Cliff Foenander was born in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) (10/12/34 – 21/11/2000) and educated at St Peters Collage. His First performance was in 1962 in the Collage Hall with the vocal backing group “Tony Ferdinandus & The Moon Beams”. He performed in night clubs promoted by Mr Malcolm Andree at the Atlanta Stadium and Tropicana. He also took part in many Radio Ceylon “live” Shows with the Harold Seneveratne Combo singing ballads made popular Nat King Cole one of them the perennial favourite “when I Fall in Love”. When the well known composer Nimal Mendis return from United Kingdom he wanted to promote our very Owen talent in this country and composed several songs and gathered the very best musicians and vocalist in that era the rehearsals at his parents’ home down Milagiriya Avenue Bambalapitiya the writer lived two doors next to Nimal Mendis home was a treat to see and hear all the best singers and musicians’ practise jamming for their first record. The First release was an instrumental ‘Kandyan Express” by the composer Nimal Mendis on the piano, Tissa Seneveratne on drums, Adrian Ferdinands on Bongos. “Moon Over Asia” was recorded by the Harold Seneveratne Combo. “Cherry Blossom Tree” & “Good Night Kisses” were recorded by the Jay Brothers. “Oh My Love” By Sandra Adema and Three songs recorded by Cliff “Way Back When” “Lifelong Romance” “Butterfly in the Rain” that got the reconditions & kick-start his carrier Internationally. South Asia’s oldest radio station Radio Ceylon (Now the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation) Gave Cliff the first exposure in Ceylon and South East Asia including India. Broadcasters Vernon Corea, Jimmy Bharucha, Tim Hursthington played his songs and Interweaved him on their radio shows.
Cliff later joined Hong Kong based group ‘The Fabulous Echoes.’ and they built a fan base in Hong Kong, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Japan. The Fabulous Echoes gained international exposure playing in Las Vegas in the United States of America, also performing with rat pack members Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr, with Ella Fitzgerald and the great ‘Satchmo,’ Louis Armstrong. The Fabulous Echoes performed on the Ed Sullivan Show after Ed saw them in action in the Thunderbird Lounge
Cliff Foenander Continued his musical after the “The Fabulous Echoes”. He Settle in Melbourne Australia. Cliff Foenander died in on the 21st November 2000
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Patrick Ranasinghe
