Datuk Dahlan Zainuddin, 78, passed away at 9.48pm at the Selayang Hospital after suffering a stroke on Saturday.
Deepest condolences to Datin Effa Rizan, his wife and children.
I have known Abang Dahlan since 1977 when I joined New Straits Times and played football for the company team. He was the captain of the team.
We have remained friends since then and know Effa since then too.
It is indeed sad to lose him and have fond memories with him.
Have written on him on several occasions which I have attached below and even organised a tribute night for him three years ago after he had suffered his first stroke.
Rest in peace dear Dahlan and you will always be remembered as a friend, excellent football player, singer, actor and one who has a heart of gold.
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| Tan Sri Ibrahim Kamil (former NST football team manager) presenting a souvenior to Dahlan at the tribute dinner |
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| Tribute dinner organised by NSTP staff three years ago |
Tributes paid to Datuk Dahlan:
ENTERTAINMENT
ICON: Datuk Dahlan Zainuddin
Written in July 2016
By
Tony Mariadass
Dahlan’s heart of gold and voice
EVERGREEN
singer Datuk Dahlan Zainuddin after 40 years of being in the industry is still
contributing to promote other musicians.
The
76-year-old Dahlan has always been known to be down-to-earth artiste who is not
only friendly with his fans, but has always went out of his way to keep the
musicians as a family.
Dahlan
a good footballer, has used the sport to bring the musicians together on
numerous occasions by organising football friendlies with artistes from
neighbouring countries and has worked very closely with musicians associations
like Papita, Seniman and Karyawan for many events.
Dahlan
who continues to perform at functions, is currently helping a veteran group of
buskers, Melody Buskers – where he sings with them once or twice a week at the Nasi Lemak Tanglin at the Tanglin
Community Food court near Lake Gardens.
“These
buskers are an experienced lot, but have resorted to busking because they are
no longer in demand. The guitarist, Hamron Kasim (Ayom) was my band member when
I used the Kilat band 30 years ago,”
said Dahlan who looks much younger than his age.
The
other member of the Melody Buskers are Jalil Zain (bassist), Basharuddin
(vocalist), Amri Ismail (guitar), Amir Ikhwan (cajon) and the rose among the
thorns, vocalist Reny Kamalisa.
“My
presence with them is to endorse the band and that to tell music lovers that we
have good buskers who are experienced.
“But
above all, I miss playing with a full band because most of the time when I
perform these days I am asked to use ‘minus one’ to cut cost in hiring a band.
Thus, singing with Melody Buskers allows me to continue to enjoy the joy of
playing with a band.”
When
asked if he was degrading himself by playing at a food court, Dahlan simply
said:” I did not become a star overnight. I had to go through the mill and
start from the bottom. I will never forget my roots and will always support any
kind of music and played anywhere. Music is supposed to be played anywhere and
without the support of the masses, we will not be popular.
“Besides,
playing at a food court allows me to meet and mingle with my fans freely and
also an opportunity to meet old friends in a relaxed and informal surrounding.”
Dahlan
said many veteran musicians drop by to jam with the band and the venue also
serves as a meeting point for his friends.
Dahlan
paid tribute to Nasi Lemak Tanglin
owner Zainal Abidin Hassan who is also the manager of Melody Buskers who
accommodated the band to play at his stall and has created an atmosphere for
the food court as patrons are entertained as they enjoy their food.
The
band plays from 8am to 12 noon daily unless on nights when they perform at
functions, when they take the next morning off.
Dahlan
still commands a strong following where he has is ardent fans without fail
having their Nasi Lemak and listening
to him croon his evergreen songs.
He
has indeed come a long way since starting to sing as a lounge and pub singer in
the early 70s.
Dahlan,
who is married to fellow singer Effa Rizan – his wife for 40 years – made his
mark after competing in the Bintang RTM and
won the Best Performer Award in 1975.
Effa
sometimes joins Dahlan at the Tanglin Food court and while she sings
occasionally, but in rare occasions one can catch Dahlan doing a duet with his
wife.
“I
rarely do duets with Effa because our voice tones do not match.Even when we do shows, we sing
individually. But on rare occasions by demand of the audience, we may sing one
song,” said Dahlan who has four children – Natasha, Danial, Akasya Iman (passed
away at the age of 12 because of leukemia) and Anthenic Ines.
In
1975 Dahlan also released his debut EP (extended play) album titled ‘Kisah Seorang BIduan’ which was an
instant hit and went on to record two EPs, nine LPs (long Play), five CDs.
Dahlan
also created history by becoming the first local singer who had the opportunity
to hold a concert at the Stadium Negara in 1978 and also performed at the
National Stadium in Singapore.
Dahlan
also had performed at the Malaysian Hall in London in 1976.
Dahlan,
Ipoh born spent his early days in Singapore where he had his primary education at the Telok Kurau English School,
before returning to Kuala Lumpur as a teenager.
The
multi-talented Dahlan also was an actor acting in the movie as his debut album
‘Biduan’ and acted in television dramas too.
Football
was in Dahlan’s blood and was responsible of putting the New Straits Times football team in the limelight as captain and
coach of the team in the late 70s and early 80s, when he was working as a
marketing executive with the newspaper.
The
scribe had the honour of playing under Dahlan when the team competed in the
Petaling Jaya District Business House League, Inter-Press Games in Singapore,
Hong Kong and Thailand.
Dahlan’s
who plays as a forward or midfield, first played for Selangor Indian
Association (SIA) in the Selangor league before turning out for teams like
Starlight Club, Chui Lok, Belia Sinaran and Mara and even when he was older, he
continued to play in the veteran’s team of Ulu Kelang Recreation Club (UKRC).
He
only stopped playing three years ago when he was not well and even laid off from
singing for two years.
But
he returned to singing last year with a performance in the KTM railway event
coach to Hadyai where he performed together with Melody Buskers throughout the
journey from Kuala Lumpur to Hadyai.
“Singing
is in my blood. I cannot stay away from it. Although I may have slowed down a
little and do not perform as many shows, I am happy that my services are still
sought and invited to perform for functions.
“Right
now, I enjoy very much singing with Melody Buskers where there is no
formalities and I can just have a good time.”
Dahlan
may have aged but he still stays relevant and continues to thrill his fans with
his golden voice.
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