The sacrifice soon paid off. The Falcons made their first public appearances at events which the Hawaiian Rhythmics starred, playing whatever they could when the senior Felixes took a break. It was sound education because The Falcons soon become the envy of their peers in school and other youngsters in the budding music industry, and beyond their wildest dreams, eventually became the highest paid and most sought-after band of its time.
The 60s saw the quartet cut its teeth in Malaysian waters and were the first local band to star on television when it was first introduced in 1964, cutting their first records with CBS/Life, thus becoming the first Malaysian act to sign a record deal with a major record label. The Falcons also recorded with EMI and other local private labels. The songs made quite an impression in the country and two songs Nightmare and Baby Barefoot Walk (both originals) – stormed the Music City Hit Parade in 1965, taking the two top positions, with Baby Barefoot Walk getting valuable mentions in foreign music magazines.
Falcons in Flight
It was just the break The Falcons needed in 1969 when they headed (like Bob Hope, they proudly acclaim) to Vietnam to entertain American GIs based there. “It was crazy and frightening, sometimes playing music to ecstatic crowds of soldiers and Vietnamese, then huddling together in underground bunkers with bombs exploding above”, Jerry grimaces at the memory. In the late 60s and early 70s, the Falcons in their various line ups (original: Brian, Jerry, Ventura, Frankie and Ronnie Felix) played at the best nightspots in Malaysia and Singapore, including the Tin Mine, Tomorrow Disco, Shindig, Pink Pussycat and Tropicana. Some of the musician that also performed as a Falcon were Gren, Shah, Carles Fond and Aziz.
It was at The Gypsy Caravan in Penang, where famous pop orchestra leader James Last saw them perform and suggested they consider furthering their career in Germany. In 1978, the Falcons flew to Europe and for the next 10 years made quite a name for themselves. The lineup at this time boasted the talents of Desmond Gomis on keyboards, Andy Peterson on bass, Frankie on guitar, with Jerry Ventura having developed his skills to include horn, woodwind and percussions to the bend’s rhythm section.
Jerrym, by now was known to everyone as ‘The Animal’ for his hard-hitting style. The Malaysian band took Europe by storm and were soon the doyen of the continent, playing gigs in the most popular nightclubs and being sought after to back top international artistes like the Chirelles, opening act fro the Chi-Lites, Coasters, Platters, Sister Sledge and Percy Sledge. But bad paymasters got into the picture, and because of this Jerry left the band after two years in Europe, choosing to freelance and do sessions with other European outfits, playing rock, reggae and commercial pop hits. Among the notable bands that Jerry played with during his solo years was Rockane and Kris. An original number from this period, “Look, Don’t Touch” is featured on this album.
Back to the Nest
After a hectic 10 years in Europe, Jerry returned and reunited with Jerry Ventura to form The Falcons again and performed at Petaling Jaya’s hotspot, Piccadilly, before leaving to form the seminal Made In Malaysia, a truly outstanding R & B outfit that featured Paul,m Allen, Sunny and Daniel. Next came the powerhouse, S.T.O.R.M. (Slight Touch Of Rock Music), a name conjured by Andy Peterson. This hard rocking group featured Andy, Richard, Din “Cikgu” Desi and the unforgettable Connie. Storm brought the house down during their stint at the Hard Rock Café at Bangkok. More recently he was the leader of Chili Padi and now currently lead his own band.
taken from 'http://www.theguitarstore.com.my/index.php?m=endorsee:endorsee=22'
