Barrister sings the blues

Inside Tommy Chung Hing-rung's bedroom-turned-studio, a faded black-and-white poster of the late delta blues legend Robert Johnson overlooks a dozen guitars, including a vintage 1930 National Steel. In the corner stand several towers of amplifiers, loudspeakers, a 32-track mixer and a 24-track recording panel. It does not take Sherlock Holmes to deduce that 37-year-old Chung is serious about his music. 'Some time ago, a burglar broke in but, thank God, he was not very musical. He didn't steal any of my guitars,' said Chung, a barrister by profession. Chung, who will perform with the seasoned Japanese blues musician Kazuo Takeda and a Japanese backing band tomorrow night, talks about the blues with such vigour that it is hard picturing him sitting at a desk, or in a court. 'Lots of people find my job and my passion for the blues incompatible, but I don't see it that way. A lot of people have their own pursuits after work, some go for fancy cars and yachts. For me when I pick up the guitar and play the blues, that's when I can relax and find myself,' he said. Chung started listening to Jimi Hendrix in primary school, then 'discovered' the blues when the sound of the versatile Fleetwood Mac drew his attention. By the time he started his law education in England, his initial curiosity about the genre had turned into full-blown passion. 'When I was in England, I bought a rock encyclopaedia and found a lot of things were related to the blues. But it's really strange listening to the blues. 'After you have explored all the contemporary musicians, you have to trace back to the time of Robert Johnson and Chicago blues bands. I have been hooked since then,' Chung said. More than a third of his collection of 3,000 CDs are of blues musicians, including Eric Clapton, B B King, Muddy Waters, Johnny Winter, the more contemporary Melvin Taylor and others. The self-taught guitar player, however, did not pick up the instrument until his 20s when his blues passion couldn't be held back. 'I started real late playing the guitar when I was studying in England. My friends kept telling me that it was too late for me to start but I couldn't stand the fact that I didn't know how to play,' he recalled. 'I bought myself a guitar, emulated what I heard from records. There is much more to the feel than to the technique where the blues is concerned. Albert King and B B King could play the same note over again with different feel to it.' But the eloquent guitarist's unyielding passion did not get him much attention locally. In 1989, his All-Blues band made some noise at Rick's Cafe, but after a year and a half members found their business pursuits more appealing than jamming on stage. Chung's break came several years ago when a mutual friend introduced him to the local godfather of rock 'n' roll, Danny Summer. Replacing a friend in a recording session, Chung did two solos for Summer, one being the easy-listening, yet impressive, Today Yesterday. When Summer called him up to share some onstage fun in his Queen Elizabeth concert in January last year, little did Chung realise that he was going to run into the well-respected Takeda. 'After the show, I struck up a conversation with Takeda. I have to say that performing on stage with him was unforgettable enough. Then when I told him my idea of making an album in Sapporo [Japan], he showed interest,' Chung enthused. 'After a few minutes, he offered to be my producer. From that moment on, everything about the album jumped from an amateur thing to a highly professional project. He booked the JVC studio in Tokyo, one of the best in Japan, and used his own backing band for the album.' The end product Play My Blues features fine Japanese production and six of Chung's self-penned tracks. The self-financed album, the production of which cost more than $700,000, showcases Chung's guitar skills and vocals. However when Chung flew back to town with a master copy of his debut, he found problems. He could not find a record label or distributor who would agree to help him market the cut. Eventually Sam Jor, the managing director of local magazine Music Week offered assistance. 'I had to market the CD myself at one time. I had to walk from CD shop to CD shop and finally Sam agreed to help me to do the promotion and marketing,' Chung said. All the major difficulties with the album and the concert have now been resolved, and he will have some major bluesy fun with the five-piece band Takeda brought with him, including the horn player and vocalist Yoko Hashimoto. And the bluesman deserves some credit for promoting the blues with the help of his weekly two-hour radio show. The All Blues Hour (Saturday 7pm-9pm, FM Select) gives him the chance to bring the blues to a wider audience, he said. 'Since I started in November, a lot of people have called in to ask what song I just played or just to say it's good to hear the blues on the radio. It sort of changed their attitude that the blues is all about mumbling and groaning.' The blues salesman will be doing a lot of live marketing next week when he and his Japanese friends turn up the heat at the A C Hall. Tommy Chung and the All-Blues, AC Hall, Baptist University, July 27. Call 2529-1717