James W. Boyle


James W. Boyle, better known as Jimmy Boyle, was a Penangite musician of Eurasian extraction. He composed and wrote the lyrics to Untuk Negeri Kita, which was adopted as the state anthem of Penang a year after his death.

Life

Boyle was born on the 26th July 1922 on Kelawai Road, Penang to Jeanne Moissinac and John Walter Patrick Boyle. He attended St. Xavier's Institution, and continued his education at Raffles College, Singapore. In 1946, he was hired by St. Xavier's to teach.
Boyle would become a composer for the Classical Saxophone Quarter, NW University Brass Ensemble. His work has received praise from the likes of Charles Lloyd and Jack Teagarden, and has been played on BBC and Voice of America.
A proud moment in his life came about when one of his compositions, Kemegahan Negaraku, was chosen to be played at the inaugural raising of the Malaysian flag, on the 31st August 1957.

Death

On the 8th May 1971, Boyle passed away of an intracerebral haemorrhage.