Kazuhiko Kato

Pop music, Musical Artist

1947 – 2009

82

Who was Kazuhiko Kato?

Kazuhiko Katō, nicknamed "Tonovan", was a Japanese record producer, songwriter, and singer. He sometimes used the spelling of "Kazuhiko Katoh".

As a member of the Folk Crusaders, Kato launched his recording career in the mid-1960s. "Kaettekita Yopparai", their psychedelic debut song composed by Kato and released in 1967, sold more than 1.3 million copies in Japan, and became one of the best-selling singles of the early Japanese popular music industry. The group also starred in director Nagisa Oshima's 1968 film "Kaette kita yopparai".

After the breakup of Folk Crusaders in 1970, Kato gained success for his production works for other musicians, including Shigeru Izumiya, Mariya Takeuchi, and Takuro Yoshida. In particular, Sadistic Mika Band, the acclaimed project he started with his first wife Mika Fukui, received international success. Their 1974 album entitled Kurofune is regarded as one of the most significant Japanese rock albums of the mid-1970s. The group was disbanded and reassembled again several times, with new vocalists such as Yumi Matsutoya, Karen Kirishima, and Kaela Kimura.

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Born
Mar 21, 1947
Fushimi-ku, Kyoto
Also known as
  • Kazuhiko Katoh
  • Kato Kazuhiko
  • Tonovan
Spouses
Nationality
  • Japan
Profession
Lived in
  • Kyoto
Died
Oct 16, 2009
Karuizawa

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

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