Ismail Haron or his full name, Ismail bin Harun, was born in Singapore in 1947. He was a policeman and a part-time amateur boxer before he switched into singing career.
In 1967, he teamed up with a band called The Vigilantes to record their first EP with Panda Records for the songs "Ini-lah Tangisan Hati", "Impian Suchi", "Gadis Peladang" and "Mengusek Mambang". Later on in the same year, he proceeded further with another EP with the band, under the Eagle label, with a series of Malay songs adapted from English hits, namely "Senyuman Terakhir" ("Green Green Grass Of Home"), "Pulang Pada-Ku", "Mari Sayang" ("Hang On Sloopy") and "Mari Menari" ("La Bamba"). His 1968 album with The Vigilantes called "Jangan Marah Lili" contained the hit "Enam Belas Lilin" ("Sixteen Candles"), which remained in the Malaysian charts for 15 consecutive weeks.
Ismail was actually the second vocalist for The Vigilantes. The first vocalist for this band was a Singaporean Peranakan singer, Solo Chu, with his only album containing songs "Kau Tinggal-kan Diri-ku", "Jangan Salah Sangka", "Di-Goda Kenangan" and "Harapan Hati Kaseh".
Prior to this, The Vigilantes was an instrumental band with Eagle Records and had managed to record an EP with songs "Till We Meet Again", "I Fell Into A Trance", "Love In Bloom" and "Reminiscence".
Meanwhile, The Vigilantes had decided to change their name to "The Guys" due to changes in the bands' line-up and the style of their music performance. Also, the band and Ismail Haron had secured a contract with the world's recording giant, EMI. In 1968, they began their recording stinct with EMI with an EP containing "Ribin Biru" ("Pretty Ribbon"), "Ku Ta'kan Jatoh Chinta Lagi" ("I'll Never Fall In Love Again"), "Tunggu-lah Puan" ("Keep On Runnin'") and "Delailah" ("Delilah"). As most of his rendition was based from Tom Jones' pupular song and that he emulated the singer's way of performance, he was later given the moniker "Singapore's Tom Jones".
A few more EPs ware released in later part of 1968 and early 1969 with more hits like "Sembilan Bulan Ku Nanti-kan", "Kenangan Manis Di-Kuala Lumpur", "Bersedia" ("Get Ready"), "Bebas-kan Daku" ("You Keep Me Hanging On"), "Sudi Sudi-kah Dikau?" ("Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'") and "Ku Tiada Minta Lahir Ka-Dunia" ("The Music Played"). However, the year 1969 witnessed the end of The Guys' recording career and their final work being put up was for another artiste, Eddie Ahmad, with "Khayalan" ("The Fool On The Hill"), "Rintehan", "Chipta'an-Ku" and "Hanya Mimpi".
In 1970, Ismail Haron embarked for a solo career with his first solo EP under EMI titled "Kehilangan Chinta" ("Without Love"). He took a break for a live performance in Hong Kong in the same year for a few months. Then, he returned to Singapore to record a few more solo albums - "Ismail Haron & Maria" (1972), "Ilham Pujangga" (1972), "Ismail Haron" (1972), "Wajah" (1973), "Sutra Mulia" (1974), "Hulurkan Tangan" (1975) and "Potret Sindiran" (1975). Among his popular hits within these periods were "Dendam-ku Kerana Maria" ("I Did What I Did For Maria"), "Antara Anak Dan Ayah" ("My Boy"), "Tolong Damai-kan" ("Mammy Blue"), "Ilham Pujangga", "Wati", "Persembahan-ku", "Hey Hey Sunny", "Junainah", "Kehilangan Chinta" and "Apa Khabar Sayang" ("Hello Darling").
Between 1972 and 1976, Ismail Haron recorded a few duet songs with diva Anita Sarawak. Songs include "Alam Terpuja" ("You Make Me Feel Brand New"), "Rahsia-Mu Rahsia-Ku" ("Sealed With A Kiss"), "Janji Tetap Janji" ("My Girl"), "Gabus Tarbus" ("House Of Bamboo"), "Asmara", "Rahsia Di-Ayer Jerneh", "Menunggu Nasi Minyak" and "Kesah Dol dan Minah".
In 1977, Ismail migrated to Australia. There were rumours that he left Singapore after a failed love affair, although he later reiterated that his purpose of leaving was to develop his vocal skills. Nevertheless, he continues singing in nightclubs, apart from collaborating with his Malaysian colleagues in his latest album.
Eventually, Ismail Haron returned to Singapore in 2003. He plans to help out in the enhancement of the Malay-language music industry through production works, based on his vast experience.
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is this the real Ismail Haron or just another tribute to him?I really adores this guy..hurm,i keep on searching for his material though..its kinda hard to find here in malaysia..
