More Grimalt secrets

A month ago in this column, we shared some of Viva Concerts producer Bobby Grimalt’s secrets about the stars he contracted to perform here since starting a colorful career as a musical stage promoter in 1963.

Readers phoned, e-mailed, texted, and sent letters begging for more. Bobby’s revelations were mostly shocking and had never been leaked to media before. He exposed the private side of recording stars like Nat (King) Cole, Little Richard, Shirley Bassey and Matt Monro–often disclosing what went on back stage and in their bedrooms.

DZRJ disc jockey Steve O’Neal–Danny Samonte in real life, Bobby, former impresario Ramon Ramos of Cavalcade International and I recently got together to talk about music and musicians at Hard Rock Café in Makati. Of course, we badgered Bobby to reveal more secrets. Reluctantly, good old Bobby obliged. So here’s part two of his secrets.

Ramon was Bobby’s boss at Cavalcade which brought in the Beatles in 1966. Ramon, 70, is now retired but hardly looks it. In his heydey, Ramon was among the country’s biggest concert promoters. The Beatles fiasco, however, took a toll on his finances and dampened his spirits to import foreign acts.

"The Philippines was once the entertainment capital of Asia,"Ramon said. "No recording artist would perform in Asia without making a stop in Manila. That’s how important we were as a market. Now, we’re being outbidded by other Asian countries. But it’s not hopeless. If we package our shows to suit our markets, we can still become one of the top destinations for touring artists in Asia."

When the Beatles snobbed the First Family during their visit here, Ramon said the government backlash was fierce and he took the brunt of it. Police withdrew from securing the turnstiles for the two Beatles shows at the Rizal Football Stadium and the fan overflow was uncontrollable. The government slapped all sorts of taxes on the Beatles and poor Ramon was left holding the bag.

"I had a fertilizer business at the time and I couldn’t get the permits to move my stock out of the warehouse," said Ramon. "So my fertilizer rotted."

Cavalcade paid $50,000 for the Beatles to perform here. Ramon said with the gates unmanned, he lost his shirt and pants in the two-show, one-day affair.

"The Beatles were supposed to stay in a yacht anchored at Manila Bay," said Ramon. "They had to leave because the yacht was crowded with fans. We asked if Manila Hotel could take them in. At first, management refused but after we assured the Beatles would quietly come in from the back of the hotel by boat, we booked them for a night. We asked girls from Bayside if they wanted to keep the Beatles company and five or six of the best lookers volunteered to do it for free. Eventually, word got around that the Beatles were in the hotel. We heard the Beatles hardly slept that night."

Ramon said the Beatles refused to attend the Malacañang reception because they anticipated a set-up to perform for free. "Their contract stipulated two shows at Rizal, nowhere else," he noted. "On TV the morning of the lunch invitation, they saw a huge stage laid out with microphones and amplifiers at Malacañang. That was when they decided not to go."

Bobby said the Beatles manager Brian Epstein was an out-of-the-closet gay and "disappeared" one night, looking for a Filipino companion at the Luneta.

Bobby said concert agents Vic Lewis and Don Black agreed to send the Beatles to Manila on condition that Cavalcade booked the Dave Clark Five and Herman’s Hermits, two popular British Invasion rock groups. Since the bands flew in within days of each other, Bobby said the Dave Clark Five performed at the Araneta Coliseum and the Hermits, in Cebu, Davao and Bacolod.

Bobby recalled accompanying Peter and Gordon to the home of a prominent socialite and her doctor husband in Makati during a break in the British singing duo’s concert schedule. Peter and Gordon was known for hits like "A World Without Love," "True Love Ways,’ "I Go To Pieces" and "Woman."

You wouldn’t believe it but while the husband watched TV in the den, the socialite consorted with Gordon in a room. Peter was conveniently nowhere in sight. Incidentally, Gordon Waller now lives in the US and was recently indicted for passing bad checks. Peter Asher, whose sister Jane was once Paul McCartney’s girlfriend, is a record producer whose artists include Greek tenor Mario Frangoulis (his duet with Moody Blues vocalist Justin Hayward on "Nights In White Satin" is a classic).

Bobby said Manila socialites hurled themselves at the feet of the British musicians. One of them arranged a Hong Kong weekend with Monro who had an insatiable appetite for sex. Another slept with a Cavalcade concert stage hand for a pass to get close to the Beatles. That rabid Beatles fan is now married to a top government official.

Bobby said he was surprised that so many musicians who performed here in the 1960s were gay. Little Richard and Johnny Mathis were two of them. One of the Everly Brothers was also gay and suffered from a sexually transmitted disease.

Bobby remembered taking singer Andy Williams to a popular massage parlor in Manila. Williams was supposed to choose from among three alluring masseuses. He couldn’t decide so he brought all three to his room.

Monro, a former London bus driver who performed in nine concerts here until his death in 1985, was an inveterate drinker and sex fiend. He drank beer for breakfast, scotch for lunch and brandy for dinner. Bobby said once Monro got so drunk, he didn’t mind sleeping with a Filipino female impersonator, himself an accomplished stage singer. I wonder if he realized whom he slept with the morning after.

For oldies rock enthusiasts, here’s good news. Samonte is bringing in Gary Lewis and Playboys to perform here on Dec. 5 and 6. Lewis was married to a Filipina Jinky Suzara. His father Jerry is the well-loved comedian. Ramon said the Playboys were the last act he imported in 1967. Samonte said the Playboys will perform at the Music Museum and Hard Rock Café.

Samonte said Chad and Jeremy will perform here during Valentine’s Day week, the Searchers in May and Colin Blunstone of the Zombies late next year.

The rock ‘n’ roll revival will relive fond memories of the Baby Boomers and introduce the New Generation to the fun music of the 60s.