Shoji Tabuchi
Encyclopedia
Shoji Tabuchi is a Japan
ese country music
fiddler and singer who currently performs at his theater, the Shoji Tabuchi Theatre in Branson, Missouri
.
. Shoji Tabuchi always loved American country music and promised that one day he would make it to America.
, of the Grand Ole Opry, took his act to Japan, Tabuchi attended his concert and met him after the show. Acuff told Tabuchi that if he was ever in Nashville to look him up. Acuff's music inspired Tabuchi to pursue country/blugrass music. During college Tabuchi formed a band called the Blugrass Ramblers and won a national contest in Japan. He then decided to travel to America with his violin and $500. After residing in San Francisco, Kansas City, and Louisiana, he eventually made it to Nashville to meet Acuff. Acuff was true to his word and arranged an appearance for the young Japanese fiddler on the Grand Ole Opry radio variety show. Tabuchi later made numerous appearances on the Grand Ole Opry.
and after performing successfully for a few years he took a gamble and built one of the most elaborate theaters in Branson. The theater was finished in 1990, and he began his show's 22 years and counting production. Besides country music, the Shoji Tabuchi Show also has incorporated polka, gospel, Cajun, Hawaiian, rap, rock, and patriotic music.
Tabuchi has never produced a recording on a major label, but the Japanese-born fiddler ranks among the most popular musicians in the United States, creating a multi-million dollar entertainment empire. He employs about 200 people at his elaborate 2,000 seat theater in Branson, Missouri, where he performs two shows daily during most of the year, often selling out the shows.
Tabuchi began performing at venues in Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma, but his marriage broke up under the pressure of his constant touring.
After moving to Branson, MIssouri in 1980, he met his second wife, Dorothy Lingo, after she attended several of his shows at the Starlite Theater. Currently his wife Dorothy helps with numerous aspects of the Shoji Tabuchi Show such as choreography, costumes, and the theater's interior design. Tabuchi is sometimes accompanied by his daughter, Christina, who performs part-time in Branson and part-time in Nashville and other places. One son, Thomas Jason Lingo-Tabuchi, passed away at the age of 19. There is a scholarship in his name at a Branson school music department.
Different Moods: Collection One, Shoji Entertainments
Fiddlin' Around, Shoji Entertainments
Live from Branson, Shoji Entertainments
Notes from Shoji, Shoji Entertainments
The Shoji Tabuchi Show! Vols. 1-4, Shoji Entertainments
Songs for the Lord, Shoji Entertainments
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...
ese country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
fiddler and singer who currently performs at his theater, the Shoji Tabuchi Theatre in Branson, Missouri
Branson, Missouri
Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
.
Growing Up
Shoji Tabuchi was born April 16, 1944 in Daishoji, Japan. When young Tabuchi turned 7 years of age, his mother encouraged him to learn how to play the violin under the Suzuki MethodSuzuki method
The Suzuki method is a method of teaching music that emerged in the mid-20th century.-Background:The Suzuki Method was conceived in the mid-20th century by Shin'ichi Suzuki, a Japanese violinist who desired to bring beauty to the lives of children in his country after the devastation of World War II...
. Shoji Tabuchi always loved American country music and promised that one day he would make it to America.
On the Path to Success
When Roy AcuffRoy Acuff
Roy Claxton Acuff was an American country music singer, fiddler, and promoter. Known as the King of Country Music, Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and "hoedown" format to the star singer-based format that helped make it internationally successful.Acuff...
, of the Grand Ole Opry, took his act to Japan, Tabuchi attended his concert and met him after the show. Acuff told Tabuchi that if he was ever in Nashville to look him up. Acuff's music inspired Tabuchi to pursue country/blugrass music. During college Tabuchi formed a band called the Blugrass Ramblers and won a national contest in Japan. He then decided to travel to America with his violin and $500. After residing in San Francisco, Kansas City, and Louisiana, he eventually made it to Nashville to meet Acuff. Acuff was true to his word and arranged an appearance for the young Japanese fiddler on the Grand Ole Opry radio variety show. Tabuchi later made numerous appearances on the Grand Ole Opry.
Tabuchi's Show
Around 1980 Tabuchi arrived in Branson, MissouriBranson, Missouri
Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
and after performing successfully for a few years he took a gamble and built one of the most elaborate theaters in Branson. The theater was finished in 1990, and he began his show's 22 years and counting production. Besides country music, the Shoji Tabuchi Show also has incorporated polka, gospel, Cajun, Hawaiian, rap, rock, and patriotic music.
Tabuchi has never produced a recording on a major label, but the Japanese-born fiddler ranks among the most popular musicians in the United States, creating a multi-million dollar entertainment empire. He employs about 200 people at his elaborate 2,000 seat theater in Branson, Missouri, where he performs two shows daily during most of the year, often selling out the shows.
Family
Mary Jo, a patron at a financial-district restaurant where Tabuchi played for tips became his first wife in 1968. He later became an American citizen. They moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and Tabuchi began performing at the Starlite Club in nearby Riverside. In 1974 the couple had a son, Shoji John Tabuchi.Tabuchi began performing at venues in Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma, but his marriage broke up under the pressure of his constant touring.
After moving to Branson, MIssouri in 1980, he met his second wife, Dorothy Lingo, after she attended several of his shows at the Starlite Theater. Currently his wife Dorothy helps with numerous aspects of the Shoji Tabuchi Show such as choreography, costumes, and the theater's interior design. Tabuchi is sometimes accompanied by his daughter, Christina, who performs part-time in Branson and part-time in Nashville and other places. One son, Thomas Jason Lingo-Tabuchi, passed away at the age of 19. There is a scholarship in his name at a Branson school music department.
Selected discography
After Dark, Shoji EntertainmentsDifferent Moods: Collection One, Shoji Entertainments
Fiddlin' Around, Shoji Entertainments
Live from Branson, Shoji Entertainments
Notes from Shoji, Shoji Entertainments
The Shoji Tabuchi Show! Vols. 1-4, Shoji Entertainments
Songs for the Lord, Shoji Entertainments