Amapola
- This article is about the Filipino singer. For the movie read Amapola (film), for the song, see Amapola (song).
Amapola is a name that denotes several popular meanings - a flower, a song, or a name of a multi-faceted talent born and raised in the Philippines and later continued her illustrious career in America. Winner of the Asian equivalent of the Grammy as a singer, Amapola had garnered countless of merits and awards from her native country and from Filipino American organizations in the USA and accepted two awards from two continents on the same year, the EYE Award for Entertainment Excellence and the Philippines National Press Club's Hall Of Fame Award. Recently an author of a multi-awarded first novel "Coming Home", Amapola has set her sights on becoming a romance novelist. Her first self-published book was an Editor's Choice at iUniverse, then awarded the Royal Palms Award for first published romance, also selected one of the finalists for Book Of The Year Award at Foreword Magazine and a winner of the Independent Publishers Trophy for 2004-2005.
Personal Profile
Amapola Cabase was born in Cebu, South of the Philippines to Mane Cabase of San Nicolas and Priscilla Campogan of Tuburan Cebu. Both parents were musicians and educators. Amapola was educated at the Cebu Normal School, Malate Catholic School, Bachelor of Science Chemistry - University of the Visayas and University of San Carlos. Amapola abandoned her academic studies for a full pledged career in music. Her first piano recital was at the age of five; she sang her father's compositions & her mother's lyrics in the Visayan movies the folloewing year, and then co-starred in her first film at the age of seven. Her career blossomed & took her to Manila where her television, stage, recording and film career flourished.
Once dubbed as the 'Jukebox Queen'(because Jukeboxes were filled with her hit singles) in her country, she sought more challenges on concert tours around Asia & the Pacific & eventually the US Mainland. She juggled performances at The Fairmont Hotels in San Francisco and Dallas and in her own Magazine TV-Variety show "Amapola Presents" in San Francisco KEMO - TV Channel 20 for eight years. Amapola still holds the longest running record of locally produced Magazine Variety show for San Francisco Television
Scaling the heights of her career took Amapola around the world inland & at sea as concert and nightclub headliner onboard some of the world's most luxurious ships, notably: Royal Viking Sun, Sea, Sky and Star, followed by a 7 year career as a headliner onboard the MS Song of Flower owned by the Seven Seas Cruises, now Radisson Seven Seas.
Amapola held the distinction of being the first Filipino female artist to top the Hawaiian poll as the most famous female performer in the Hawaiian Islands in 1972. Hawaiian pop stars included Carole Kai, Melveen Leed and others. During Amapola's reign at the Kahala Hilton, the Waikiki Beach Press featured Amapola in its front page twice. Famous columnists Dave Donnelley and Wayne Harada wrote several articles and reviewed Amapola's shows. Regular Kahala Hilton Maile Lounge habitués included stars like Gene Hackman, and the late Jack Lord. Invited to co-host Hawaii's TV noon show hosted by Don Robbs, it was another first for a Filipino singer to co-host the popular daily show. Television wasn't new for Amapola being one of the early pioneers of the television years in Cebu, Philippines. Amapola co-produced and starred in her first musical television show at ABS TV Studios in Cebu City when she was a third year high school student at the University of San Carlos Girls High. Sharing in the duties of producer and director was Amapola's bosom buddy Marilyn Bajarias (who later worked for ABS-CBN TV and Radio Studios in Manila.)
Subsequently, invitations rolled in for Amapola to perform with internationally acclaimed artists like Jack Jones, The Carpenters, Lou Rawls, Astrud Gilberto, The Platters, The Young Americans, Matt Monro, Sergio Mendes Brasil 66, and many others during Amapola's singing career in the Philippines.
One of the highlights of Amapola's career was the grand opening of the San Miguel Brewery in Mandaue City. The mammoth extravaganza starred all the big names in the Philippine Music Industry including Sampaguita and LVN Studios actors and television stars, including Pilita Corrales, host of the nationally acclaimed "An Evening with Pilita". After that evening's performance, Pilita Corrales and her company offered Amapola her first break on national television as special guest in the former's popular TV show. One month later, Amapola and her family band led by her father Mahnee Cabase arrived in Manila for their first performance, followed by another. The successful performances were followed by stints at the Manila Hilton, and the Intercontinental Hotel in Makati. Pilita Corrales' brother Fae was now representing Amapola and the Sounds. Leaving a full-blown career in Cebu City, Amapola and her father Mahnee Cabase continued their musical careers in Manila.
Amapola was a frequent guest in Joe Quirino's Seeing Stars on Channel 13; Nora Aunor's Superstar show, Pilar Pilapil Show, Helen Gamboa Show, and eventually co-hosted Etchos Lang starring Justo C. Justo. Soon other TV shows were added to Amapola's weekly list, namely: Stop Look and Listen on Wednesdays with co-hosts Eddie Mesa, Ike Lozada, among others, also co-hosting on other days were Tirso Cruz III and Novo Bono. Amapola also costarred with Vilma Santos and Edgar Mortiz in "The Sensations" airing every Sunday.
Scores of radio and television commercials also came in Amapola's way. Her most famous commercial for movie theaters was Vicks Cough Drops that played nationally for two years while Amapola was away on her tour abroad. Notable musician and producer Emil Mijares recorded a commercial with Amapola that required nine dialects for Silver Swan Soy Sauce. Mijares and Amapola finished the project in one afternoon. At one time in Amapola's career, she was also dubbed as the Jingle Girl because of the number of commercial jingles she recorded as a solo performer or with the groups: Gentle Rain led by Nonong Pedero and Minor Changes with Bess Silva and Alice Bell.
Before Amapola left the Philippines to perform in a Hawaiian Islands Tour with Diomedes Maturan, Linda Magno, and Boy Mondragon, Amapola recorded her first movie theme; a Tagalog song composed by George Canseco entitled "Kapantay Ay Langit". The song won for George Canseco and the film "Kapantay Ay Langit" the Manila Film Festival Award for Best Song of the Year. Soon Amapola's first English LP album with Vicor in their Pioneer Label followed. The LP album entitled "Songs and Amapola" featured George Canseco's "Ode to Amapola". Canseco also composed the title song for that album, "Songs,” a song he composed exclusively for Amapola. Every song from the LP album was released as a single and three of the singles held positions in the nation's Top 10 for several weeks.
After Amapola's successful run in the Hawaiian Islands, her concert in New York's Town Hall followed. It was an SRO affair and a long-standing ovation was accorded her. The Town Hall concert was followed by a nightly appearance at the famous Bayanihan Club in Manhattan. In Amapola's audience was Ed Sullivan who nicknamed Amapola an "eyeful.” After New York, Amapola christened the famous Fab Mab earlier known as the Mabuhay Gardens with her cabaret format performances. Scores of Filipinos from all over the mainland witnessed Amapola's hallmark performances and a street was named after her during her performances at the Mabuhay Gardens and the Off Broadway Theater on Broadway Street in San Francisco.
A personal request came from the Jazz icon Bobby Enriquez for Amapola to perform with him at the Miyako Hotel in San Francisco. Their team-up became legendary. Earl "Fatha" Hines used to enjoy their sets at the hotel. Enriquez and Amapola accepted contracts as a team including their performances in the Lake Tahoe casinos. The jazz concerts with Bobby Enriquez were followed by appearances at the Mocambo on Polk Street along name entertainers Patti La Belle, Carmen McRae, & Anita O'Day.
In the Philippines, Amapola has received the Tinig Award, Manila Film Festival acknowledgment, won the Awit Awards twice, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Philippines National Press Club in 1987. In the United States, Amapola was awarded the Eye Award for Best Entertainer of the year, the Philippine Cultural Award in San Francisco, The Cultural Award in Michigan, and a plaque from former California Governor Gerry Brown during the Browns for Brown campaign.
Amapola is scheduled for a world cruise with Radisson Seven Seas Cruises in 2006, and her second book "Promising Skies" is due for publication to follow her first multi-awarded novel "Coming Home.”
References
- Coming Home, ISBN: 0-595-27623-7, Published by www.iUniverse.com
- Songs and Amapola, recorded by VicorMusic.com on the Pioneer Label
- Amapola Photo SourceNo Rights Reserved Photo of Amapola
