Kazuhiko Kato (musician)

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Kazuhiko Kato
Birth name	Kazuhiko Kato
Born	March 21, 1947 (1947-03-21) (age 61)
Origin	Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan
Genre(s)	Folk, Pop, Rock, Psychedelic Rock
Occupation(s)	Record procucer, composer, and singer
Years active	1967–present

Kazuhiko Katō (加藤和彦, Katō Kazuhiko^?) (born March 21, 1947), nicknamed "Tonovan" (トノヴァン, "Tonovan"^?), is a Japanese record producer, songwriter, and singer.

As a member of the Folk Crusaders, Kato launched his recording career in the mid 1960s."Kaettekita Yopparai (I Only Live Twice)", their psychedelic debut song composed by Kato and released in 1967, sold more than 1.3 million copies in Japan, and became one of the best-selling singles of the early Japanese popular music industry.^[1]

After the breakup of Folk Crusaders in 1970, Kato gained success for his production works for other musicians, including Shigeru Izumiya, Mariya Takeuchi, and Takuro Yoshida. In particular, Sadistic Mika Band, the acclaimed project he started with his first wife Mika Fukui, received international success. Their 1974 album entitled Kurofune (The Black Ship) is regarded as one of the most significant Japanese rock albums of the mid 1970s. Although they achieved some notable work including a concert tour with Roxy Music, the group was disbanded in 1977 due to an adultery scandal between record producer Chris Thomas and the lead vocalist Fukui (Kato's wife).^[2] Sadistic Mika Band has since been reassembled and disbanded again several times, with new vocalists such as Yumi Matsutoya, Karen Kirishima, and Kaela Kimura.^[3]

As a composer, Kato formed a songwriting team with his second wife, the late Kazumi Yasui. Most of the songs they wrote were recorded and produced by Kenji Sawada.