Seems Like Old Times

Last night out of the blue, I was delighted to receive a phone call from one of my adoptive big sisters I hadn't seen in a while.  I'm referring to Bebe Hoang Anh.  To many members of the Vietnamese community in the United States, you might have seen her name listed in the credits for her photography work in magazines, Vietnamese popular music compact discs and DVDs and calendars.  And many of you might also be familiar with her as being the beloved wife of the late Vietnamese-American columnist, singer, songwriter, Asia Productions music video live show master of ceremonies, political activist and Vietnamese-American radio broadcasting pioneer Viet Dzung, who happens to also have been one of my adoptive big brothers that I've been quite fortunate to have in my life.  I'm always delighted to hear from her.  We are like family.  We've been friends for so long, seen and done so many things together, Bebe to me, is nothing short of a gem in my book.

When I answered the phone, I hear Bebe's sweet voice speaking to me in what I call Vietlish, a combination of Vietnamese and English.  "Thien Phu, where are you, brother?  I'm here with another one of your sisters, Julie (Julie Quang).  We're at The Crab Kicker Restaurant on Magnolia and McFadden.  Get your butt over here right away.  I miss you."

Well, with an invitation like that, who can refuse?  Right when Bebe was calling me I was still at work.  Despite how I had tried to get off from my shift as soon as I could, it wouldn't be for another hour and a half before I would finally arrive at The Crab Kicker to join my two big sisters, Bebe Hoang Anh and Julie Quang.  I was perspiring heavily during the drive from my work to The Crab Kicker.  I kept thinking to myself, "There's no way that they could still be there at the restaurant waiting for me.  How long does it take to eat crawfish?  They're probably long gone by now."
What made it worse was how these two big sisters of mine are the way they are.  For instance, quite typical of Bebe's style, she doesn't answer her cellphone.  I dialed her number repeatedly so I could find out whether I should even bother to head on over there or not, but I had no such luck in reaching Bebe.  And as for my big sister, Julie Quang, who is notoriously famous for never carrying with her her cellphone wherever she goes, that just added to my stress.  It was already ten o'clock at night.  But since I have really missed seeing the both of them in such a long time, I just figured I'd take my chances and just make the drive anyway.  Luckily, they were still there when I arrived.

Our reunion last night, although brief since by the time I had gotten there the restaurant was near closing time, was just like old times.  Julie and Bebe had come there directly from attending singer Phuong Hong Que's mother's funeral.  Accompanying them was another old acquaintance of mine, Tiffy Tien Bui.  We laughed, talked, and even cried a bit, all four of us.  I don't know if it's my imagination.  But it seemed like out of all of us, I'm the only one that has aged.  Bebe and Julie still look the same.

Julie Quang, Bebe Hoang Anh, Tiffy Tien Bui and Thien Phu

During our reunion, there were bits and pieces of emotional moments.  After a little bit of alcohol in her, Bebe started to get a bit emotional as we reminisced about Viet Dzung, understandably so.  I let Julie and Bebe know about my own personal tragedy recently with the passing of my father.  Julie shared with me about her son, Kennedy, who had recently been hospitalized.  Wow!  So much has happened in our individual lives.  There was so much to catch up on, yet so little time.  We'll have to have another one of these reunions soon.  After all, they are my family.

Ne Me Quitte Pas

A lot of singers tend to have a particular song that he or she is associated with.  For me, I've noticed it has been Ne Me Quitte Pas.  I find it a complete honor to be associated with this song.  In my opinion, there have been quite a few other Vietnamese singers who have recorded fantastic renditions of this song.  I am quite flattered to be considered among the singers whose names are linked to this classic love song.

When I first became truly engrossed with this song was after I heard Bach Yen's rendition on her album, Souvenir.  I had always liked this song in the past and had also enjoyed countless other versions recorded by the likes of other artists such as Don Ho, Ngoc Lan and Carol Kim.  It had also been one of the many songs I often had performed on stage at my live shows.  But after hearing Bach Yen being interviewed on the radio by Viet Dzung one day where she was plugging her latest CD, I was then really taken aback.  Something about what she had said about how a singer must really have gone through such pain and agony in his or her love life in order to sing this song with enough feeling.  Since I happened to be experiencing some personal sadness at the time with a heartbreak in my own life, that was what had prompted me to record this song for my first album.  

After Sy Dan had finished the arrangements for this song, my first intentions were to record it in all three languages:  French, English and Vietnamese.   After a few takes at Cong Truc's studio, I was still dissatisfied.  That was when I realized that I wasn't that crazy about the English lyrics that had been written for the English version, If You Go Away.  I started to listen more to Jacques Brel's original version and began to finally appreciate just how powerful his performance of the song was.  The original French lyrics were indeed deeper and way more heartfelt than the lyrics written in English.  And since Pham Duy's lyrics were written based on translation of the lyrics in English, the same could be said with the Vietnamese lyrics.  That's when I decided to re-record the song without the English version, and only in French and Vietnamese.  I then turned to Alan Nguyen to finish out the recording for this song.  I must say, I am forever indebted to Alan Nguyen.  He had helped me so much through the production of the album, Tiec Nho, and particularly with this song.  He is simply amazing.  He coached me step by step with this song.  I really couldn't have done it without him.  

After three weeks, I finally finished recording Ne Me Quitte Pas.  Before the album was released, I was already happy to hear that my two most difficult critics other than myself, Anh Tu and Julie Quang, were pleased with my recording of Ne Me Quitte Pas.  During the week before the album was finally out in the market, I had sent a copy to Pham Long of Little Saigon Radio.  After he played it, I remember him making a comment of how this was a rather difficult song to sing and how he was really impressed that a young singer such as myself was able to give such a heartfelt delivery.  A few days after that I had heard from Bien Tinh Productions that my recorded version of Ne Me Quitte Pas had been one of the most requested songs on both Little Saigon Radio on 1480 AM and Radio Saigon Cali Hai Ngoai on 106.3 FM.  And then to have Viet Dzung write an article on Hon Viet Magazine praising about the song and my recorded version of it, I was just overwhelmed with excitement and truly flattered.  

Since then, Ne Me Quitte Pas has been one of my most requested songs from audience members at my live shows.  I really enjoy singing this song.  It just never gets old for me.  I still find it an honor to hear how fans have associated my name with this song.  Afterall, it is one of my favorite love songs of all time.

Thien Phu

A Loving Tribute to Viet Dzung

Viet Dzung (1958-2013)

It seemed like everytime someone close to me had passed away, Viet Dzung was the first person to notify me.  During the summer of 1998, while I was in Vietnam vacationing with Julie Quang and his wife, Bébé Hoang Anh, I received a telegram one morning that Michelle Diem My had just been killed in a fire.  Almost three years later, while I was at his radio station, Radio Bolsa, in Westminster, California, just visiting, he tells me out of nowhere, "Hey, did you hear Ngoc Lan just passed away?"  And then on November of 2003, on one terrifying morning, I received a phone call from Viet Dzung with the news that Anh Tu had just died.  But during the Christmas season of 2013, nobody called to inform me that Viet Dzung had just passed away.

Needless to say, I was devastated when I finally heard the news of his passing.  How I found out was through a posting on one of my friend's Facebook wall.  I had learned of his failing health years ago, but I never wanted to believe that he would possibly face his last days anytime soon.  Viet Dzung had always been a constant in my life.  He was like an older brother, one who full of wisdom and always had the best advice to give.  Because I had looked up to him so highly, my image of Viet Dzung had always been of someone who was invincible.  It is rather hard for me to really grasp what is reality, and that is, he is no longer with us.

My friendship with Viet Dzung began sometime in 1997.  I had been introduced to him by Julie Quang, who was also very close to him and his wife, Bébé.  For many years, we were like a family.  These three very special individuals had become the adoptive older brother and sisters that I never had.  I can't say that I was ever friends with Viet Dzung, because he was more like my older brother, instead of a buddy or pal.  I had the deepest respect for him.  He was a tremendous, multi-talented individual. I have yet to meet anyone else that could match his drive or ambition.  Just spending time with him on any given day, I was amazed at his remarkable work ethics and tenacious will to constantly succeed.

I am forever indebted to Viet Dzung his tremendous generosity throughout our friendship of many years.  I can honestly say, there's just no one like him.  Viet Dzung was definitely one of a kind and a true gem to the Vietnamese American community.  I miss him very much.  

Anh Tu.... Je Pense à Lui

It's hard to believe but it has been more than 10 years since Anh Tu's passing.  I miss him dearly and from time to time feel that his spirit is still here with us on earth.  Of course, I'm fully aware that there is no scientific proof to back up what I feel and intellectually, this could be due to the fact that part of me refuses to let go and accept what is reality. There have been times where I've sensed his spirit so strongly beside me,  I can almost say that I've never felt as sure about anything else.

Anh Tu was one of those people that can leave a lasting impression with just about anyone upon the very first meeting with him.  He was that charismatic.  Prior to my first meeting with Anh Tu, of course, I had already known of him through his recordings and several live concert shows I had attended that where he and his sister, Khanh Ha, along with the rest of their family band members known as the Uptight had headlined.  I have always been a huge fan of both his sister, Khanh Ha, and older brother, Tuan Ngoc.  To this day, they are still among my all time favorite Vietnamese singers.  Although I had enjoyed some of the recordings Anh Tu had done on several cassettes produced by Khanh Ha Productions that I had owned, I really didn't pay that much attention to him as a vocalist, as I had done with his siblings that were more famous.  Although it was undeniable that all 7 members of this family of singers had been blessed with musical genes and tremendous talent, the success that both Tuan Ngoc and Khanh Ha had achieved being deemed as the top male and top female vocalists, respectively, of Vietnamese pop music for many years along with the popularity Luu Bich, the youngest sibling, later on overshadowed Anh Tu as a performer.  Anh Tu's impeccable ability to harmonize with perfect pitch had been taken notice of by his family from early on which is why he had been chosen to sing background vocals for the Uptight, while his other siblings sang lead.  Being in the background, he always struck me as being the shy, timid member of the family.  However, Anh Tu's talents were not overlooked completely as he, too, was able to achieve longevity as a successful singer and acquired a cult following of loyal fans that remained throughout his entire career.

When I think about how Anh Tu and I first met, our friendship almost never happened.  It was on a night at the Can club here in Orange County, Southern California.  The year was 1996.  At any of the Vietnamese nightclubs that I had worked at, every now and then some special event would take place sponsored by some organization.  On this particular night, the show was sponsored by an organization known as Club O'Noodles, an innovative group of young Vietnamese actors that had achieved notoriety for their plays that focused on issues of the day such as women's rights and gay rights.  I was singing over at the Queen Bee in Stanton, California.  It was a slow night, so I was able to go home early along with some of the other singers.  I had heard about this event over at the Can club, and since it was only midnight, I figured why not drop by and relax for a bit before I would head on home.  Right when I got to the Can club, I ran into some friends, singers Hoang Liem and Jenny Trang when I went to go greet the owner, singer Le Uyen who also goes by the name, Wendy.  As a singer, wherever you go whether it's the club where you work or not, people will ask you to come up on stage to sing a song or two.  Wendy kept on insisting I go on stage to sing a song.  As she says, and I'm sure she says this with every singer who drops by her club, "Please sing me a song.  I haven't heard you sing in so long."  Before I had the chance to even agree to singing a song that night, I was hit with the instructions from Wendy that after Hoang Liem went on stage, he would introduce my name, and after I'm finished with my song, I was supposed to introduce Jenny Trang.  Hoang Liem sang his song and introduced me on stage.  And after I was done singing Aline, which was the song that I took with me everywhere I went during that time.  And as soon as I was done, I did just what Wendy had instructed me to do, which was introduce Jenny Trang.  As the crowd applauded I saw Jenny walk up toward the stage and prepared to hand the microphone over to her.  All of the sudden, Anh Tu appeared out of nowhere, took the microphone from my hand and introduced another singer on stage.  I was in total shock.  I thought to myself, "What a jerk!  Who does he think he is to snatch away the microphone from my hand?  And how dare he embarrass Jenny Trang by introducing someone else on stage like that?" 

I was just livid.  I walked Jenny back to the bar counter.  As I was fuming, I told Wendy to get me another shot of Tequila.  And then another.  And another.  I think I called Anh Tu every name in the book as I vowed to Wendy that he should steer clear away from me or else.  As far as I was concerned, Anh Tu was dead meat.  I had never been so humiliated.  Wendy tried her best to calm me down.  Just as I was about to leave, Wendy persuaded me to stay a little longer to listen to Jenny sing.  Shortly thereafter, Anh Tu went on stage and reintroduced Jenny along with an apology for the mix up.  The sincerity in his voice was so convincing that Jenny readily agreed to walk back onto the stage.  It made things calm down a bit.  But I was still miffed.  I thought to myself, "Well, Anh Tu cleared things up with Jenny.  But what about me?"

A couple weeks went by before I would see Anh Tu again.  I was still mad.  But then on one Friday night, two weeks from that disastrous previous meeting with Anh Tu, my friend, Christopher, convinced me to swing by and hang out at the Can club.  When I walked in, I saw that the club was rather empty.  Christopher quickly saw Anh Tu sitting at the table with other singers and suggested that we go over to say hi.  I told him that I'd rather not and proceeded to the bar counter to talk with Wendy.  As I drank and talked with Wendy, I noticed Anh Tu passing by me a few times.  Christopher kept coming back and forth from Anh Tu's table to the bar counter to tell me that Anh Tu really wanted to talk to me.  I responded by saying, "Well, tell him to come over to me.  Why should I come to him?"  A few minutes later, the situation between myself and Anh Tu only got worse when he got on stage and sang "Aline".  I thought to myself, "Oh, that does it!  How dare he sing my song?  After what happened a few weeks ago, I'm really going to give it to him." 

When he got down from the stage, Anh Tu walked over to the bar counter where I sat.  He ordered two beers and brought them over to me.  He handed one to me and said, "You must be Thien Phu."  Just when I was about ready to really give it to him, Anh Tu flashed his dazzling smile at me and that was it.  He went on to explain how he didn't know that I had introduced Jenny Trang on stage that night, given how crowded and noisy it was at the Can club that night, and that he had been instructed to introduce another singer by the band since there was no emcee.  From that moment on, we became the best of friends.

Anh Tu and Thien Phu.

There have been three people that have been most influential throughout my career as a singer; Ngoc Lan, Julie Quang and of course, Anh Tu.  Both Ngoc Lan and Julie had been my idols.  Anh Tu, on the other hand, I had met as a colleague at first.  But the more I got to know him, the more I realized there is just no one like him.  Anh Tu had a way of making everyone around him feel comfortable and laughing constantly with his jokes.  I remember once he made me laugh so uncontrollably right before I got on stage to do a song, I couldn't stop laughing and had to walk off the stage during the middle of the song.  That was Anh Tu.

Throughout the course of our friendship, Anh Tu showed me his kindness and generosity by always giving me the best advice both in the music business and in life.  When it was time for me to record my debut album, Tiec Nho, Anh Tu was one of the driving forces behind it.  He said, "You must put yourself out there.  How the hell will anyone ever hear of Thien Phu unless you do an album?"  That got me to thinking.  That is why I'm forever grateful to him.  To me, he was more like family.  He was always there for me whenever I needed him every minute of the day.  There never was any rivalry what so ever between Anh Tu and myself.  On one particular weekend, coincidentally Anh Tu and I both had separate bookings to perform in Seattle.  Anh Tu and his sister, Khanh Ha, were headlining at some hotel in Seattle that weekend, while I was singing at the Palace nightclub.  Just to show how wonderful he was, right before the trip Anh Tu and I went shopping for clothes and he picked out the outfit for me to wear.  On the night of that performance, when I got back to the hotel, Anh Tu telephoned me to ask if everything went alright with my performance and to make sure that I wore the outfit he had selected.  That just goes to show just how wonderful and caring of a person Anh Tu was. 

The day Anh Tu died was probably one of the worst days of my life.  I remember receiving a telephone call from Viet Dzung with the startling news.  I dropped everything and rushed over to UCI Medical Center to be there with him.  I didn't want to believe what I had just heard.  After I parked my car, I saw Tuan Ngoc and his wife, Thai Thao, exiting the hospital with his father, Mr. Lu Lien.  I looked at Tuan Ngoc and asked, "How is he?"  I'll never forget the look in his eyes when he said, "I'm sorry, Phu.  He's gone!"  I couldn't help but burst into tears and put my arms around him.  I ran into the hospital to Anh Tu's room hoping what they just told me was a lie.  But it wasn't.  He was indeed gone. 

Part of me to this day still can't believe that Anh Tu has died.  I still hear his voice momentarily.  I feel his spirit.  In my heart, Anh Tu has never left us and is always surrounding me everywhere I go.  I truly miss him. 

Thien Phu Biography Part Two by Anonymous Contributing Author and Myself

With the encouragement from several Vietnamese singers he had befriended, particularly Julie (Julie Quang) and the late Anh Tu, Thien Phu decided to record his first CD sometime in the mid 1990s. What would take a total of almost 2 years to produce in which Thien Phu had collaborated with some of the biggest names among Vietnamese musicians including the late legendary, Tung Giang, Alan Nguyen and Sy Dan would finally be released under the label, Bien Tinh Productions, in the spring of 1998, entitled Tiec Nho (Missing). This album would also feature tracks recorded by 3 other contributing fellow artists:  Julie, Anh Tu, and Thai Thao. This debut album for Thien Phu sold quite well within the overseas Vietnamese communities worldwide. Part of its success had to do with the heavy rotation of airplay that had been given to several of the tracks Thien Phu had recorded on the album, in particular a cover of a Jacques Brel penned, timeless classic, Ne Me Quitte Pas.  Pham Long, a well known radio personality for Little Saigon Radio Broadcasting Network, had taken an instant liking to Thien Phu's version of the song, in which Thien Phu had recorded in both the original lyrics in French, as well as the translated Vietnamese lyrics written by the late legendary Vietnamese composer, Pham Duy. Soon after, other Vietnamese language radio programs would also began giving airplay for Thien Phu's recorded songs from this debut album. The airplay would reach Vietnamese audiences in the 3 major regions with the highest Vietnamese populations of the United States; Orange County in Southern California, San Jose in Northern California, and Houston, Texas, giving Thien Phu a much wider exposure to the Vietnamese music scene. That along with a series of radio interviews and several appearances on Vietnamese language produced television shows to further promote the album greatly enhanced Thien Phu's popularity as a singer. Among other tracks on the album included covers of French popular songs such as Aline, Magic Boulevard, both of which were recorded by Thien Phu and the Edith Piaf signature classic, La Vie En Rose, recorded by Julie (formerly known as Julie Quang) in an upbeat, modified new up-tempo arrangement by Sy Dan.

After the release of Tiec Nho, Thien Phu embarked on a busy touring schedule performing at live shows for Vietnamese audiences throughout the United States, as well as in Canada, Europe and Australia. The success of this debut album was what prompted Bien Tinh Productions to put together a sold-out show held at the Majestic Nightclub in Orange County to formally introduce Thien Phu to the Vietnamese audience of the Little Saigon community. It was during the night of that performance when Thien Phu first accepted the invitation from New York Night Productions to make his debut appearance on music video.

As a follow up after his debut album, Bien Tinh Productions had planned a duet album with Thanh Ha for Thien Phu. For a recording artist recently introduced onto the Vietnamese pop music scene such as Thien Phu, to be paired up with another artist of Thanh Ha's caliber at the time would be a highly anticipated opportunity. However, due to scheduling conflicts, the project was ultimately cancelled. This was a major setback for Thien Phu. On an interview for VOV Radio on 96.7FM, Thien Phu said, "I was really looking forward to working with Thanh Ha. Think about it, a duet album featuring two Amerasian singers together. But I understand that she was under contract with Thuy Nga at the time and couldn't commit to another production label. It would have been a great experience since not only was [Thanh Ha] one of my favorite singers, she was also my friend."

Several offers from various Vietnamese labels would pour in for Thien Phu to make his next album toward the end of 1998. But Thien Phu had turned each one of them down because he had wanted complete artistic control. During this time, Thien Phu was mourning the loss of one of his closest friends, singer and owner of Empire Nightclub in Dallas, Texas, Michelle Diem My, who had died mysteriously in a fire during the summer of 1998.

"Losing Michelle [Diem My] was like losing a sister. We were so close, like brother and sister. Everywhere she and I travelled to together to do our live shows, because we were so close, we often shared the same bed. It was shocking to lose such a good friend that unexpectedly.

"I remember the day I received the chilling news that she had just died. I was in Vietnam on a trip with singer Julie Quang and Bébé Hoang Anh, Viet Dzung's wife. Michelle had originally planned to go with us on this trip. But just three days before we were all supposed to meet up in Los Angeles to board the plane together, she called me on the telephone to say she wouldn't be able to make the trip. And then the next thing I knew, early one morning while in Vietnam we receive a telegram from Viet Dzung saying Michelle had just been killed in a fire", said Thien Phu.

"I couldn't believe it. I thought, this must have been some joke. But when Bebe looked at me and said that since Michelle was Viet Dzung's cousin, he of all people would know and that this was no joke, I just started to cry helplessly."

In mourning over the untimely death of one of his closest friends, Thien Phu managed to turn the devastation into inspiration for his next studio album, Ngay Em Di, literally translated to "The Day You Left". Thien Phu's second album would be released in the fall of the following year to round out the decade. Like his debut album, the release of Ngay Em Di would also be followed by a sold out show held at the Majestic, hosted by Viet Dzung.

Unlike the previous album with all the backings from Bien Tinh Productions, Thien Phu's sophomore effort was a project he decided to produce and release himself. Sales of Thien Phu's second album failed to match the success of the previous debut album. Nevertheless, he would continue to tour extensively for the next couple of years.

The beginning of the new millennium for Thien Phu was met with a series of tragedies in his personal life. In 2000, Thien Phu experienced the death of his grandmother, Marie Nguyen, to whom he was rather close to.

"My grandmother was very influential in my life. She was very strong. When I think about it, it was probably she who had given me the encouragement and mental support that I needed to become an entertainer," he said.

Marie Nguyen, Thien Phu's grandmother, had been a well respected businesswoman from Saigon, South Vietnam. She had been owner of the famous Au Ma Cabane Cabaret Nightclub in Saigon that featured nightly live entertainment from some of the biggest names among Vietnamese singers. Among the list of regular performers at Au Ma Cabane were Thai Thanh, Thanh Lan, Jo Marcel, Duy Quang, Giao Linh and the late Jeannie Mai, who was also Thien Phu's aunt at one point by marriage. In a sense, it can be said that Thien Phu had come from a showbiz family.

Following the death of his grandmother, Thien Phu was met with yet another blow the following year with the passing of one of his idols, singer Ngoc Lan. But another tragedy would be in store for Thien Phu, less than 2 years after when singer Anh Tu suddenly passed away on December of 2003. Anh Tu had been one of the most influential people in Thien Phu's life, as well as in his career. It was all too much for Thien Phu to take, and consequentially prompted his decision to leave the singing business.

"I really don't deal well with death, I've noticed. Some people can do it. But for me, I can't just pick up the pieces after the loss of someone dear to me and just move on like nothing has ever happened. When Anh Tu passed, I felt as if I was all alone in the world. For so long, I had relied heavily on his guidance with my singing career. Since his passing, I felt like nobody was there to critique me each time I got on stage. It was if I no longer had a purpose to sing," said Thien Phu.

Thien Phu then decided to leave his singing career and focused into returning to college. He found work as a bartender at a high end sushi restaurant in Newport Beach while he successfully completed his studies earning a degree in English at Cal State Lon Beach. Although he was content with his life away from the spotlight as a singer, momentarily Thien Phu would find himself reminiscing of his past in the field of entertainment. There was definitely something missing in his life.

After a 7 years hiatus, Thien Phu would make his return to the stage. This came about after meeting up with a former colleague, singer Randy, while Thien Phu attended the funeral of another colleague and old friend, singer Luu Quoc Viet, in the spring of 2008. After an exchange of phone numbers, Randy telephoned Thien Phu with an invitation to perform at a sold out show for Amerasians in Oklahoma City. A series of other live performances would quickly follow including a successful engagement in Paris, France during the summer of 2009. And Thien Phu, once again, had been caught with the singing buzz.

Recently, Thien Phu has completed shooting a pair of music videos for Viet Star Productions. He is currently also working on a new solo album that should be out later in 2014.

"It's great to be back after so many years away from the spotlight. I've realized one thing, and that is... I really love to sing. It's such a rush how I get to wear beautiful clothes and perform on stage for people everywhere. I just love it. Come to think of it, there's nothing else I'd rather do than sing. Without it, I'd probably be dead."