The Tigers were a popular Japanese band during the

Group Sounds , often abbreviated as GS, is a genre of Japanese rock music which became popular in the mid to late 1960s and initiated the fusion of Japanese ''kayōkyoku'' music and Western rock music. Their music production techniques were regarded as playin ...

era in the late 1960s. The group featured

Kenji Sawada is a Japanese singer, composer, lyricist and actor, best known for being the vocalist for the Japanese rock band The Tigers. Nicknamed because of his self-professed adoration of Julie Andrews, he was born in Tsunoi, Iwami (now part of Totto ...

as their lead singer, and were signed by

Watanabe Productions is a multimedia management company in Japan dealing in recordings, films, television, music publishing and artist management as well as the main subsidiary of the Watanabe Production Group. Formed by bandleader Shin Watanabe and his wife Misa W ...

. The group was first named "Funnys", and was formed in 1966. They changed their name to "The Tigers" on their first TV performance on 15 November 1966. They appeared in several Japanese movies in the late 1960s. The Tigers recorded " Smile for Me", composed by

Barry Barry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Barry (name), including lists of people with the given name, nickname or surname, as well as fictional characters with the given name * Dancing Barry, stage name of Barry Richards (born c. 19 ...

and

Maurice Gibb Maurice Ernest Gibb (; 22 December 1949 – 12 January 2003) was a British musician. He achieved fame as a member of the pop group Bee Gees. Although his elder brother Barry Gibb and fraternal twin brother Robin Gibb were the group's main le ...

The Bee Gees ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

, which was released as a single in July 1969 in the UK and Japan. Also in March 1969, the group was featured on the cover of the US magazine

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

, the cover story was about rock music in Japan. On 24 January 1971, The Tigers held their last concert, ''The Tigers Beautiful Concert'', at the

Nippon Budokan The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally built for the inaugural Olympic judo competition in the 1964 Summer Olympics. While its primary purpose is to host martial arts con ...

. After The Tigers broke up, Sawada formed the first Japanese

supergroup Supergroup or super group may refer to: * Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields * Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups, used in the study of supersymmetry * Supergroup ...

, Pyg, in 1971. In 1981, they reunited.

Singles

* My Mary (Debut Single) * Seaside Bound * Mona Liza's Smile * Love Only For You * Flower Necklace／Romance in Milky Way（Double A Side） * C-C-C * A White Dove *

Blue Bird The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the order of Passerines in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. ...

* A Decree Of Love *

Grief Grief is the response to loss, particularly to the loss of someone or some living thing that has died, to which a bond or affection was formed. Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, grief also has physical, cogni ...

* Smile For Me * Now I Forgive You／Love Love Love * Solitude The City * The Free Travel * Promise For Future

Movies

Dorifutazu desu yo! Zenshin zenshin matazenshin (1967,

Toho is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer an ...

) Director: Yoshinori Wada The Tigers: The World Is Waiting For Us (1968, Toho) Director: Yoshinori Wada The Tigers: Gorgeous Invitation (1968, Toho) Director: Kunihiko Yamamoto The Tigers: Hi! London (1969, Toho) Director: Katsuki Iwauchi Kigeki migimuke hidari! (1970, Toho) Director: Yôichi Maeda

References

External links

The Tigers

Modcineaste: The Tigers record reviews in English

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tigers Japanese rock music groups Musical groups established in 1966 Musical groups disestablished in 1971 Musical groups reestablished in 1981 1966 establishments in Japan Japanese garage rock groups