Once upon a time during the martial law ruled 70’s there were two show bands that dominated the local entertainment circuit. These were the New Minstrels and the Circus Band(which we featured before). The old Roxas Boulevard rocked with their sounds during the hot humid curfewed evenings.

The New Minstrels were born in the campus of San Beda College as an all-male singing group. Among the founding members were Eugene Villaluz and Ding Mercado. As their gigs increased in number and the need for a more varied repertoire arose, they decided to include girls in their line-up. Among those who joined was Louie Reyes, a music student from the neighboring Holy Ghost College.

The New Minstrels were known for their smooth sophisticated style and songs that alternated between current Top 40 hits and native Kundiman (Filipino Love Songs). A pop version of Mike Velarde’s “Buhat” was one of the groups biggest hits. As the members began embarking on solo pursuits, the New Minstrels kept up the pace by recruiting new members.  Among those later additions were Joey Albert, Ray-An Fuentes and Chad Borja, who all later became big Solo artists in their own right.

Here we have “Smile” an original Modern Soul-Jazz composition by the group.