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Tatsuhiko Yamamoto
Tatsuhiko Yamamoto
Birth name	山本達彦
Born	March 4, 1954 (age 70); Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
Genres	J-Pop, Rhythm and blues, Jazz
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, composer
Instrument(s)	Vocals, piano, guitar
Years active	1974–present
Labels	Universal Music Japan (1978 - 1981); EMI Music Japan (1982 - 1988); Alfa Records (1990 - 1994); Ariola Japan (1996); Wonder Entertainment (1996 - 1997); Silence (1999 - present);
Website	www.tatsuhiko-yamamoto.jp

Tatsuhiko Yamamoto (山本達彦, Yamamoto Tatsuhiko, born March 4, 1954) is a Japanese singer-songwriter and composer born in Shinjuku, Tokyo considered to have helped pioneer the city-pop genre.

Early life and career

Yamamoto first began singing in the Tokyo Boys' Choir during his second year at Gyosei Primary School. After merging with the corresponding girls choir, the group went on a goodwill tour through North America in 1964. During this tour, the group performed on the Ed Sullivan Show. Yamamoto has been open about having come from a supportive home that allowed him to pursue his interests freely. He also noted his own perfectionism as a child, stating that it took him until middle school to find his stride.^[1]

While attending Seikei University, he formed a band called Orange (オレンジ). Despite early initial success, including a win at the Nippon TV band contest, the band soon dissolved in 1976, two years after the release of their debut single. After graduating, Yamamoto embarked on a solo career, debuting with Sudden Wind in 1978.

Solo success

Yamamoto saw continued commercial success throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, with his albums regularly appearing within the Top 20 of the Japanese Oricon Charts and being used in advertisements. Musically, those works are considered to be of the AOR and city-pop genres, a mix of various sounds incorporating disco, rhythm and blues, soft rock, and jazz.^[2] He has noted the influence that his uncle's musical tastes had on him growing up and, toward the end of the 1990s and into the new millennium, experimented more with piano-driven jazz and bossa nova.^[3]

In 1999, he launched his own label, Silence.^[3]

Influences

Yamamoto has cited Sergio Mendes, Jimmy Webb, Burt Bacharach, and Donny Hathaway as influences, noting that the late-1960s constitutes the time most "vibrant" to him.^[4]