Why I love ‘Ate’ Guy

AUNOR. “Unconventional” attributes.

I have been a Nora Aunor fan ever since I heard her sing on a radio program in Dumaguete in the late ’60s. I missed the first part of her song and had no idea who the singer was, so I patiently waited till she finished singing—anxiously hoping that the host would mention her name. Luckily, the host did, adding that she was a “Tawag ng Tanghalan” champion.

I can no longer recall the song she sang, but what struck me then was the clarity of her enunciation, the emotion she put into her singing, and the fullness of her voice, unexpected in one so young.

Yes, I love her natural vibrato, as well, and, for me, her low vocal register remains her best suit when compared to young female singers these days, who think that birit is the only prerequisite for musical stardom.

Because it was a radio show, I had no idea what Nora looked like. We had no TV set then, so it was only much later that I found out, through her guesting stints in Sampaguita Pictures’ movies, that the beautiful voice came from a girl who was small, frail and plain-looking. Those “unconventional” attributes didn’t dampen my admiration for her—on the contrary, they made me love her more, because it was hard to believe that such an exceptional voice could come from her small frame! It must be God’s gift to her.

My first Nora Aunor record was a 45 rpm single,  ‘The Music Played’—I used to play it more than 20 times a day! All the while, I thought it was her original song, until I heard Matt Monro’s version. And, because I was also an aspiring singer, my favorite Nora Aunor song naturally became one of my contest pieces. On good nights, I’d go home 20 to 50 pesos richer, along with other goodies from sponsors.

Advantage

When she became a sought-after film actress, some of her earlier films took advantage of her popularity as a recording artist. Those movies were like promotional tools for her new albums, much like today’s MTVs. She didn’t have to do “serious” acting. She just had to whisper sweet nothings to either Tirso Cruz lll or Manny de Leon, followed by a scene that showed her singing. I must have seen all of her movies for Tower Productions, which made full use of her singing prowess, though she lip-synched from her albums.

Finally, when we got a TV set, my Sunday evenings wouldn’t be complete without watching “Superstar,” her long-running musical/variety show on RPN-9. There was a time when she ventured into jazz-style singing—probably due to her association with a male jazz singer then. Alas, it was a failed experiment—at least, for me. I still prefer her natural singing style.

In her prime, Nora was also  the voice behind a good number of commercials (Coke, Dial, etc.) and political jingles (“Aksyon agad, aksyon agad, Enrile!”).

Ate Guy’s God-given singing voice was no doubt her passport to superstardom, which led to her becoming one of the country’s greatest actresses! That was why it saddened me to learn that she had lost her singing voice after a botched medical procedure.

I have already seen Nora in the flesh a couple of times, but our recent visit to Taal, Batangas,  during a taping of her recent TV5 miniseries, “Sa Ngalan ng Ina,” was the most memorable, because it was my first chance to beso, talk to her and have some pictures taken with her.

Chance

One question that has long been on my mind, which I finally had the chance to ask her, was whether she receives any royalty from the sales of her past recordings, which have been reproduced in CD format. Sadly, she said  she hasn’t received any, so perhaps we can ask OPM or Filscap to help her in this regard?

That meeting must have lasted for only 30 minutes—but, for me, it seemed like a lifetime! I forgot to bring my original re-mastered CD collection of her past recordings for her to autograph, but the pictures taken with her were more than enough to compensate for my mental lapse.

Ate Guy intimated that she’ll undergo an operation in Boston early next year in the hope of getting back her singing voice. My Christmas and New Year’s wish for her is for that operation to be successful, so she can once again share her special gifts with a new generation of music lovers!