Kiyoshi Maekawa

Kiyoshi Maekawa
Birth name Kiyoshi Maekawa (前川 清 Maekawa Kiyoshi)
Born August 19, 1948
Origin Sasebo, Nagasaki, Japan
Genres Kayōkyoku, enka, adult contemporary, contemporary folk, rock, pop
Occupation(s) Singer, tarento
Years active 1967–present
Labels Victor Entertainment
BMG Japan
Pony Canyon
Gauss Entertainment/Tokuma Japan Communications
Teichiku
Associated acts Hiroshi Uchiyamada and Cool Five
Website www.maekiyo.com

Kiyoshi Maekawa (前川 清 Maekawa Kiyoshi) (born August 19, 1948) is a Japanese singer and tarento.

He is best known as the first lead vocalist of Hiroshi Uchiyamada and Cool Five, which was formed in 1967 and debuted in 1969 with the Japan Record Award-winning song "Nagasaki wa Kyō mo Ame Datta". As a frontman of the band, he spawned multiple hit singles such as "Awazu ni Aishite", "Uwasa no Onna","Soshite, Kōbe", "Nakanoshima Blues" and "Tokyo Sabaku" during the 1970s. In 1982, he released his first solo single "Yuki Ressha" composed and produced by Grammy-winning musician Ryuichi Sakamoto, and left the group five years later.[1] During his solo career, he released only one top-20 hit "Himawari" in 2002, a ballad contributed by Masaharu Fukuyama.[2]

 

Aside from the recording career, Maekawa has also built up popularity as a TV star, appearing on some television shows hosted by comedians such as Kinichi Hagimoto and The Drifters, airing around the latter half of 1970s and the 1980s.

He is also known as a former spouse of the singer, Keiko Fuji, who later married Teruzane Utada and had a daughter Hikaru.[3]

Notable singles

Notes

  1. Chart positions provided by the Oricon, and sources are from the archives on its official site (not available before 1988).

References

  1. "Hiroshi Uchiyamada, a leader of the Cool Five dies of lung cancer at the aged 70". zakzak.co.jp (in Japanese). Sankei Shimbun Company, Limited. Retrieved 2008-12-08.
  2. "Kiyoshi Maekawa breakthrough again with Masaharu Fukuyama". zakzak.co.jp (in Japanese). Sankei Shimbun Company, Limited. Retrieved 2008-12-08.
  3. "Iza! Kiyoshi Maekawa". iza.ne.jp (in Japanese). Sankei Shimbun Company, Limited. Retrieved 2008-12-12.

External links