61, roland Tan can still send hearts a-flutter with his impersonation of Sam Hui, the god of songs.
AS A 19-year-old, Roland Tan was crazy about Sam Hui, Hong Kong Cantopop singer, lyricist and film actor. Today, three decades later, Tan is crazier than ever about his idol. “I’m Sam Roland,” he introduces himself. Tan may not have the boyish good looks of Hui, who is three years his senior, but when he steps on stage, he weaves a spell over his audience. And when he strums his acoustic guitar and sings, the crowd goes wild; some even think he is Sam Hui!
Hailed as Malaysia’s Sam Hui, Tan has released three albums to-date.
“I’ve been belting out Hui’s songs for 36 years now. I started performing 15 years ago. Last year, I performed at a series of charity concerts in the Klang Valley, Ipoh, Kuala Krai (Kelantan), Penang and Johor, sponsored by Magnum. I have done seven out of eight concerts to raise RM1.5mil for schools,” said Tan, who has one more concert to go. Tan, 61, performs at parties and company events, and considers himself “a natural singer”. He started playing the guitar at the age of 15. “Once during a school camp in Fraser’s Hill, my schoolmates tied me to a tree. They made me sing the whole night,” Tan reminisced.
The seventh of 11 siblings, Tan who hails from Kampar, moved to Kuala Lumpur in 1977 to find a better life. That same year, Tan atttended a Sam Hui concert for the first time, and was bowled over.
“I was so impressed with his performance that I decided to impersonate him,” said Tan.
Though Tan had tried his hand at various jobs before making his mark as a successful businessman, he is happiest when he is on stage impersonating his idol, Sam Hui.
Age is no deterrent to Tan who displays the energy level of someone half his age, dresses young, and pursues a healthy and active lifestyle.
Lately, he is into acting and reprises the role of a gangster in a new TV drama series titled Undercover, for ntv7.
When we met up recently at Tan’s very own restaurant, Rokaro, off Jalan Barat, Petaling Jaya, Tan looked dapper in boots and sleek black pants.
He played a video of his charity concerts for me to watch over lunch.
“Is that your singing or Sam’s?” I found myself asking, at various junctures. “Sometimes I’m confused who’s singing – me or Sam Hui,” Tan quipped.
As he posed for the photographer, Tan could not help breaking into songs now and then, preferring to serenade me rather than be interviewed.
“Sam’s songs are very funny,” said Tan, as I listened to clips of Sam’s Cantonese songs which had been adapted from hits like A Little Bit Of Soap (The Jarmels), I’d Love You To Want Me (Lobo’s) and Angel (Elvis Presley).
Last year, Tan sang a song with Sam Hui when the latter had a show in Genting Highlands.
“I can’t believe I sang with Sam! Later, he patted me on the back and said, ‘ You sing very well.’ He also told me he was happy to see people like me following in his footsteps.
“The song, Long Chee Sum Sing (A Wanderer’s Heart) is very meaningful and touching. It tells of how good deeds will be rewarded.”
“At a charity show where Roland was one of the artistes, the crowd went wild when he appeared. Every one thought he was the real Sam Hui. Senior citizens rushed forward to shake his hands; some even wanted to touch him,” said Raymond Chiew, 66, a die-hard fan.
“Imagine the elderly ladies asking me whether it was (Sam) Hui Koonkit from Hong Kong. I jokingly told them, ‘Yes,’ and they started pushing and shoving to get near him, so much so that I was pushed to the side! Tan was walking from the back of the hall to the stage, emulating how Sam Hui would make an entrance.
“As a Sam Hui fan, I am mesmerised by Roland’s rendition of Hui’s songs. He truly sounds like Sam Hui!
“If you had your back turned, you would have thought you were listening to Sam Hui at his live concert. Roland is simply remarkable. I try not to miss any of his concerts,” added Chiew.
Sam Roland will be performing at a concert in conjunction with the Mooncake Festival at SJK (C) Chung Kwo in Jln Loke Yew, Kuala Lumpur, on Sept 7. For enquiries, call Susan (03) 7958-8222.