Cliff Foenander
Encyclopedia
Cliff Foenander was a Sri Lankan musician (born in Colombo
) who performed in South East Asia and Las Vegas
. Cliff died 21 November 2000.
South Asia's oldest radio station, Radio Ceylon
(now the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation
) gave Cliff his first exposure inside Ceylon and across South Asia, including India. Broadcasters Vernon Corea
, Jimmy Bharucha
and Tim Horshington
played his songs and interviewed him on their radio shows.
Cliff later joined Hong Kong based group 'The Fabulous Echoes.' and they built a fan base in Hong Kong, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Japan. The Fabulous Echoes gained international exposure playing in Las Vegas
in the United States of America, also performing with rat pack
members Frank Sinatra
, Dean Martin
and Sammy Davis Jr, with Ella Fitzgerald
and the great 'Satchmo,' Louis Armstrong
. The Fabulous Echoes performed on the Ed Sullivan Show after Ed saw them in action in the Thunderbird Lounge.
Cliff Foenander continued his music career after The Fabulous Echoes. He settled in Melbourne, Australia. Foenander died in Australia on the 21 November 2000.
, who was a founder member of the Seekers
and the New Seekers.
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
) who performed in South East Asia and Las Vegas
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
. Cliff died 21 November 2000.
Career
Cliff grew up in Colombo, and in the 1950s he started performing in clubs and dances around Ceylon.South Asia's oldest radio station, Radio Ceylon
Radio Ceylon
Radio Ceylon is the oldest radio station in Asia. Broadcasting was started on an experimental basis in Ceylon by the Telegraph Department in 1923, just three years after the inauguration of broadcasting in Europe.- Edward Harper :...
(now the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation
Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation
The Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation came into existence on January 5, 1967 when Radio Ceylon became a public corporation. Dudley Senanayake who was the Prime Minister of Ceylon in 1967 ceremonially opened the newly established Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation along with Minister Ranasinghe...
) gave Cliff his first exposure inside Ceylon and across South Asia, including India. Broadcasters Vernon Corea
Vernon Corea
Vernon Corea was a pioneer radio broadcaster with 45 years of public service broadcasting both in Sri Lanka and the UK. He joined Radio Ceylon, South Asia's oldest radio station, in 1956 and later the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation...
, Jimmy Bharucha
Jimmy Bharucha
Jimmy Bharucha, called a 'colossus in Sri Lanka's broadcasting world' died in Colombo in June 2005.Bharucha who was educated at St.Peter's College,Colombo, had a career in broadcasting spanning 46 years...
and Tim Horshington
Tim Horshington
Timothy Navaratnam Horshington was a pioneering broadcaster of Radio Ceylon, the oldest radio station in South Asia. Horshington was one of the earliest Tamil announcers to be appointed to the panel of announcers in the 1950s by Livy Wijemanne and...
played his songs and interviewed him on their radio shows.
Cliff later joined Hong Kong based group 'The Fabulous Echoes.' and they built a fan base in Hong Kong, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Japan. The Fabulous Echoes gained international exposure playing in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
in the United States of America, also performing with rat pack
Rat Pack
The Rat Pack was a group of actors originally centered on Humphrey Bogart. In the mid-1960s it was the name used by the press and the general public to refer to a later variation of the group, after Bogart's death, that called itself "the summit" or "the clan," featuring Frank Sinatra, Dean...
members Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
and Sammy Davis Jr, with Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
and the great 'Satchmo,' Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
. The Fabulous Echoes performed on the Ed Sullivan Show after Ed saw them in action in the Thunderbird Lounge.
Cliff Foenander continued his music career after The Fabulous Echoes. He settled in Melbourne, Australia. Foenander died in Australia on the 21 November 2000.
Family
Cliff's nephew, Robin Foenander performs in Australia and has released several CDs and a country music song 'Further Down The Road' with the folk music artist Keith PotgerKeith Potger
Keith Potger is one of the founding members of the Australian pop-folk group The Seekers. He was born in Ceylon and is of Burgher descent. In the Seekers, he played twelve string guitar and banjo, and sang...
, who was a founder member of the Seekers
Seekers
The Seekers, or Legatine-Arians as they were sometimes known, were a Protestant dissenting group that emerged around the 1620s, probably inspired by the preaching of three brothers – Walter, Thomas, and Bartholomew Legate. Arguably, they are best thought of as forerunners of the Quakers, with whom...
and the New Seekers.
See also
- Sri Lanka Broadcasting CorporationSri Lanka Broadcasting CorporationThe Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation came into existence on January 5, 1967 when Radio Ceylon became a public corporation. Dudley Senanayake who was the Prime Minister of Ceylon in 1967 ceremonially opened the newly established Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation along with Minister Ranasinghe...
- Radio CeylonRadio CeylonRadio Ceylon is the oldest radio station in Asia. Broadcasting was started on an experimental basis in Ceylon by the Telegraph Department in 1923, just three years after the inauguration of broadcasting in Europe.- Edward Harper :...
- Vernon CoreaVernon CoreaVernon Corea was a pioneer radio broadcaster with 45 years of public service broadcasting both in Sri Lanka and the UK. He joined Radio Ceylon, South Asia's oldest radio station, in 1956 and later the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation...
- List of Sri Lankan musicians