Biography
Sam Saimun (1924/1925 - April 3, 1972) was an Indonesian singer of the 1950s. He began his career when he won the Bintang Radio Republik Indonesia (Indonesia Radio Star) competition in 1951, 1952, and 1955 in the Keroncong category.
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Sam Saimun was born in 1924, and some say in 1925.
During the Japanese occupation, he joined the Bandung Studio Orchestra led by E. Sambajon as a singer.
He was the winner of the Bintang Radio Republik Indonesia (Indonesian Radio Star) competition in 1951, 1952, and 1955 for entertainment, serious, and keroncong genres.
He was often referred to as the Indonesian Nat King Cole during his career. Due to his popularity, Sam Saimun also became one of Bing Slamet's role models.
Not only was Sam Saimun famous in Indonesia, but he was also well-known in Malaysia and Singapore. In July 1951, he visited Singapore with the Nick Mamahit quartet. He also visited Malaysia in 1958 and 1968. Sam Saimun's final performance in Malaysia was on Penang Island, Malaysia, on October 27-28, 1970, with 130 Taiwanese and Singaporean artists.
Sam Saimun died on April 3, 1972, leaving behind a wife and three children.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.