In 1964, Ray Charles made his first visit to Japan. Then, in 1968, Martha & The Vandellas and Stevie Wonder set foot in the country, followed by Sam & Dave in 1969, Ike & Tina Turner in 1970, and B.B. King in 1971. The TV show "Soul Train" also began airing in Japan in the early 1970s. A watershed moment happened in 1973 when Sammy Davis Jr. was cast in a TV commercial for Suntory whisky — and the influence of the US Black entertainment world had really landed, with soul, jazz, and funk artists becoming household names. In 1965, Nippon Columbia opened a recording studio in Tokyo's Akasaka neighborhood. Akasaka was also home to the first ever discotheque in Japan, the legendary MUGEN, which ran from 1968 to 1987 and where many acts performed, including Con Funk Shun, the Bar-Kays, Ike & Tina Turner, B.B. King, Sam & Dave, Three Degrees, and Edwin Starr, as well as many local Japanese singers and musicians. This melting pot of creativity in the area led to the recording of many singles and albums by Japanese artists that were infused with the sounds of soul and funk. Most of these recordings were not available outside of Japan and remain rare and unknown musical gems.
Tracklist A1 Mieko Hirota : Soul Lady A2 Shinji Maki* & Black Jack : Nabeyoko Soul A3 Tan Tan : Happy Day A4 Kenji Niinuma : Airenki A5 Hatsumi Shibata : Furui Fuku Nanka B1 Strawberry Jam : Arimasen B2 Mieko Hirota : Anata Ga Inakute Mo B3 Akira Yasuda & Beat Folk : Kaerōka Kaerōka (Single version) B4 Miki Hirayama : Hatachi No Koi B5 Masaaki Sakai : Baby, Yuki Wo Dashite
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In 1964, Ray Charles made his first visit to Japan. Then, in 1968, Martha & The Vandellas and Stevie Wonder set foot in the country, followed by Sam & Dave in 1969, Ike & Tina Turner in 1970, and B.B. King in 1971. The TV show "Soul Train" also began airing in Japan in the early 1970s. A watershed moment happened in 1973 when Sammy Davis Jr. was cast in a TV commercial for Suntory whisky — and the influence of the US Black entertainment world had really landed, with soul, jazz, and funk artists becoming household names.
In 1965, Nippon Columbia opened a recording studio in Tokyo's Akasaka neighborhood. Akasaka was also home to the first ever discotheque in Japan, the legendary MUGEN, which ran from 1968 to 1987 and where many acts performed, including Con Funk Shun, the Bar-Kays, Ike & Tina Turner, B.B. King, Sam & Dave, Three Degrees, and Edwin Starr, as well as many local Japanese singers and musicians.
This melting pot of creativity in the area led to the recording of many singles and albums by Japanese artists that were infused with the sounds of soul and funk. Most of these recordings were not available outside of Japan and remain rare and unknown musical gems.
Tracklist
A1 Mieko Hirota : Soul Lady
A2 Shinji Maki* & Black Jack : Nabeyoko Soul
A3 Tan Tan : Happy Day
A4 Kenji Niinuma : Airenki
A5 Hatsumi Shibata : Furui Fuku Nanka
B1 Strawberry Jam : Arimasen
B2 Mieko Hirota : Anata Ga Inakute Mo
B3 Akira Yasuda & Beat Folk : Kaerōka Kaerōka (Single version)
B4 Miki Hirayama : Hatachi No Koi
B5 Masaaki Sakai : Baby, Yuki Wo Dashite