He was never really into it for the money. And even after 50 years, he was more keen to get on a stage rather than ask what he’d be paid.
Hail Amir was the quintessential showman — ever ready to perform.
His joy was connecting with people; getting them to sing along with him. Then, savoring the appreciation that came at the end — whether in the form of whistles, applause or laughter to his jokes.
In his early days, in the 1970s, his entire band was paid just about 60 ringgit for a gig. At the Malaysian currency’s exchange rate of 2.5 then to the dollar, that was about $25.
Even after being adjusted for inflation, that 60 ringgit would only be about six times more today, meaning the entire band would have been paid just 360 ringgit, or $72, at current rates for an appearance.
And that has to be divided by five — about the average number of people in a band then — for an idea how little it was for each person.
But Hail didn’t mind.
On the contrary, he learned how to make more with less, he said.
“We were getting a lot of invitations to perform at weddings as well,” he told The New Straits Times on May 8, 2023. “The steady income was enough for us to get by.”
That didn’t mean there weren’t challenges. As band members, they had to carry equipment and none of them could afford a car. “In order to get around, along with our musical instruments, we had to hire a lorry,” he recalled.
He made those comments after a concert celebrating his 50 years as a performer, at Malaysia’s most prestigious venue, the Petronas Philharmonic Auditorium — an event that showed how far he had come in his musical journey.
It was also almost exactly a year before he succumbed on May 5, 2024 to lung- and heart-related complications.
At the time of his interview with the New Straits Times, he appeared “robust” for someone aged 75, the writer of the article, Tahir Alhamzah, remarked.
After his passing, Malaysians who knew Hail from his heyday acknowledged how gracefully he had aged over the years.
He was also “hailed” as the son that Penang, one of Malaysia’s foremost cities, was proud to have — the same way the US city of Hoboken gushes about its most famous offspring, Frank Sinatra.
The Humble Beginnings Of A Dancer, Guitarist And Wedding Singer
Abdul Hall Amir wasn’t born with a mic — meaning the metaphor of a born singer didn’t apply to him.
In truth, he discovered his first real talent on a dance floor and later with a guitar.
He started as a dancer under Malaysia’s ministry of arts and culture and was soon performing across the globe. 
“I had the opportunity to travel the world, to perform in countries such as in (then) Burma, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, Indonesia and Kuwait,” he said.
When he wasn’t dancing, he was with his band.
“I wasn’t the band’s singer,” he recounted. “As I could play the guitar, naturally I became the band’s guitarist.”
“The Face Of The One I Adore”: The Song That Changed It All
In 1976, Ahmad Nawab — arguably Malaysia’s greatest composer — was in search of a new male voice for a ballad. Hail Amir was picked after several auditions.
“Wajah Kesayangan Hamba” — meaning The Face That I Adore — became a national sensation.
On the cover was Hail with a tiny underlip stubble, extra-wide collared denim shirt and a large tiger claw pendant on his neck. It was an unconventional — and hip — look not sported yet by any pop star in the country.
Along with his syrupy voice and light bass undertone, many — especially women — found him irresistible.
In his heyday, he had a throng of female fans, some even obsessive and fanatical, he said.
He also remembers getting all sorts of gifts in the mail. “There were strange things inserted inside the envelope, instead of just plain paper. I’ve even received a necklace and money in some of the mails.”
But he stayed professional and true to the two loves of his life — the stage and his wife, Safiah Ibrahim, with whom he had four children.
And despite a heart attack in 2018, he kept performing, receiving invites to even appear in Singapore and Brunei.
“I could never imagine a life without singing, dancing or entertaining others,” he said. “I think my life would be so dull if you take that away from me. I’ve always been comfortable whenever I am on stage. There’s no such thing as having butterflies in my stomach when I’m standing under the spotlights.”
As his singing career blossomed, something else came: A chance to be in the movies.
With his appealing looks and voice, it was only a matter of time before someone cast him and he appeared in six movies in all, beginning with the 1975 “Jiwa Remaja” (Teen Soul) through to the 1981 “Anita: Dunia Ajaib (Anita: A Strange World).
As a singer, Hail recorded 12 albums.
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His most famous collaborations were with Uji Rashid, a gorgeous divas in the 70s and 80s.
Gossip columns at that time naturally churned out tales about the two.
But nothing was proven as both showed they shared only one common love: Music.
* Barani Krishnan is founder and America’s editor for justneverforget.com, a Malaysian-based startup that proudly tells stories of ordinary people with extraordinary lives.
