Sandra Jackson – My Lovely Island Home – By Patrick Ranasinghe
Sri Lankan born Sandra and Esric Jackson of ‘Replay – 6’, a popular Melbourne based band, had their international debut in Bangkok, Thailand last week. Co-incidentally, about the same day and time that Michael Jackson announced his ‘this is it’ finale in London, Sandra and Esric Jackson announces their International debut shows in Bangkok. No relation to the King of Pop, who has hit upon troubled times in a very turbulent decade for music, The Jacksons have been performing with their band ‘Replay – 6’ for the past 28 years in Australia and is the most popular band currently on the circuit within the Sri Lankan community.
Both Sandra and Esric Jackson were in Sri Lanka holidaying after twenty one long years before they embark on their debut international exposure. Apart from our performances in Bangkok, what I most looked forward event is a concert in Sri Lanaka’ said Sandra.
The largest and latest hotel in Asia and currently the talk of the town boasting 1500 executive rooms and a special first class clientele, The Imperial Queens Park Hotel was the venue, where ‘The Jacksons’ performed to exclusive audience in their much admired and classy ‘Sundowner Club’.
These performances were significant in that while most other Sri Lankan entertainers concentrate on entertaining their own in various cultural and other community organized functions throughout the World, The Jacksons was featured in their ‘own show and concert’ advertised exclusively in Bangkok to the international community and electronic media.
Sandra Jackson performed her favourite Disco songs and ballads as she has done over the past 25 years in Australia while Esric Jackson will concentrate on his more popular country renditions. Esric Jackson was also debut some of his songs from his new country album to be released shortly in Australia on POWERUSH records and on ITunes throughout the World. According to the news coming from Bangkok, the guest of Honor on the first night was Dr. Udomsak Sakmunwong World President of C.I.O.F.F (Conseil International Des Organisations De Festivals De Folklore Et D’ Arts Traditionnels)
Chairman of Dharma-TV Thailand and The Nation Newspaper, Media tycoon Thanachai Theerapattanavong was invited as a special guest at the final show and has invited The Jacksons and their entourage to dinner after their final performance.
The Jacksons will return to Australia in mid-April and continue to perform with their band of ‘merry men’ fulfilling all their commitments with a full calendar of engagements with appearances at the most prestigious events of 2009 within the Sri Lankan community.
Sandra and Esric Jackson migrated to Down Under nearly three decades ago and since then they were the most sought after singers in the Sri Lankan Communities in Australia.
Both were original members of ‘The Pioneers’, one of the popular seventies band of Sri Lanka.
‘It was nice to be back in Sri Lanka after a long gap’ said Sandra, when the duo met ‘TV Times’ few days before their departure to Bangkok.
Sandra, who is popularly known as the Tina Turner of Melbourne is the front line vocalist of the band ‘Replay – 6’. Husband Esric too sings with her witwh the band.
‘We are not fulltime musicians. We all have day time jobs and we do music as a hobby. But as a band we get lot of work and keep busy all our weekends with dances and other gigs. As the Australian Sri Lankan community is the largest Sri Lankan population out of Sri Lanka, we get many Sri Lankan bookings throughout the month’ Esric explained.
Replay 6 comprises of Sandra and Esric, David Trower on lead guitar, Christopher Ment on bass, Lindsey Giulman on drums Cameron Colombage on keyboards Dullas Achilles on trumpet and Dereck Stephens on sax.
‘If all goes well, I hope Replay 6 will be able to have their first performance in Colombo in December 2009’ Esric said.
Lead singer of Melbourne’s top band Replay 6 and leader of the band for many decades, Sandra Jackson left this world suddenly after a short battle with lung issues later compounded by the discovery of blockages to her arteries which left the medical staff at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne with no recourse to save her life.
My Lovely Island Home “Dilhani” Lyrics & Music.by Clarence Wijewardena.
Des Kelly
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Patrick Ranasinghe
By Sanath Weerasuriya
