Kiyoshi Maekawa (前川 清, Maekawa Kiyoshi, born August 19, 1948) is a Japanese singer and tarento.

Kiyoshi Maekawa
Birth nameKiyoshi Maekawa (前川 清, Maekawa Kiyoshi)
Born (1948-08-19) August 19, 1948 (age 75)
OriginSasebo, Nagasaki, Japan
GenresKayōkyoku, enka, contemporary folk, rock, pop
Occupation(s)Singer, tarento
Years active1967–present
LabelsVictor Entertainment
BMG Japan
Pony Canyon
Gauss Entertainment/Tokuma Japan Communications
Teichiku
Websitewww.maekiyo.com

He is best known as the first lead vocalist of Hiroshi Uchiyamada and Cool Five, which was formed in 1967 and debuted in 1969 with the Japan Record Award-winning song "Nagasaki wa Kyō mo Ame Datta". As a frontman of the band, he spawned multiple hit singles such as "Awazu ni Aishite", "Uwasa no Onna","Soshite, Kōbe", "Nakanoshima Blues" and "Tokyo Sabaku" during the 1970s. In 1982, he released his first solo single "Yuki Ressha" composed and produced by Grammy-winning musician Ryuichi Sakamoto, and left the group five years later.[1] During his solo career, he released only one top-20 hit "Himawari" in 2002, a ballad contributed by Masaharu Fukuyama.[2] 

Aside from the recording career, Maekawa has also built up popularity as a TV star, appearing on some television shows hosted by comedians such as Kinichi Hagimoto and The Drifters, airing around the latter half of 1970s and the 1980s.

Personal life edit

He is also known as a former spouse of the singer, Keiko Fuji, who later married Teruzane Utada and had a daughter Hikaru.[3]

Notable singles edit

  • "Hana no Toki, Ai no Toki (花の時 愛の時)"(1987)
  • "Ai ga Hoshii (愛がほしい)" (1988)
  • "Namida ()" (1988)
  • "Koiuta (恋唄)" (1989, remake of Cool Five hit) – No. 87
  • "Otoko to Onna no Kakera (男と女の破片)" (1991) – No. 61
  • "Yume Ichibyou (夢一秒)" (1992) – No. 71
  • "Wakareuta Demo Utatte (別れ曲でも唄って)" (1992) – No. 78
  • "Koisuru Omise (恋するお店)" (1994) – No. 95
  • "Kanashimi no Koisekai (悲しみの恋世界)" (1994) – No. 69
  • "Shuchakueki Nagasaki (終着駅 長崎)" (1996) – No. 96
  • "Dakishimete (抱きしめて)" (1996) – No. 70
  • "Bara no Orgel (薔薇のオルゴール, Bara no Orugōru)" (1997) – No. 97
  • "Kōbe (神戸)" (1998) – No. 93
  • "Hayariuta (流行歌)" (2000) – No. 93
  • "Osaka (大阪)" (2001) – No. 92
  • "Rinrin to (霖霖)" (2001) – No. 88
  • "Himawari (ひまわり)" (2002) – No. 13
  • "Yakan Hikou (夜間飛行)" (2003) – No. 74
  • "Furusato no Hana no You ni (故郷の花のように)" (2003) – No. 69
  • "Mado ()" (2006) – No. 62

Notes

  1. Chart positions provided by the Oricon, and sources are from the archives on its official site (not available before 1988).

Kōhaku Uta Gassen Appearances edit

Year # Song No. VS Remarks
1969 (Showa 44)/20th - Nagasaki Wa Kyoumo Amedatta 19/23 Pinky & Killers Participate under the name of Hiroshi Uchiyamada and Cool Five
1970 (Showa 45)/21st Uwasa No Onna (噂の女) 13/24 Ryoko Moriyama
1971 (Showa 46)/22nd Minato No Wakareuta (港の別れ唄) -/25 Fuji Keiko (original schedule)
1974 (Showa 49)/25th Uminari (海鳴り) 18/25 Mari Amachi
1975 (Showa 50)/26th Naka No Shima Blues (中の島ブルース) 12/24 Mina Aoe
1976 (Showa 51)/27th Tokyo Sabaku 6/24 Naomi Sagara
1977 (Showa 52)/28th Omoikiri Hashi (思い切り橋) 17/24 Mina Aoe (2)
1978 (Showa 53)/29th Hashigo Sake (さようならの彼方へ) 15/24 Hiromi Ōta
1979 (Showa 54)/30th Hashigo Sake (昔があるから) 19/23 Sayuri Ishikawa
1980 (Showa 55)/31st Hashigo Sake (魅惑・シェイプアップ) 10/23 Rumiko Koyanagi
1981 (Showa 56)/32nd Hashigo Sake (女・こぬか雨) 19/22 Sachiko Kobayashi
1982 (Showa 57)/33th Uwasa No Onna (2) 16/22 Miyuki Kawanaka
2006 (Heisei 18)/57th 1 Nagasaki Wa Kyou Mo Amedatta (长崎は今日も雨だった) 12/27 Masako Mori
2007 (Heisei 19)/58th 2 Soshite Koube (そして、神戸) 8/27 Kaori Mizumori
2008 (Heisei 20)/59th 3 Tokyo Sabaku (東京砂漠) 8/27 Miyuki Kawanaka

Filmography edit

Film edit

Television edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Hiroshi Uchiyamada, a leader of the Cool Five dies of lung cancer at the aged 70". zakzak.co.jp (in Japanese). Sankei Shimbun Company, Limited. Retrieved December 8, 2008.
  2. ^ "Kiyoshi Maekawa breakthrough again with Masaharu Fukuyama". zakzak.co.jp (in Japanese). Sankei Shimbun Company, Limited. Retrieved December 8, 2008.
  3. ^ "Iza! Kiyoshi Maekawa". iza.ne.jp (in Japanese). Sankei Shimbun Company, Limited. Archived from the original on February 18, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
  4. ^ "【舞いあがれ!】前川清、医師役で朝ドラ初出演「突然のオファーでビックリ!」". Oricon. Retrieved October 17, 2022.

External links edit