P.S. more Hotdog tales

Did you know that it was Dennis Garcia himself who thought of the term Manila Sound?

The year was 1975. Hotdog was the biggest band of the time, and frontman Dennis was also a famous advertising copywriter.

One evening Hotdog was shooting the breeze with Vic del Rosario Jr., the vice president of Vicor Music Corporation at the old Swiss Inn in Roxas Boulevard.

Vic mentioned that he needed a tagline for a new label named Sunshine targeted towards a young pop market. Dennis thought for a moment. Then said, why not Manila Sound, named for where the music comes from, like TSOP, the Sound of Philadelphia or Motown for Detroit, the Motor Town. Thus, the Manila Sound was born.

Ironically, when Hotdog left the Villar Label and moved to Vicor, the band was not put under Sunshine, the Manila Sound label. Hotdog went into the global RCA label. And that is where the Hotdog album “Inspiration,” which includes Manila, has remained since.

While performing in Honolulu as Red Fox, the band was offered a recording contract by a major US label. But before they could sign, the offer was withdrawn. The reason was because Red Fox had no original songs. That was when Dennis decided to go home and start writing originals.

Ikaw Ang Miss Universe Ng Buhay Ko was inspired by the Miss Universe Beauty Pageant that was held in Manila in 1974. Why bother with those beauties when every woman is the Miss Universe of somebody who loves her?

Dying to Tell You was Dennis’ courting song for his very own colegiala, the former Pamela Flores.  They had three children, Angela, Paolo and Issa.

Did you know that Nora Aunor was the original Annie Batungbakal? The superstar actually went all out singing and dancing in a film with a soundtrack album of purely Manila Sound materials in 1979.

The movie “Annie Batungbakal,” starring Aunor and co-starring Nida Blanca and Lloyd Samartino, was directed by Maryo J. de los Reyes and written by Jake Tordesillas. Music was provided by Hotdog itself.  The soundtrack album released by WEA was made up of songs composed by Dennis and Rene.

Among them are some of Hotdog’s best — Bongga Ka Day, Langit Na Naman, Kulang, Robot, Meowww and Annie Batungbakal.

Rene, guitarist and lead vocalist, passed away on Sept. 2, 2018. He was 62 years old. Dennis who played bass for Hotdog passed away on Jan. 18, 2020. He was 69 years old. They were also songwriters.

Dennis and Rene never had music lessons, let alone went to a Conservatory of Music or something similar in college. They learned music by watching a neighborhood band rehearse.

The boys gawked and gawked day after day until the band asked them to join in. Oh, and they learned fast. So fast, in fact, that they were soon ably playing covers of the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and other foreign bands.

But then, although they later wrote songs that are now considered national treasures, the kind of music education they had disqualifies them from ever becoming National Artists.

Sad. But then that is more than made up for by their having created music that can put thousands in a jubilant mood and on their feet. Like this one…

“Hinahanap-hanap kita Manila/ ang ingay mong kay sarap sa tenga/ mga jeepney mong nagliliparan/ mga babae mong nag-gagandahan/ take me back to your arms Manila/ promise me you’ll never let go/ promise me you’ll never let go/ Manila Manila…”

Manila plus other Hotdog classics will be performed by a lineup of Hotdog girl singers and today’s young hitmakers in “Manila, Manila, the Music of HOTDOG,” a tribute concert that will be held at the Newport Performing Arts Theater on Aug. 8.