Edlyn Peregrina in her dad’s footsteps

On April 30, 1977, millions of Filipino fans were shocked when the original Jukebox King Eddie Peregrina died of complications a month and a week after his Mustang car collided with a trailer truck on EDSA Shaw underpass. He was only 32 and at the peak of his hot career as a singer and movie actor.

Funfare’s Big Apple correspondent Edmund Silvestre asked if I remember Eddie Peregrina. I told him, “Of course, I do!” In fact, the “greatest hits” album of Eddie (and Vilma Santos’ one and only album) are among my favorite pasalubong for my Baby Boomer friends abroad — and how they enjoy listening to the songs, especially Vilma’s iconic Sweet Sixteen (hahahaha!).

The fatal accident happened almost on the same spot where, a few years later, another Eddie (yes, Gutierrez) was seriously injured when his car crashed into a stalled truck with no warning-light on.

Eddie, whose loveteam-mate was Esperanza Fabon (now a widowed judge), left behind a beautiful wife, singer-actress Lynn Salazar (then tourted as a Helen Gamboa lookalike), and two adorable daughters, Edlyn and Michelle, who both take after their parents’ flair for music.

Although too young then (“Busy playing and eating chocolates,” he said), Edmund was prompted to take a quick trip down Memory Lane after he met Edlyn.

“For a time after her dad’s untimely passing,” reported Edmund, “Edlyn became a celebrated singer herself. Dubbed as the Jukebox Baby at the tender age of six, she waxed several 45-rpm records and a long-playing album (Daddy Mahal Kita) and sang in different television shows and big events.” 

Before long, she suddenly disappeared from the limelight and nothing much had been heard about her since. After finishing high school, Edlyn moved to Bahrain and performed as a band vocalist in a popular hotel.

Five years later, she went back to the Philippines to pursue college at Cebu Doctors Hospital. But even before she finished her Medical Technology degree, she left again, this time for Saipan, to work with a band at the famous Pacific Islands Club (PIC).

“With an astonishing voice that covers all genres of music, Edlyn lasted for 16 long years at the famous resorts, until she decided to move to the US East Coast,” added Edmund.

A certified baby nurse and caregiver, she settled in New Jersey in 2011 and found work away from the spotlight and audience applause. But Edlyn’s incredible talent is hard to keep a secret. Newfound friends took notice of that talent during karaoke gatherings and began posting videos on YouTube.

According to Edmund, through those videos and by word of mouth, concert producers Satrick Uy and Cathy Carandang-Uy of SCAT Productions offered Edlyn a guest spot in the pre-Valentine show of popular stand-up comedian Rex Navarrette at Payag, a trendy Fil-Am dining place in Woodside, Queens, New York, slated for Feb. 10.

It will be Edlyn’s first public appearance and gig in the East Coast.

Added Edmund, “Interestingly, many East Coast Pinoys still remember her and her iconic dad who popularized Together Again, What Am I Living For, Two Lovely Flowers and Mardy, among many other hits in the ‘60s and ‘70s. What they don’t know is that Edlyn, now 40, has morphed into a singer extraordinaire, with a soulful voice and style reminiscent of a black singer, like Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight. Friends have been encouraging her to try out in reality singing contests, such as The Voice or The X Factor, and blow the judges away.”

Confessing that she’s shy, Edlyn said that many people have been pushing her to do so.

“I thought about it and wala namang mawawala kahit matalo, pero baka hindi ko kayanin ang pressure...at mahiyain nga kasi ako talaga. My sister Michelle is the better singer. Lagi kong sinasabi ‘yon, mas magaling ang sister ko.”

Michelle, now Mrs. JP Octavo and a mom of a young boy, is based in Manila performing with a band called Powerhouse. The group has a regular gig every Friday at Aruba Bar & Restaurant in Metrowalk, Ortigas Center, Pasig City, and plays in corporate functions and private events.

Unlike Michelle, Edlyn grew up to be “different.”

“Yes,” Edlyn admitted to Edmund with a laugh, “I’m more like Aiza Seguerra and I’m very proud to be one. Never ko naman ikinahiya o itinago na kauri ko si Aiza.”

Aiza is Edlyn’s idol.

“She is always cool and carries herself with dignity and respect, and she’s an inspiration to the gay community,” she said of Aiza who’s currently seen in Be Careful With My Heart, the hit teleserye on the Kapamilya Network. “Not to mention a great artist.”

In her very first New York performance, Edlyn will join the show’s headliner Rex, America’s premier Fil-Am stand-up comedian. The show, titled Thank God I’m Filipino, will also feature Fil-Am singers Arnel Arcedo and Michelle Semana. The venue, Payag Restaurant, is located at 51-34 Roosevelt in Woodside, Queens. (To Pinoys in New York: For tickets and other info, call 732.687.2413 or 774.482.6238.)

Fil-Am student in London drama school

In an accompanying report, Edmund said that a New York Fil-Am acting student flew to the United Kingdom early this month to study at the London Dramatic Academy Conservatory Acting Program, in partnership with Fordham University.

Daniel Velasco, a junior theater performance major at Fordham University-Lincoln Center and a member of the Screen Actors Guild (now known as SAG-AFTRA) since he was 10, was chosen from among numerous applicants to the Spring 2013 program of the London acting institution located on Kensington Square. 

Velasco was accepted to the program by audition and recommendations. Part of his tuition will be covered by his college grants and scholarship awards. Among them is the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship awarded him recently by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Institute of International Education.

“It will be a great opportunity for me to study classical as well as contemporary British theater in its proper environment,” said the handsome Manhattan-born Velasco, who has had several US television appearances and print and TV commercial credits for various major brands. “This is a great chance for me to further my studies in acting.”

Velasco was a college sophomore when he made his main stage debut at Fordham as the lead actor of Swooney Planet, and recently as a supporting actor for Eurydice. He also acted in numerous plays while in high school at Loyola School NYC.

 He also has attended several acting trainings and seminars, and earned a black belt in mixed martial arts.

  The London program is based on the curriculum and practices of the great British Classical training academies. It involves daily physical and acting classes such as acting Shakespeare, period dance, physical theater, voice, speech/dialects, acting, stage combat, and movement, generally from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.    

 Weekly classes include theater history, literature and dramatic criticism, based on regular theater and site visits and other cultural activities. Emphasis is placed on small classes and one-to-one tutorials, as well as the creation of a vibrant and artistic group.

Velasco’s mother, Vivian Velasco, a long-time Fil-Am community leader, said despite economic challenges, she and the rest of the their relatives and friends, are giving their full support to her son and his dream.

Noting that a large part of her son’s expenditures in London will come from their own pockets, Vivian said she believes it will all be worth it.

“Daniel is the son every mother could wish for,” said the single mom, who is an accountant and member of the board of directors of the Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI). “More than his passion for acting, he knows how to serve and respect others being a dedicated Boy Scout in grade school (at Immaculate Conception School NYC, where he graduated first honors), and he got involved in Christian Service camps twice a year throughout his high school, caring for the poor and disadvantaged.”

The Velascos are related to Norma Blancaflor, Alicia Alonzo and her late brother Anthony Alonzo.

“With Filipinos and Filipino-American artists making waves on stage, TV and cinema, we have high hopes Daniel will find his niche in the field he has chosen,” Vivian told Edmund.

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