Jackie, Oh! by Jackie Regala-Katigbak

Kuh Ledesma's music career spans 25 years of performances which include more than 300 concerts, numerous awards in the Philippine music scene, and 18 albums in the local recording industry. She was the first Filipino singer to be the recipient of the Salem Music Awards in March 1989. In 1997 she released an international debut album entitled PRECIOUS, a collaboration of the best American and Filipino songwriters, arrangers and musicians.

This year Kuh celebrates her 25th year in the music industry through a series of shows in Manila as well as a USA concert tour starting June to July.

It is with extreme pride and pleasure that KATZ Entertainment and its partner, Red Fox Entertainment present the original diva of the Philippines in her 25th year anniversary show in Los Angeles. The concert is sponsored by The Law Offices of Lou Tancinco, Gandi Skin Care, Seafood City Supermarket, KSCI TV 18 and Kalesa Grill (of Anaheim and Panorama). Other sponsors include I-Scream, Golden Voyages, Unicare Family Medical Group, Pampanga Foods, Inc. and Carousel Pinoy.

The concert sub-titled “Paano Kita Pasasalamatan” celebrates Kuh’s illustrious career in music and it will take place at The Grove of Anaheim on July 8, Saturday at 8 p.m. Prior to LA, the concert will be staged also at the Palace of Fine Arts on July 2.

And to make this event extra special, Kuh has lined up an array of exciting guests starting off with OPM icon, Basil Valdez; award winning actor-singer, Christopher de Leon; the hottest matinee idol, Christian Bautista and Kuh’s daughter, Isabella Francesca.

The tickets fairly priced at only $55 and $75 are already available for grabs at KATZ (562) 529-8680 and Malou Samson of Red Fox at (909) 438-6877.

It will be recalled that Kuh’s singing career began when she joined Lastiko, then the Ensalada band in Bacolod while she was still in college taking up Nursing. Kuh and bandmates Toto Gentica and Jet Montelibano later went to Manila and formed the MUSIC & MAGIC band. It was her very successful stint performing with Music & Magic which proved to be pivotal to her career. The strong presence of the group in the live circuit paved the way for Kuh to snag the lead role in Alice Reyes' pop ballet, RAMA HARI. She eventually went solo with her first hit song DITO BA.

Kuh is known for her lavish concept shows, putting up solo concerts in venues like the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Araneta Coliseum, PICC and Folk Arts Theater in the 80's during a time when singers shunned large venues because they were difficult to fill.

She launched an all-Filipino concert AKO AY PILIPINO (1982) at the CCP which featured a repertoire of ethnic sounds, classic kundimans and beautiful pop songs in a refreshing production that displayed Kuh's passion for tapping into the rich node of indegenous art as well as contemporary pop music to produce alternative approaches to songs. The show eventually spun off into a TV special and a double album.

This was immediately followed by another production at the CCP, INSPIRED MADNESS (1983), created in collaboration with film director Peque Gallaga and musical director Ryan Cayabyab featuring noveau musical arrangements and unconventional production design. In light of the state of the times back then it was also here where we see a glimpse of Kuh's political color as she quietly paid tribute to Ninoy Aquino at the end of the show by singing a beautiful a cappella of "Impossible Dream" and "You'll Never Walk Alone" (translation: "Hindi Ka Nag-iisa"). And she did this in CCP yet! 1984 through 1986 Kuh joined the APO Hiking Society in ANG PINOY NGA NAMAN! 1, 2, and 3 at the Folk Arts Theater.

In the 90's Kuh had a series of back-to-back concerts with foreign artists like Noel Pointer, Jack Jones, and Kenny Rankin (and later with The Platters and Michel Legrand). This later led to the popular POWER OF TWO concert series that had Kuh performing with local a rtists like Regine Velasquez, Pops Fernandez, and Jaya in a bid to show that artists can work together and go against formula in creating a good show.

Kuh has also appeared in films (ORO PLATA MATA, TINIMBANG ANG LANGIT (opposite Christopher de Leon), THE YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY (as Mel Gibson’s leading lady) and theater (RAMA HARI and KAPINANGAN), and made numerous TV specials including the award-winning program KUH BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT.

Not content with being just a performer, Kuh has also formed her own production company (HEADLINE CONCEPTS), built alternative concert venues like the MUSIC MUSEUM and the REPUBLIC OF MALATE, owns a recording studio (BRAVO RECORDS) -- thus, giving her much artistic freedom and enabling her to produce and market her own work. She is known for looking out for new talents and helping jumpstart their careers thr ough appearances in her concerts.

Currently, Kuh marks her importance in the local music scene via rare, talked-about shows and a co-hosting spot in the Sunday variety show, "A.S.A.P. Mania."

Kuh is also set to release a number of albums this year as well as a photo book chronicling her career.

(Ed’s note: Jackie Regala-Katigbak has been writing and doing promotions in the entertainment business since the 1980s. The past two decades saw her columns and articles published in the Philippines via the Manila Bulletin, Panorama, Manila Standard and Philippine Times Journal. Currently her articles are published by www.CarouselPinoy.com, the Asian Journal publications and in various newspapers in Southern California. For correspondence, you may send her an email at JackieRegala@verizon.net. Thank you.)

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