TALES OUT OF THE BOOK OF OPM

Pilita Corrales, Nora Aunor, and Hajji Alejandro, three pillars of Original Pilipino Music (OPM), passed away one after the other a few weeks ago.

- BABY A. GIL

And given the stature each one held in the local music industry, their fans are still in a reminiscing mode, eager to share their stories and still wanting more. Please allow me to add a few more to those.

Did you know that Nora Aunor was the original Annie Batungbakal? The superstar not only experimented with the Manila Sound by recording Cinderella's Ikaw ang Superstar ng Buhay Ko, she actually went all out singing and dancing in a movie with a soundtrack album of purely Manila Sound materials.

The movie "Annie Batungbakal," starring Nora Aunor and co-starring Nida Blanca and Lloyd Samartino, was directed by Maryo J. de los Reyes and written by Jake Tordesillas, was shown in 1979. Music was provided by the Manila Sound pioneer band the Hotdog itself. The soundtrack album released by WEA on vinyl was made up of songs composed by the Garcia brothers Dennis and Rene.