Keisuke Kuwata
Encyclopedia
has gained fame as a Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...

 multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...

, singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...

, and frontman
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...

 for the Southern All-Stars, as well as his own solo band, the Kuwata band. He has also done significant amount of scoring music for films. He went to Aoyama Gakuin University
Aoyama Gakuin University
, abbreviated AGU, is a Japanese Christian university in Shibuya near Omotesandō, Tokyo, Japan. Aoyama Gakuin University is part of a comprehensive educational institute called Aoyama Gakuin, which includes a kindergarten, an elementary school, junior and senior high schools, and a women's junior...

.

Kuwata is known for his innovation with differing genres of Western music. As a musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....

, he performs primarily on lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...

 and lead vocals, although he has experimented with playing in a variety of positions, and released one album in which he played every instrument on the record. In 2010, Southern All-Stars was ranked #1, and Kuwata's solo band, the Kuwata Band, ranked #12 on a list of the top 100 musicians in Japan.

Kuwata has worked as a record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

, a movie director, has recorded albums as bandleader
Bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....

 of his own band, the Kuwata Band, and has worked on projects scoring
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...

 music to film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

.

Biographical information

Keisuke Kuwata was born February 26, 1956, and raised in Chigasaki
Chigasaki, Kanagawa
is a city located in central, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 234,400 and a density of 6,540 persons per km²...

, Kanagawa Prefecture
Kanagawa Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.-History:The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period...

, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

.

Kuwata's wife, Yuko Hara
Yuko Hara
Yuko Hara plays the keyboards for Southern All Stars. She is an accomplished vocalist, and writes many of her own songs....

, is also a member of the Southern All Stars
Southern All Stars
, also known by the abbreviations or SAS, is a Japanese pop/rock band that formed in the mid 1970s.The band is composed of Keisuke Kuwata , Yuko Hara , Kazuyuki Sekiguchi , Hiroshi Matsuda and Hideyuki "Kegani" Nozawa...

. She is a vocalist and plays keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...

. The two met while in college, where they were in the same circle of musicians. They married in 1982, after the success of the band's single Chako no Kaiganbanashi, and invited 3000 fans of the band to their wedding reception. They share a love of the blues and have two sons together.

On July 28, 2010, Kuwata announced that he has been diagnosed with esophageal cancer
Esophageal cancer
Esophageal cancer is malignancy of the esophagus. There are various subtypes, primarily squamous cell cancer and adenocarcinoma . Squamous cell cancer arises from the cells that line the upper part of the esophagus...

. The operation to remove the cancer was successful and he has made several public appearances since June 2011.

Musical style

Kuwata plays guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

, bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

, drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....

 and keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...

. For one album, Suteki Na Mirai Wo Mite Hoshii (素敵な未来を見て欲しい), Kuwata played every musical instrument and recorded the entire album himself.

Kuwata's Western musical influences are varied. Along with his wife, the band's keyboardist
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...

 and backing vocalist, Yuko Hara, the couple have long been inspired by American folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....

, where preferences run from Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...

, The Band
The Band
The Band was an acclaimed and influential roots rock group. The original group consisted of Rick Danko , Garth Hudson , Richard Manuel , and Robbie Robertson , and Levon Helm...

, Blues, and Southern rock music
Southern rock
Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music, and genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country music, and blues, and is focused generally on electric guitar and vocals...

, to British and American influences that are arguably pure Rock and Roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...

; with a flattering amount of songs covered from the work of Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...

.

Aside from Dylan, Kuwata's work has shown emphasis on music of the American South, including that of Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums....

 and Little Feat
Little Feat
Little Feat is an American rock band formed by singer-songwriter, lead vocalist and guitarist Lowell George and keyboardist Bill Payne in 1969 in Los Angeles....

. Along with the Southern All-Stars, Kuwata has performed with Little Feat on several occasions, and recorded cover songs from the band. He was a participant and performer in a tribute
Homage
Homage is a show or demonstration of respect or dedication to someone or something, sometimes by simple declaration but often by some more oblique reference, artistic or poetic....

 concert to the late Lowell George
Lowell George
Lowell Thomas George was an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, who was the main guitarist and songwriter for the rock band Little Feat.- Early years :...

, (their original frontman), recording a medley on video that contained his version of "Dixie Chicken".

In 1991
1991 in music
See also:* 1991 in music Record labels established in 1991-Summary:The year 1991 is the year that grunge music made its popular breakthrough. Nirvana's Nevermind, led by the surprise hit single "Smells Like Teen Spirit", becomes the most popular U.S. album of the year...

, Kuwata began a series of concerts, similar to MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged is a TV series showcasing many popular musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show has received the George Foster Peabody Award and 3 Primetime Emmy nominations among many accolades.-Unplugged:...

performances, called the "Acoustic Revolution", featuring Hirokazu Ogura on guitar, and Yoshiyuki Sahashi on mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...

, along with other musicians using acoustic instruments. Here again, Dylan's influence shone through their work choosing standards including "Like a Rolling Stone
Like a Rolling Stone
"Like a Rolling Stone" is a 1965 song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. Its confrontational lyrics originate in an extended piece of verse Dylan wrote in June 1965, when he returned exhausted from a grueling tour of England...

".

Kuwata also developed a love for rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

. The influence from Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...

 is strong and can be heard even when Kuwata performs songs in same manner and style as those that Clapton himself covered, and did not write. In addition, other artists covered have been Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...

, 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 Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke
Samuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...

.

In 1994, the "On Air Music Fair", "I Shot the Sheriff
I Shot the Sheriff
"I Shot the Sheriff" is a song written by Bob Marley, told from the point of view of a man who admits to having killed the local sheriff, but claims to be falsely accused of having killed the deputy sheriff. He also claims to have acted in self defense when the sheriff tried to shoot him. The...

" by 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...

 was performed by Kuwata and Ann Lewis (musician)
Ann Lewis (musician)
is a Japanese singer, popular in Japan in the 1970s and 80s. She was born to an American father and a Japanese mother. Her many hits include the popular song "Roppongi Shinju", covered many times since. She retired from show-business in the 1990s, suffering from panic attacks, and settled down in...

.

Philanthropy

Kuwata has performed with his band, and collaborated with several others annually to donate money towards AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...

 research and treatment. To draw the largest possible audiences, Kuwata performs additional Western songs so the concerts are more inclusive to all who will attend. Depending upon the year of the concert, sometimes the chosen songs have a theme.

Kuwata has been joined in benefit concerts by other bands and musicians. Most notably, is the frequent appearance of the members of Yamagu (山弦), a band currently featuring the talents of guitarists  and . Both artists are master guitarists and the band shows off their talents in an eclectic
Eclecticism in music
Eclecticism is used to describe a composer's conscious use of styles alien to his nature, or from one or more historical styles. The term is also used pejoratively to describe music whose composer, thought to be lacking originality, appears to have freely drawn on other models .-Sources:* Kennedy,...

 combination of jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

, blues, and rock, along with their own combination of ambient experimental music. Yamagu is considered a "guitar support unit", in the same way Westerners would think of a horn section
Horn section
In music, a horn section can refer to several groups of musicians. It can refer to the musicians in a symphony orchestra who play the horn . In a British-style brass band it refers to the tenor horn players. In popular music, it can also refer to a small group of wind instrumentalists who augment a...

. Some of these concert songs included:
  • 1996 Theme: Jazz Cafe

  • 1997 Theme: Kayou Suspense Theater

  • 1998 Theme: All Request Show

  • 1999 Theme: Eric Claptoso
    • "Little Wing
      Little Wing
      "Little Wing" is a song written by Jimi Hendrix. It was first recorded by The Jimi Hendrix Experience on their 1967 album Axis: Bold as Love...

      ", by Jimi Hendrix
      Jimi Hendrix
      James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...

      , and "Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?", recorded by Eric Clapton several decades earlier.

  • 2000 Theme: Best Songs of The 20th Century Selected By Kuwata

  • 2001 Theme: Plays The Beatles

  • 2003 Theme: Disco And Soul Of Glory

  • 2004 Theme: The Golden Age Of British Rock
    • "Time
      Time (Pink Floyd song)
      "Time" is the fourth track from English progressive rock band Pink Floyd's 1973 album, The Dark Side of the Moon, and the only song on the album credited to all four members of the band...

      " by Pink Floyd
      Pink Floyd
      Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...

      , "Highway Star" by Deep Purple
      Deep Purple
      Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...

      , "We Will Rock You
      We Will Rock You
      "We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded and performed by Queen for their 1977 album News of the World. Rolling Stone ranked it #330 of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and the RIAA placed it at #146 on its list of Songs of the Century...

      " by Queen
      Queen (band)
      Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...

      .

  • 2006 Theme: Stars And Stripes Forever!? My American Heros
    • "Proud Mary" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
      Creedence Clearwater Revival
      Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums....


  • 2008 Theme: Hitori Kohaku Utagassen

  • 2009 Theme: Movie Songs

Albums and DVDs

  • Keisuke Kuwata (1988)
  • From Yesterday (フロム イエスタデイ) (25 Jun 2001)
  • Kodoku-no Taiyō (孤独の太陽) The Sun of Solitude, 1994)
  • Rock and Roll Hero (2002)
  • Top Of The Pops (2002) (27 Nov 2002)
  • Musicman (2011) (23 Feb 2011)
  • Ashita Hareru Kana (16 May 2007)
  • Subete no Uta ni Zange shina - Live Tour '94
  • Kuwata Keisuke Act Against AIDS 2008 Shouwa 83 Nendo!Hitori

Singles of the Kuwata Band, 1986

  • "Ban Ban Ban" (1986)
  • "Skipped Beat" (スキップ・ビート )
  • "Merry Christmas In Summer"
  • "One Day"

with the Southern All-Stars

  • "Sad Feelings (Just a Man in Love)" (悲しい気持ち) (1987)
  • "Itsuka Dokoka-de" ("Somewhere some time (I Feel The Echo)" ("いつか何処かで") (1988)
  • Mayonaka-no Dandy (真夜中のダンディー) Midnight's Dandy (1993)
  • "Tsuki" ("月") "Moon" (1994)
  • "Matsuri-no-ato" ("祭りのあと") "After the carnival" (1994)
  • "Naminori Jonny" ("波乗りジョニー") "Surfing Jonny" (2001)
  • "Shiroi koibitotachi" ("白い恋人達") "White Lovers" (2001)
  • "Tokyo" ("東京") (2002)
  • "Ashita Harerukana" ("明日晴れるかな") "Will it Be Sunny Tomorrow?" (2007)
  • "Kaze no Uta wo Kikasete" ("風の詩を聴かせて") "Listen to the Wind's Song" (2007)
  • "Darling" ("ダーリン") (2007)
  • "Kimi ni Sayonara wo" ("君にサヨナラを") "Good-Bye To You" (2009)
  • "Hontou ha Kowai Ai to Romance" ("本当は怖い愛とロマンス") "In Fact, Fearful Love and Romance" (2010)

Keisuke Kuwata and Mr. Children

  • Kiseki-no Hoshi (奇跡の地球(ほし) Earth of miracle (1995)

Keisuke Kuwata and Yuzo Kamon

  • Kuwata Keisuke, Yuzo Kamon & Victor Wheels Live!(嘉門雄三 & Victor Wheels Live! (1982)

Film work, record scoring

Kuwata directed the movie, Inamura Jane, for which he composed the music. It was released on September 8, 1990 by Toho. Previously, he composed the music for Aiko 16-sai in 1983, which won the Award of the Japanese Academy for Newcomer of the Year, and the Yokohama Film Festival
Yokohama Film Festival
The is a noticed yearly awards ceremony held in Japan. The festival was started as a small affair by fans and film critics, and first held on February 3, 1980. Ten films are chosen as the best of the year, and various awards are given to personnel...

's Festival Prize for
Yasuko Tomita as Best New Actress.
He has also written the scores for several Japanese films. Kuwata wrote the theme song, "Ashita Hareru Kana", featured in the popular Japanese television drama series, Operation Love, which won the award for "Best Television Theme Song" at the 53rd Japanese Television Awards, in 2007.

Further listening

  • "Little Wing
    Little Wing
    "Little Wing" is a song written by Jimi Hendrix. It was first recorded by The Jimi Hendrix Experience on their 1967 album Axis: Bold as Love...

    " by Jimi Hendrix
    Jimi Hendrix
    James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...

     covered by Keisuke Kuwata and Southern All-Stars featuring Hirokazu Ogura:

桑田佳祐 小倉博和 Act Against AIDS 1999
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