This photograph of a band with Caucasian, Chinese, Indian and Malay members belonged to Mr. Alfredo Libio (left, playing the bongos), a musician and band leader who was active in the Singapore music scene from the 1940s to 1960s.Alfredo ‘Fred’ Libio was a Filipino expatriate who settled in Singapore and started working as a musician during the inter-war period. By the 1940s, Libio was heading bands that played at high society weddings as well as conducting orchestras that performed at popular dance venues such as the Happy Cabaret. His musical talents saw him eventually writing transpositions for the Singapore Orchestra. Besides his musical contributions, Libio was also actively involved in the political issues concerning local musicians. In 1949, Libio, who was then President of the Singapore Musicians’ Union, along with Lim Yew Hock, the trade union representative on the Legislative Council, represented unionised musicians in wage negotiations with the management of the Happy World, New World, Great World and Southern Cabarets. The multi-talented Libio passed away in 1975 at the age of 69.
