LARRY CHING

In the 30s, the time of nightclubs and swing music, a peculiar place opened in San Francisco. One could go to this place and enjoy fine dining, complete with pretty servers, fabulous dancers and top notch singers. What's so peculiar about that? Well, nothing, except for the fact that all of these workers at this place were Asian American.

Yes, I'm talking about Forbidden City Nightclub, a popular attraction for native San Franciscans and tourists alike. One of their best attractions was Larry Ching, dubbed the 'Chinese Frank Sinatra' by the local press.

Born in Hawaii, he joined the merchant marine in order to see the world. As San Francisco was one of the ports he stopped at, he would occasionally go and find work. After hearing him sing, he was hired at Forbidden City.

I had the chance to interview him for my Chinese in America class back in 1998. He pulled an old scrapbook with pictures taken from his days working there. He was especially fond of recalling all the "tail" he would get as a singer. "Chinese tail, Filipino tail, Korean tail, white tail, Mexican tail, hell, even black tail," he told me. "All you have to do is sing and they'll throw it at you!" He also told me, "Most of the good dancers were Filipino. Why? Because a lot of the Chinese girls had no rhythm!" In all, he was a great interview and I had a fun time [though I only got a B on the paper.]

He even completed his first and only cd just this past June. He held the CD Release Party on the 28th. Just a week later, on July 5, he suffered a brain aneurism and died in the hospital.

This is to you, Mr. Larry Ching, for doing what you loved during a time when Chinese and Asians in general failed to get the respect that they deserved, especially in the entertainment world.

[Read his obituary here]

Hoping to continue Larry Ching's legacy in

Makin' Mine Music

~No Tations~