‘Papa Rock’ Ramli Sarip back in action

Compiled by ARFA YUNUS and ALLISON LAI

AFTER five decades in the business, veteran rock band Sweet Charity is looking to spread its wings to Sabah and Sarawak, Harian Metro reported.

Its lead vocalist Datuk Ramli Sarip (pic), better known as “Papa Rock,” said the band is planning to hold concerts there.

“We are waiting for the right moment and feel honoured when fans spend their money just to attend our concert.

“Not all bands that hold concerts outside of the city (Kuala Lumpur) can get a huge reception because it all depends on the community’s acceptance of our music,” he said.

For its “Konsert Semalam Di Malaya Lima Dekad Sweet Charity” at Zepp Kuala Lumpur, Ramli said bandmembers had only met the previous week to prepare for the concert due to their different schedules.

Aside from Ramli, other members of the band include drummer Rahman Sarbani as well as keyboardist and second vocalist Ahmad Jaafar.

“Nevertheless, our rehearsals have been fun and we are still on the same wavelength after all these years.

“We are so thankful that the concert has received a lot of encouraging support from fans,” he said.

He said for the KL concert, the band had prepared 25 songs, which were divided into five segments, with each song a build-up to the next.

> The life of housewife Ramlah Md Jalani, 43, changed abruptly after her husband died three months ago following a heart attack, Kosmo! reported.

She is now the sole breadwinner taking care of six children.

She supports them by selling banana fritters while doing other odd jobs since her late husband’s Social Security Organisation (Socso) pension is far from enough to support the family.

“I also provide massage services to women.

“At times, I feel devastated because I don’t get a lot of income selling banana fritters and I don’t get requests for massage services all the time.

“For extra income, I help my neighbours send their children to school,” she told the daily at her home in Sitiawan, Perak.

The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a, it denotes a separate news item.