Cymbals (シンバルズ) was a Japanese rock band active from 1997–2003. The trio was composed of vocalist Asako Toki (土岐麻子), bassist/guitarist Reiji Okii (沖井礼二), and drummer Hiroyasu Yano (矢野博康). Like other Japanese bands which emerged in the late 1990s, Cymbals were strongly influenced by the British pop-rock sounds of the 1960s. Due to their eclectic blend of styles, the band is often linked to Shibuya-kei. Despite solid songwriting and album production, they never scored a true "hit", which eventually resulted in the band's breakup in September 2003. They played a final 90-minute farewell concert at Shibuya O-East on January 20, 2004. The group's members remain musically active – Toki as a solo artist, Okii as a producer, and Yano as a session drummer and producer.
Koichi Sugiyama was a Japanese composer, conductor, and orchestrator. He was best known for composing the music for the Dragon Quest franchise, along with several other video games, anime, film, television shows, and pop songs. Classically trained, Sugiyama was considered a major inspiration for other Japanese game music composers and was active from the 1960s until his death from septic shock.
The Peanuts were a Japanese vocal group consisting of twin sisters Emi and Yumi Itō. They were born in Nagoya, Japan on April, 1 1941. As identical twins they had voices only slightly apart in timbre, which resulted in their singing together sounding like a solo artist utilizing double tracking or reverb.
Alan Price is an English musician who first found prominence as the original keyboardist of the English rock band the Animals. He left the band in 1965 to form the Alan Price Set; his hit singles with and without the group include "Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear", "The House That Jack Built", "Rosetta" and "Jarrow Song". Price is also known for work in film and television, taking occasional acting roles and composing the soundtrack to Lindsay Anderson's film O Lucky Man! (1973). He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 as a member of the Animals.
Kenji Sawada is a Japanese singer, composer, lyricist and actor, best known for being the vocalist for the Japanese rock band The Tigers. Nicknamed "Julie" because of his self-professed adoration of Julie Andrews, he was born in Tsunoi, Iwami, Tottori Prefecture, Japan, and raised in Sakyo-ku, Kyoto at age 3.
The Golden Cups are a Japanese pop and rock band, who were one of the top bands performing in the Group Sounds scene in the late 1960s.
James George Tomkins, known professionally as Big Jim Sullivan, was an English guitarist.
Chōsuke Ikariya was a Japanese comedian and film actor, and leader of the comedy group The Drifters. His nickname was "Chō-san" (長さん).
Masaru Sato was a Japanese composer of film scores. Following the 1955 death of Fumio Hayasaka, whom Sato studied under, Sato was the composer of Akira Kurosawa's films for the next 10 years. He was nominated for Best Music at the 15th Japan Academy Prize in 1992. In 1999, the Japanese government decorated Sato with the Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette for his contributions to the arts.
The Spiders were a Japanese rock band formed in Tokyo in 1961, as one of the leading groups of the Group Sounds genre.
Hideyo Amamoto was a Japanese actor. He is best known for portraying Dr. Shinigami in the original Kamen Rider series as well as many other characters in tokusatsu films such as the Godzilla series. Amamoto also used the pseudonym of Eisei Amamoto for most of his career, Eisei being a misreading of the kanji in his real name, Hideyo. He died on March 23, 2003, of complications from pneumonia at 77.
Kazuhiko Katō, nicknamed "Tonovan" (トノヴァン), was a Japanese record producer, songwriter and singer. He sometimes used the spelling of "Kazuhiko Katoh".
The Mops were a Japanese psychedelic rock/garage rock group active in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They were one of the most notable bands of the group sounds genre.
"Smile for Me" is a song composed by Barry Gibb in 1968 and made popular by the Tigers. It was produced by Biddu.
Mickie Yoshino is a Japanese keyboard player, composer, producer, and arranger. Yoshino is known for leading the rock band Godiego. In 2005, he won a Japan Academy Prize for his music. Yoshino's compositions were used in the film Swing Girls. Yoshino still produces music with groups such as Godiego and EnTRANS.
Asao Koike was a Japanese actor. He is most famous for playing yakuza roles. He is also known as voice actor. In 1950, he joined the Bungakuza Theatre Company. In 1963, he left the Bungakuza Theatre Company and established the Kumo Theatre Company. He appeared in more than 120 films.
The Hi-Jacks were a Filipino rock band that formed in the early 1960s. The group was established during a period when rock bands, also known locally as "combos", rose in popularity in the Philippines among young people. Many of their songs consist of covers of pop music from the United States and the United Kingdom, such as "Pa Pa Ou Mau Mau" and "Hey Jude".
Ironfinger is a 1965 Japanese action comedy film directed by Jun Fukuda. A parody of James Bond-style spy movies, the film stars Akira Takarada, Mie Hama, and Ichirō Arishima. In the film, an ordinary vacationer is assigned to a dead Interpol agent's mission and caught between rival gangs that are squabbling over a shipment of arms.
"Omoidaseru Koi wo Shiyō" is the fifth single by Japanese idol group STU48, released on September 2, 2020. Yumiko Takino and Momoka Rissen served as lead performers for the title song. The title song is the first one to feature the second generation trainees, who debuted in December 2019. It topped the Japanese music charts in its release week.
Minami Ichikawa is a Japanese businessman and film producer. An executive officer at Toho Co., Ltd., Ichikawa is the head of their Motion Picture Group, the Chairman of Toho Cinemas, the director of Toho-Towa and the former President of Toho Pictures.
