Yuya Uchida (singer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yuya Uchida
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Yuya Uchida in 1963
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| Background information | |||||
| Birth name | Yuya Uchida (内田 雄也) | ||||
| Born | November 17, 1939 Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan |
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| Died | March 17, 2019 (aged 79) Tokyo, Japan |
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| Genres | Rock | ||||
| Occupation(s) | Singer, record producer, actor | ||||
| Instruments | Vocals | ||||
| Years active | 1959–2019 | ||||
| Associated acts | Flower Travellin' Band/The Flowers | ||||
| Japanese name | |||||
| Kanji | 内田 裕也 | ||||
| Hiragana | うちだ ゆうや | ||||
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Yuya Uchida (Japanese: 内田 裕也, Hepburn: Uchida Yūya, November 17, 1939 – March 17, 2019) was a famous Japanese singer, music producer, and actor. He worked in music and movies for sixty years. He was a very important person in Japanese rock music.
He acted in many movies, like Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence and the American film Black Rain. He even won two awards for his acting.
Yuya Uchida's Music Journey
Yuya Uchida was born in Nishinomiya, Japan. He left high school when he was 17 years old and started his music career in 1957.
He became friends with John Lennon after performing before The Beatles on their tour in Japan in 1966.
In 1967, Yuya Uchida saw Jimi Hendrix perform in London. He was so amazed that he wanted to bring a similar sound to Japan. He formed a band called Yuya Uchida & The Flowers. In 1969, they released an album called Challenge!. This album mostly had covers of Western psychedelic rock songs.
Later, the band changed its name to Flower Travellin' Band. Yuya Uchida became their producer and manager. They released another cover album, Anywhere, in 1970. Before moving to Canada, they quickly recorded an album of their own songs called Satori. It came out in North America in 1971. The band made two more albums before they stopped playing together for 34 years.
Besides his own music and the Flower Travellin' Band, Yuya Uchida worked with many other musicians from Japan and other countries. He recorded music with famous bands like The Ventures and Frank Zappa in the mid-1970s. In 1975, he organized a big music event called "World Rock Festival." Artists from all over the world performed together at this festival.
In 1991, he tried to become the governor of Tokyo, but he didn't win the election.
In 2014, he sang a duet song called "Shekina Baby" with the pop idol Rino Sashihara.
His Final Years
Yuya Uchida passed away from pneumonia in a hospital in Tokyo on March 17, 2019. He was 79 years old.
After he passed away, he received a special Lifetime Achievement Award at the 61st Japan Record Awards on December 30, 2019. This award honored his long and important career in music.
Music He Released
Yuya Uchida released many songs and albums throughout his career.
- Singles
- "Lonely Johnny/Young One" (ひとりぼっちのジョニー／ヤング ワン, 1963)
- "Viva Las Vegas/Roll Over Beethoven" (ラスベガス万才／ロール・オーバー・ベートーベン, 1964)
- "Last Chance/Flower Boy" (ラスト・チャンス／フラワー・ボーイ, 1969, Yuya Uchida & The Flowers)
- "Shekina Baby" (シェキナベイベー, 2014, with Rino Sashihara)
- Albums
- Challenge! (1969, Yuya Uchida & The Flowers)
- Hollywood (1975, Yuya Uchida and The Ventures)
- A Dog Runs (ア・ドッグ・ランズ, 1978)
Movies He Starred In
Yuya Uchida was also a talented actor. Here are some of the movies he appeared in:
| Year | Title | Role | |
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| 1983 | Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence | Military prison commander | |
| 1986 | Comic Magazine | Toshiaki Kinameri | |
| 1989 | Black Rain | Nashida | |
| 2003 | Akame 48 Waterfalls | ||
| 2016 | Hoshikuzu kyôdai no aratana densetsu | (his last movie role) |
