, better known as Joe Yamanaka, was a half Japanese and half African American singer, known for both his work with Flower Travellin' Band

Flower Travellin' Band

is a Japanese heavy psych outfit that was first active in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They reunited in 2007. Vocalist Joe Yamanaka died on August 7, 2011 after a battle with lung cancer.-History:...

 and as a solo musician. He was also an actor and appeared in many movies, such as Takashi Miike

Takashi Miike

is a highly prolific and controversial Japanese filmmaker. He has directed over seventy theatrical, video, and television productions since his debut in 1991. In the years 2001 and 2002 alone, Miike is credited with directing fifteen productions...

's Deadly Outlaw: Rekka

Deadly Outlaw: Rekka

Deadly Outlaw: Rekka is a 2002 Japanese yakuza film directed by Takashi Miike starring Riki Takeuchi and Sonny Chiba.-Plot:...

and the 1989 version of Zatoichi

Zatoichi

is a fictional character featured in one of Japan's longest running series of films and a television series set in the Edo period. The character, a blind masseur and swordmaster, was created by novelist . This originally minor character was developed for the screen by Daiei Studios and actor...

. In Japan he was known as one of the three "real tough guys" in the Japanese movie industry, along with Tsunehiko Watase

Tsunehiko Watase

is a Japanese actor. He won the award for best supporting actor at the 2nd Japan Academy Prize for The Incident and at the 3rd Hochi Film Award for The Incident, Kōtei no inai hachigatsu and The Fall of Ako Castle...

 and Jerry Fujio. The trio were known for being good-natured and kind, but with a rebellious past and noted fighting prowess (Joe's stemming from his short career as a teenage boxer

Boxing

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

).

Yamanaka starred as himself in the Hollywood action movie Ulterior Motives featuring Thomas Ian Griffith

Thomas Ian Griffith

Thomas Ian Griffith is an American actor and martial artist who has starred in films and on television.-Early life:Griffith was born in Hartford, Connecticut, the son of Mary Ann , who worked at a dance studio, and Thomas Joseph Griffith...

 and Ellen Crawford

Ellen Crawford

Ellen Crawford is an American actress. Most recently, she co-starred as Edith, in The Man from Earth. She also played Nurse Lydia Wright on ER from 1994–2003 and then again in 2009 for the series finale...

; three of Joe's songs were used in the film. He is also recognized for his charity and volunteer work with Japan International Cooperation Agency

Japan International Cooperation Agency

The Japan International Cooperation Agency is an independent governmental agency that coordinates official development assistance for the government of Japan...

 and flew around the world helping those in poor or war-torn conditions. His most well known song is "Proof of the Man", which sold more than 500,000 copies in 2 weeks and is a household name throughout Asian countries, although it is often called "Old Straw Hat" in Chinese areas. He was close friends with Amália Rodrigues

Amália Rodrigues

Amália da Piedade Rodrigues, GCSE, GCIH, , also known as Amália Rodrigues was a Portuguese singer and actress.She was known as the "Rainha do Fado" and was most influential in popularizing the fado worldwide. She was one of the most important figures in the genre's development, and enjoyed a...

 and they together composed the song "Sorrow of Florence" ("哀しみのフローレンス"). He was also close friends with Bob Marley

Bob Marley

Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...

, and later became the lead singer for The Wailers for around 5 years after Marley died. In March 2010 it was announced that he was diagnosed with lung cancer

Lung cancer

Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...

. He died from his cancer on August 7, 2011 less than a month before his 65th birthday.

Solo

• 1974 - ＪＯＥ
• 1975 - The Times
• 1977 - 新しい世界へ - TO THE NEW WORLD
• 1977 - 草帽歌
• 1978 - JOE
• 1978 - 武道館ライブ
• 1979 - GOIN' HOME
• 1980 - Joe '70s
• 1981 - 魂
• 1986 - 20th　ANNIVERSARY
• 1991 - LOVE IS AN ART
• 1996 - ３オクターブの証明
• 1999 - REGGAE HISTORY
• 2001 - W's
• 2005 - 究極のベスト！　ジョー山中 (Best of)
• 2006 - Mr. Rally - stupid philosopher
• 2009 - Reggae Vibration IV

Collaborative

• 1982 - Reggae Vibration (with The Wailers)
• 1983 - Reggae Vibration II (with The Wailers)
• 1984 - Reggae Vibration III (with The Wailers)
• 1984 - Japanesque (with Akira Ito and Hideki Ishima
  Hideki Ishima
  Hideki Ishima is a Japanese guitarist, known primarily for his work with Flower Travellin' Band. He also plays an instrument he invented, the sitarla, which is a combination of a sitar and an electric guitar....
  
  )

External links