Subaru singer Shinji Tanimura, who has been covered by Fong Fei-fei, dies at 74
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Shinji Tanimura keenly promoted friendly relations between Japan and China using his music.
PHOTO: @SHINJI_T_STAFF/X
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TOKYO – Japanese singer-songwriter Shinji Tanimura, who was known for hit songs including Subaru, or Star, which also made him popular in China, died earlier this month at the age of 74, his music agency said on Monday.
Tanimura had undergone surgery in March due to enteritis and cancelled a planned nationwide tour with his band to recuperate, but died on Oct 8, the agency said.
Tanimura, born in Osaka Prefecture in western Japan, made his musical album debut as a member of the three-man band Alice in 1972. The trio, which also consisted of Takao Horiuchi and Toru Yazawa, produced one hit after another, such as Champion and Fuyu No Inazuma, or Winter Lightning.
In 1984, Tanimura, together with Hong Kong singer Alan Tam and South Korean singer Cho Yong-pil, set up a Pax Musica concert series to promote cultural exchanges between countries and world peace.
Through his music, Tanimura promoted friendly relations between Japan and China, holding several concerts in China and serving as a professor at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. He made his first trip to China with Alice in 1981, performing at the Hand In Hand concert at Beijing Workers’ Gymnasium.
Tanimura’s 1980 solo signature work Subaru is widely known across China, with the song covered in Mandarin by Taiwanese singers such as the late Fong Fei-fei, Chiang Yu-heng and Peter Chen. The song has also been covered in Cantonese by the late Hong Kong singer Roman Tam and Hong Kong singer Michael Kwan.
Tanimura performed the song at the opening ceremony of the Shanghai World Expo in 2010.
His other songs have also been covered by artistes from Hong Kong and Taiwan, including the late Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng, the late Hong Kong singers Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui, Hong Kong singer Tam and Hong Kong “Heavenly Kings” Jacky Cheung, Aaron Kwok and Leon Lai.
Tanimura held a concert tour in Asia in 1984, performing in cities such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok.
The Japanese government awarded the singer a Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2015 for his contributions to the development of art and culture by creating a body of work that appealed widely not only in his home country but throughout Asia. XINHUA
