A Go Go At Blow Up - The Jetliners | TRC Collectible

The late Tony Fernando was a pioneer in Ceylon's (now Sri Lanka) popular music scene. He was a true entrepreneur who was fascinated by popular music.

In the 1950s Ceylon, he saw a gap in the music market and opened Tony's Record Bar in Bambalapitiya, which was the first shop to sell records and radios. Tony Fernando went on to run the Lewis Browns recording studio and form Ceylon's first supergroup, The Jetliners, which became a hit-making machine.

Ishan Bahar, also known as "The Beatboy Extra-Ordinary," became a member of The Jetliners in 1961. Mignonne Rutnam, a young woman who had won a talent contest on Radio Ceylon, later joined The Jetliners' lineup. Her first manager, Tony Fernando, later became her husband. In South Asia and Southeast Asia, Mignonne and the Jetliners rose to the top of the music world. They proved to be an absolute hit over the airwaves of Radio Ceylon.

They had some success in India, with one EP and two albums released. In 1969, the Sri Lankan group was the house band at Blow Up, the Taj Mahal Hotel's discotheque, in Bombay where they recorded the two albums - The Jetliners Go Go at Blow Up and The Jetliners at the Taj Mahal Bombay.

This LP features Indra Rajah on Lead Guitar; Anton Gunawijaya on Rhythm Guitar; Desmond Schokman on Bass Guitar; Harris Jurangpathy on Drums, Percussion and Vocals; Migonne Rutnam on Vocals and Electronic Organ; and Loretta Koch & Conrad De Silva on Vocals.

The lead guitarist Indra Rajah later moved to Switzerland and formed the bands "Indra And The Park Avenue Connection" and "Indra & Move It". Conrad De Silva reportedly lives in Melbourne who became the oldest ever auditionee (80 years) with his charming performance of Nat King Cole's 'L-O-V-E' at The Voice Australia. Other members of the band are living in different parts of Europe and some in Sri Lanka.

Unlike The Jetliners At Taj Mahal which is easily accessible via YouTube, this album is impossible to get online for streaming, making it a rare and collectible record for vinyl collectors.

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