{"id":1888,"date":"2013-10-12T11:38:21","date_gmt":"2013-10-12T16:38:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bourdaghs.com\/blog\/?p=1888"},"modified":"2013-10-12T14:14:42","modified_gmt":"2013-10-12T19:14:42","slug":"sakuma-masahide-renaissance-man-of-j-rock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bourdaghs.com\/blog\/?p=1888","title":{"rendered":"Sakuma Masahide: Renaissance Man of J-Rock"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sakuma Masahide (???????) will be appearing with Hayakawa Yoshio in a free public concert here at the University of Chicago at 7:30 p.m. on October 18, 2013 (details here<\/a>). A few words about Sakuma’s amazing career are certainly in order. He is a key figure in the history of Japanese popular music in many different guises–most notably, perhaps, as producer for more than 140 different acts<\/a> that range across the spectrum, including such notable musicians as the Blue Hearts, BO?WY, HY, Judy and Mary, Teresa Teng, Glay, Soul Flower Union, Watanabe Misato, and L’Arc?en?Ciel.<\/p>\n

Like Hayakawa, Sakuma is an alumnus of Wako University. While still a student, he began playing in folk groups. It was around 1975 when he joined the progressive rock group Yonin Bayashi<\/a> (??????<\/a>) as its new bassist that he first attracted national attention. The band broke up a few years later, but Sakuma would be involved in a series of reunions that began in 1989 and have continued in the years since.<\/p>\n

“Lady Violetta” by Yonin Bayashi, from their 1976 album, Golden Picnics<\/em>:
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