Saiichi Sugiyama

Who is Saiichi Sugiyama?

Saiichi Sugiyama is a British-based guitarist, singer and composer, best known for his writing and performing collaborations with Pete Brown, the lyricist for Cream since 2002 to date. His previous bands in 1990s featured Mike Casswell and Phil Williams of Walk on Fire, Andy Smith of Hot Chocolate, Zoot Money, Boz Burrell of Bad Company, John Cook of Rory Gallagher band as well as the guitarist, Paul Wassif. Sugiyama was the lead guitarist in the band of Shana Morrison, the daughter of Van Morrison in her UK tour of 2006 and on her return to the UK in 2010. Sugiyama's studio albums in 2000s featured Clem Clempson of Colosseum, Pete Brown, Zoot Money and Ben Matthews of Thunder. His British blues-based lead guitar style as well as his association with 1999 and 2004 Crossroads Centre guitar auctions at Christie's resulted in Sugiyama being labelled as a "Japanese Clapton" in the London blues clubs despite his remonstrations. Sugiyama plays a Gibson Les Paul guitar and Marshall amplifiers. His fluid and conversational guitar style does have a resmblance to Eric Clapton, Peter Green and has a vibrato technique similar that of Paul Kossoff whereas his singing style is of his own. Sugiyama collaborates with Mark Horiuchi, the former lead singer of the Japanese rock band Garo who had a number of chart hits in the Japanese chart in the early 1970s and the duo recorded several tracks which were included in the album "So Am I" released in Japan in 2004 Sugiyama moved from Tokyo to England in 1980 and has lived in Surrey and London since then. He also runs his legal practice for the Japanese community in London and has one son with his English wife.