was a Japanese songwriter and jazz pianist.
Biography
Hachidai Nakamura was born in
Tsingtao,
Republic of China
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...
, to Japanese parents,
before moving to
Kurume at a young age, where he attended high school. He graduated from
Waseda University in
Tokyo with a degree in literature. Nakamura extensively played piano during his high school days, where he was invited to perform with local dance band "Yasuhiko Taniguchi and Premier Swing", and "The Red Hat Boys", a student jazz combo.
After Nakamura entered Waseda University, he formed a jazz band named "Big Four" along with
Hidehiko Matsumoto, Joji "George" Kawaguchi, and Mitsuru Ono in 1953, but the band was soon disbanded.
As a composer, Nakamura later wrote many songs for various Japanese singers such as
Kyu Sakamoto,
enka singer
Saburō Kitajima, and
Johnny & Associates' first group
Johnnys
was a Japanese boy band created by Johnny Kitagawa before the formation of the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates.
The group was formed in April 1962 and lasted until November 20, 1967. They are considered one of the first of Japan's J ...
. He worked closely with lyricist
Rokusuke Ei and many of his songs were popularized by singer Kyu Sakamoto. He wrote the music of the popular Japanese song "
Ue o muite arukō," released in 1961 in Japan. The song was released in the United States under the name "Sukiyaki" in 1963, peaking at the number-one position on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100. He and Ei also worked on the productions of Johnnys' 1964 debut single "Wakai Namida" and Saburō Kitajima's 1965 single "Kaerokana."
Compositions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gkG6DFaDd4&list=RD2gkG6DFaDd4
Kyu Sakamoto
* ''
Ue o muite arukō'' (上を向いて歩こう)
* ''
Ashita ga aru sa'' (明日があるさ)
* ''Hitoribotchi no futari'' (一人ぼっちの二人)
* ''Sayonara sayonara'' (さよならさよなら)
* ''Sekai no kuni kara konnichiwa'' (世界の国からこんにちは)
* ''Soshite omoide'' (そして想い出)
* ''Kuchibue dake ga'' (口笛だけが)
* ''Ikite ite yokatta'' (生きていてよかった)
Johnnys
* ''Wakai Namida'' (若い涙)
Saburō Kitajima
* ''Kaerokana'' (帰ろかな)
References
1931 births
1992 deaths
Musicians from Qingdao
People from Kurume
Waseda University alumni
Japanese songwriters
Japanese jazz pianists
20th-century pianists
20th-century Japanese musicians
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