Ismail Haron – Tolong Damaikan (Ilham Pujangga, 1972)
As the leader of the The Vigilantes in late 60s Singapore, Ismail Haron borrowed so heavily from Tom Jones’ song catalog and unique style of performance that he was given the nickname “The Tom Jones of Singapore”. (Actually that was one of the daily-doubles on Jeopardy last night). Izzy wasn’t offended by the moniker, but he insisted that Tom Jones was not his main idol. He said his inspirations were black singers, and he claimed that he was the very first musician in ALL of Singapore to “do a James Brown ditty.” (Only God and Alex Trebek know the truth)
