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.

夜半歌聲 (1937)

作曲：冼星海
作詞：田漢
主唱：盛家倫

空庭飛著流螢
高臺走著狸生
人兒伴著孤燈
梆兒敲著三更

風淒淒
雨淋淋
花亂落
葉飄零
在這漫漫的黑夜裏
誰同我等待著天明
誰同我等待著天明

我形兒是鬼似的猙獰
心兒是鐵似的堅貞
我只要一息尚存
誓和那封建的魔王抗爭

啊!姑娘
只有你的眼
能看破我的平生
只有你的心
能理解我的衷情

你是天上的月
我是那月邊的寒星
你是山上的樹
我是那樹上的枯藤
你是池中的水
我是那水上的浮萍

不!姑娘
我願意永做墳墓裏的人
埋掉世上的浮名
我願意學那刑余的史臣
盡寫出人間的不平

哦!姑娘啊
天昏昏
地冥冥
用什麼來表我的忿怒
惟有那江濤的奔騰
用什麼來慰你的寂寞
惟有這夜半歌聲
惟有這夜半歌聲