Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi | ||
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 Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi, 2005
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| Background information | ||
| Born | September 7, 1956 Hioki, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan |
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| Genre(s) | J-Rock | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer, songwriter, actor | |
| Years active | 1977–present | |
| Label(s) | Victor, Toshiba-EMI, For Life Music Entertainment | |
| Website | Official Website | |
Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi (長渕剛 Nagabuchi Tsuyoshi?), born September 7, 1956 in Hioki, Kagoshima Prefecture) is a Japanese musician, and actor.
He has ever produced many hit singles as a singer-songwriter, such as "Junko"(1980), "Tonbo"(1988), "Kanpai"(1988), "Shabondama"(1991) and "Close Your Eyes"(2005). And he has twelve albums which reached number-one at Japanese Oricon album chart. Along with Yosui Inoue and Noriyuki Makihara, he sold over 10 million single records. From 1977 through 2005, Nagabuchi has sold over 21 million records. Now he is top-selling male singer-songwriter in Japan. [1]
As an actor, he has appeared in some movies and TV dramas, such as Kazoku Game(1983), Bodyguard(1997), Otoko wa Tsurai yo(1990) and Eiji(1999). His wife Etsuko Shihomi is also known as an actress.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early years
On September 7, 1956, Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi, the first son between a policeman Kuniharu Nagabuchi and his wife Masuko was born in Ijuin, Kagoshima. When he was child, his body was very weak and often had suffered from asthma. He had complex about his physical weakness for many years, and he devoted to train himself after he became famous as a singer-songwriter.
Nagabuchi had favored popular Japanese folk singers, Takuro Yoshida, Ryo Kagawa, Masato Tomobe and Kenji Endo, and protest songs by them tempted him to become a musician. His eagerness to realize a dream made him bought gut-guitar at the age of 15. In 1973, when he was 17, he experienced the first live act for him. Around 1974, he formed a folk duo called "Takeshi and Tsuyoshi" and acted stages as a group. In 1975, he entered to Kyushu Sangyo University, but eventually dropped out of the school and proceed to the way of show business. At that time, he often performed at the late-night bar. Sometimes audience hooted him and threw liqueur's bottle. Later, he reminisce about old days and said that this unbearable experience trained his own spirit.
[edit] Career
[edit] Early career
His career as a solo artist began in the mid 1970s. In 1976, he tried well-known music contest called "Yamaha Popular Music Song Contest" and performed the song "Ame no Arashiyama", and won the prize. In next year, this song was released as his first single from JVC Victor Records (artist name was credit as Go Nagabuchi), although failed to chart. Approach of "Ame no Arashiyama" arranged by Motoki Funayama was enka-style, and he wanted to avoid such very conservative stile. Nevertheless, it was recorded and released despite his reluctance about the sound. Because of such disgraced treatment, he hates his debut single and would like to hide existence of this song.
After the failed debut song, he contracted with Toshiba EMI and challenged to music scene again. His restarting single was "Junrenka", released on October 5, 1978. In later years, he released re-recorded version and made for #1 hit at oricon, Japanese official record chart. Debut album Kaze wa Minamikara was released in 1979. He released second album in same year, and it sold over 580,000 copies and provided him with the first #1 hit record at oricon. The album entitled Gyakuryu featured his early principal hit single "Junko". At first it was included in the album only, but cut as the single in 1980 and marked the top of Japanese single chart in same year's August. Following the success both of the album and a single, he joined one of the most popular singer-songwriter in Japan.
[edit] 1980s
In 1980, Nagabuchi released another well-known Japanese folk-song's classic, "Kanpai", which he wrote for his friend's wedding. It was first appeared on his same-titled album and unreleased as a single, but gradually became famous among the country. In 1988, he recorded newly version for a single, and it became his second #1 hit on the single chart.
In next three studio albums, Bye Bye, Jidai wa Bokura ni Ame o Furashiteru and Heavy Gauge, he attempted to getting rid of mere standard folk-song style. After the two successful albums in early 1980s, commercial success of his albums and singles were declined one after another for about three years. "Goodbye Seishun" in autumn 1983, a smash-hit single since "Junko", was written with Yasushi Akimoto for the TV drama series he starred. From the other drama program broadcast in 1982, he began acting career as a side job. He has ever appeared 14 TV dramas and 5 movies, and several of them were starred by him. In the 17th film of the movie series Otoko wa Tsurai yo in 1986, he acted with his future wife Etsuko Shihomi.
He disliked his own voice. To change it, he gargled by shochu, and sang in coarse-grained vocal intentionally. Eventually, his voice was gradually changed to hoarse like Bob Dylan whom he had respected. The change of voice expression intensified his characteristics more and more. Thanks to such characteristic expression, he built up deep-rooted popularity in the mid 1980s. From 1987 album License to Captain of the Ship in 1993, his six studio albums constantly reached #1 on oricon album chart. In particular, Japan in 1991 sold over million copies and became his most successful record. Similarly, "Shabondama", the first single cut from this album became million-seller.
[edit] Discography
Following albums and singles reached number one on Japanese chart, oricon. For other releases and more information, see Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi discography
[edit] Number one albums
- Gyakuryū (逆流?) (1979)
- Kanpai (乾杯?) (1980)
- License (1987)
- Shōwa (昭和?) (1989)
- Jeep (1990)
- Japan (1991)
- Captain of the Ship (1993)
- Keep on Fighting (2003)
[edit] Number one singles
- "Junko (順子?)" (1980)
- "Kanpai (乾杯?)" (1988)
- "Tonbo (とんぼ?)" (1988)
- "Gekiai (激愛?)" (1989)
- "Shoppai Mikaduki-no Yoru (しょっぱい三日月の夜?)" (1989)
- "Shabondama (しゃぼん玉?)" (1991)
- "Junrenka '92 (巡恋歌'92?)" (1992)
- "Run" (1993)
[edit] Filmography
[edit] Television
- Oh Sadaharu Monogatari (王貞治物語、1982)
- Kazoku Game (家族ゲーム、1983)
- Kazoku Game II (家族ゲームII、1984)
- Kazoku Game Special (家族ゲームスペシャル、1985)
- Oyako Game (親子ゲーム、1986)
- Oyako Zigzag (親子ジグザグ、1987)
- Stand By Me (スタンド・バイ・ミー、1988)
- Tombo (とんぼ、1988)
- Usagi-no Kyujitsu (うさぎの休日、1988)
- Shabondama (しゃぼん玉、1991)
- RUN (RUN、1993)
- Eiji Futatabi (英二ふたたび、1997)
- Body Guard (ボディーガード、1997)
- Shonen Okamesan (少年「おかめさん」、2002)
[edit] Film
- HOT JAM'80 (HOT JAM'80、1980)
- Otoko wa Tsurai yo Kofuku-no Aoi Tori (男はつらいよ 幸福の青い鳥、1986)
- Orgel (オルゴール、1989)
- Water Moon (ウォータームーン、1989)
- Eiji (英二、1999)
[edit] External links
- Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi OFFICIAL WEB SITE <LIVE ON>(Japanese only)
