Roger Kool
Encyclopedia
Roger Kiew, who goes by his celebrity moniker Roger Kool was a Singaporean
DJ who was well-known uniquely for being the first local blind celebrity. He was also remembered for his signature bells ringing sounds and the catchy Here's Roger Kool! at the start of his radio shows in the 1980s. Born to a poor family in 1954, Kiew became blind
due to eye cancer when he was five years old.
He first joined the cable radio station Rediffusion
and as a result of his unique presentations he grew to become a popular DJ in the 1970s and 1980s, especially with the Burger King
-sponsored radio show Saturday Spin that he hosted from 1984 to 1986.
Despite having millions of fans across Singapore through his syndicate radio shows (one of which was his famous "Dial-A-Joke" programme, it did not stop there; the numbers grew with his start of sponsored radio shows for Coca-Cola
, Kodak, Swensen's, Isetan
, Sembawang Music Centre, Stamford Tires, as well as numerous college, polytechnic, and club appearances. Having met monumental stars such as Cliff Richard, Helen Reddy, Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Toni Braxton, and many more, he gained respect from critics everywhere despite his physical disabilities. He moved to Sri Lanka for a year, accepting a job there, and then continued on to work at NTUC Radio Heart 91.3 during the 1990s.
In 1998 he then started his own CD series, "Better English with Roger Kool", which has helped aid children in primary schools throughout Singapore learn how to speak better English. Alongside with that came a Multiplication CD, a CD aimed towards aiding kids to memorize their multiplication tables with catchy songs.
On July 1999, Roger and his wife Lynette held lunchtime roadshows twice a week at the National University of Singapore
, Temasek Polytechnic
and the Singapore Polytechnic
for the entire month.
Kool died of bone cancer on 31 October 2005 in Vancouver, Canada leaving behind his wife, Lynette Loon, and two sons, Jay and Neil.
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
DJ who was well-known uniquely for being the first local blind celebrity. He was also remembered for his signature bells ringing sounds and the catchy Here's Roger Kool! at the start of his radio shows in the 1980s. Born to a poor family in 1954, Kiew became blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
due to eye cancer when he was five years old.
He first joined the cable radio station Rediffusion
Rediffusion
Rediffusion was a business which distributed radio and TV signals through wired relay networks. The business gave rise to a number of other companies, including Associated-Rediffusion, later known as Rediffusion London, one of the first companies to win a terrestrial ITV franchise in the UK...
and as a result of his unique presentations he grew to become a popular DJ in the 1970s and 1980s, especially with the Burger King
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
-sponsored radio show Saturday Spin that he hosted from 1984 to 1986.
Despite having millions of fans across Singapore through his syndicate radio shows (one of which was his famous "Dial-A-Joke" programme, it did not stop there; the numbers grew with his start of sponsored radio shows for Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
, Kodak, Swensen's, Isetan
Isetan
is a Japanese department store. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Isetan has branches throughout Japan and East Asia, including Bangkok, Jinan, Kaohsiung, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Singapore and Tianjin and formerly in Hong Kong, London and Vienna....
, Sembawang Music Centre, Stamford Tires, as well as numerous college, polytechnic, and club appearances. Having met monumental stars such as Cliff Richard, Helen Reddy, Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Toni Braxton, and many more, he gained respect from critics everywhere despite his physical disabilities. He moved to Sri Lanka for a year, accepting a job there, and then continued on to work at NTUC Radio Heart 91.3 during the 1990s.
In 1998 he then started his own CD series, "Better English with Roger Kool", which has helped aid children in primary schools throughout Singapore learn how to speak better English. Alongside with that came a Multiplication CD, a CD aimed towards aiding kids to memorize their multiplication tables with catchy songs.
On July 1999, Roger and his wife Lynette held lunchtime roadshows twice a week at the National University of Singapore
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
, Temasek Polytechnic
Temasek Polytechnic
Temasek Polytechnic is the third polytechnic to be set up in Singapore. The polytechnic was established on April 6, 1990. With a 30 hectare campus overlooking the scenic Bedok Reservoir in the eastern part of Singapore, TP's campus places particular emphasis on the preservation of the natural...
and the Singapore Polytechnic
Singapore Polytechnic
Singapore Polytechnic , the first polytechnic established in Singapore, was founded in 1954. The former campus was originally located at Prince Edward Road...
for the entire month.
Kool died of bone cancer on 31 October 2005 in Vancouver, Canada leaving behind his wife, Lynette Loon, and two sons, Jay and Neil.
External links
- Coffee with Roger Kool - last known available 'candid recording' of Roger.