Sam Hui facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sam Hui
Chinese: 許冠傑
Sam Hui in 2024
Born	(1948-09-06) 6 September 1948 (age 76) Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
Other names	Hui Koon-kit, Samuel Hui
Education	The University of Hong Kong (BSocSc, 1971)
Occupation	Musician singer songwriter record producer actor
Years active	1967–1992 2003–present
Spouse(s)	Rebecca Hui ​ (m. 1971)​
Children	2
Relatives	Michael Hui (brother) Ricky Hui (brother)
Awards	Hong Kong Film Awards – Best Original Film Song 1991 The Swordsman
Musical career
Also known as	God of Songs (歌神), Brother Sam
Origin	Hong Kong
Genres	Cantopop, Hong Kong English pop
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Labels	Diamond Records (1967) Polydor (1971–1983) Contec Sound (1983–1985) Cinepoly Records (1985–1990) PolyGram (1990–1992) IEC (2007–present)
Associated acts	The Lotus
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	許冠傑
Simplified Chinese	许冠杰
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Xǔ Guànjié Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Heoi2 Gun3git6

Samuel Hui Koon-kit (born September 6, 1948), known as Sam Hui, is a famous musician, singer, songwriter, and actor from Hong Kong. He is known for making Cantopop popular. He did this by mixing Western music styles with local Cantonese language in his songs. His lyrics often talked about everyday life and problems in Hong Kong. Many people call Sam Hui the first big superstar of Cantopop, and he is even known as the "God of Song". As an actor, he is famous for playing the main character "King Kong" in the five Aces Go Places movies.

Early Life and Family

Sam Hui was born in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China in 1948. His parents were both musicians. His father played traditional Chinese music, and his mother was a Chinese opera singer. In 1950, Sam and his parents moved to Hong Kong as refugees. He has three older brothers: Michael Hui, Ricky Hui, and Stanley. Sam Hui studied at the University of Hong Kong and other schools in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He worked with his brothers Michael and Ricky on several funny movies in the early 1970s.

Music and Acting Career

Becoming a Singer

Sam Hui started his singing career in the 1960s. In 1967, he joined a record company called Diamond Records. He also began his TV career as a host on a music show for young people on the TVB network. Sam and his brother Michael Hui became hosts of the Hui Brothers Show, which started in 1971. Sam Hui was also the lead singer of a band called The Lotus.

In the 1970s, Sam Hui sang many popular English songs. He also started writing theme songs for his brother Michael's comedy movies. This led him to sing more Cantonese songs. His first big Cantonese hit was "Eiffel Tower Above the Clouds" (鐵塔凌雲). It was first played on the Hui Brothers Show in 1972.

Sam Hui signed with Polydor Records and released his first English single, "April Lady." His first Cantonese album, Games Gamblers Play (Chinese: 鬼馬雙星), was a soundtrack for a movie with the same name. This album became very popular, selling 200,000 copies. It was a big part of making Cantopop famous.

Songs for Everyone

Sam Hui's music became popular with many people, especially working-class families. This was because his songs were simple and the lyrics were easy to understand and relate to. He wrote many songs that humorously described or made fun of Hong Kong society and events.

In 1976, his singing and acting careers really took off with the album The Private Eyes. This album was the soundtrack to the movie The Private Eyes. The album's songs often talked about the daily lives of people in Hong Kong. For example, "Song of Water Use" (制水歌) was about the time when Hong Kong had water rationing. Another song, "Could Not Care Less About 1997" (話知你97), told people to enjoy the present instead of worrying about Hong Kong's handover to China in 1997. Some of his songs were lighthearted, while others had deeper meanings.

In 1979, Sam Hui became the first singer from Hong Kong to perform at the Tokyo Music Festival.

Film Roles

Sam Hui signed a contract with Golden Harvest in 1971. He worked with his brothers Michael and Ricky on several films. In 1988, he made a short appearance in Michael's movie Chicken and Duck Talk. He also sang the theme song for the movie. In 1990, all three brothers reunited in the movie Front Page.

Sam Hui also worked with other popular singers like Leslie Cheung. They made a hit song together called Silence is Golden (沉默是金). He also sang "I've Never Been Afraid" (我未驚過) for the movie Aces Go Places 5: The Terracotta Hit.

He starred in the Aces Go Places film series in the 1980s. These were action-comedy movies where he co-starred with Karl Maka.

Retirement and Comeback

In the late 1980s, Sam Hui's father suggested he retire to avoid the stress of performing. In 1990, a concert in Hong Kong was supposed to be his early retirement show. However, he then agreed to host a series of 42 concerts.

From 1991 to 1992, Sam Hui held many farewell concerts. He hosted 14 shows in Hong Kong before his actual retirement. He is known as the "Canto-pop Godfather" and the "Elvis Presley of Hong Kong."

He also performed in Canada, dedicating those shows to his late father. Even after saying he would retire, Sam Hui returned for a short time in the movie Winner Takes All in 2000. He said he couldn't ignore his desire to perform.

The handprint and autograph of Sam Hui at the Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong

Sam Hui, widely called the "God of Song," decided to come out of retirement in 2004. He held many comeback concerts, which were completely sold out. In these concerts, he honored his friends Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui, who had passed away in 2003. He said their deaths influenced his decision to return to performing. His 2004 comeback song was called 04 Bless You ('04 祝福你). He performed in Kuala Lumpur in 2005 with his brother Ricky Hui and his sons. He also performed in Vancouver in 2005 and Singapore in 2008.

In 2007, Sam Hui signed with EC Music and released his first album in 17 years, called "Life is Good" (人生多麼好).

Personal Life

In December 1971, Sam Hui married Rebecca "Rebu" Fleming. They have two sons, Ryan Hui and Scott Hui. Sam Hui and his family live in Hong Kong. Ryan Hui is also a singer-songwriter, and Scott Hui is a film director.

Discography

Cantonese Albums

• 1974 Chinese: 鬼馬雙星
• 1975 The Last Message (Chinese: 天才與白痴)
• 1976 The Private Eyes Chinese: 半斤八兩
• 1978 Fortune God Comes (Chinese: 財神到)
• 1978 The Contract (Chinese: 賣身契)
• 1979 Chinese: 79夏日之歌集
• 1980 Chinese: 念奴嬌
• 1981 Security Unlimited (摩登保鑣)
• 1982 Chinese: 難忘您‧紙船
• 1983 Chinese: 最佳拍檔大顯神通
• 1983 Chinese: 新的開始
• 1984 Chinese: 最喜歡你
• 1985 Chinese: 最緊要好玩
• 1986 Chinese: 熱力之冠
• 1986 Chinese: 宇宙無限
• 1987 Band Chinese: 潮流興夾
• 1987 Chinese: 許冠傑新曲與精選
• 1988 Sam and Friends
• 1989 Chinese: 許冠傑 歌集
• 1990 Chinese: 香港情懷
• 1990 Chinese: 電影金曲精選
• 2004 Chinese: 歌神與您繼續微笑
• 2007 Chinese: 人生多麼好

English Albums

• 1971 Time of the Season
• 1974 Morning After
• 1975 Interlude
• 1977 Came Travelling

Filmography

Films

• 1973 Back Alley Princess (馬路小英雄)
• 1973 The Tattooed Dragon (龍虎金剛)
• 1974 Chinatown Capers (小英雄大鬧唐人街)
• 1974 Naughty! Naughty! (綽頭狀元) – Wu Te-chuan, a conman.
• 1974 Games Gamblers Play (鬼馬雙星)
• 1975 The Last Message (天才與白痴)
• 1976 The Private Eyes (半斤八兩)
• 1978 The Contract (賣身契)
• 1981 Security Unlimited (摩登保鑣)
• 1982 Aces Go Places (最佳拍檔)
• 1983 Aces Go Places 2 (最佳拍檔大顯神通)
• 1984 Aces Go Places 3 (最佳拍檔之女皇密令)
• 1984 A Family Affair (全家福)
• 1985 Working Class (打工皇帝)
• 1986 Aces Go Places IV (最佳拍檔千里救差婆)
• 1987 The Legend of Wisely (衛斯理傳奇) – as Producer.
• 1988 Chicken and Duck Talk (雞同鴨講) – Cameo
• 1989 Aces Go Places 5: The Terracotta Hit (新最佳拍檔)
• 1990 The Dragon from Russia (紅場飛龍)
• 1990 The Swordsman (笑傲江湖) – Ling Wu Chung
• 1990 Front Page (新半斤八兩)
• 1993 Laughter of the Water Margins (水滸笑傳)
• 1993 All's Well, Ends Well Too (花田囍事)
• 2000 Winner Takes All (大贏家)

See also

In Spanish: Samuel Hui para niños

• List of graduates of University of Hong Kong