Sugita Jiro

Sugita Jiro 杉田二郎
Sugita Jiro, 2018
General Information
Born	November 2, 1946 (1946-11-02) (age 72)
Origin	Kyoto, Japan
Genre	Folk Songs
Occupation	Singer
Years Active	1967-Present
Agency	UP-FRONT CREATE
Label(s)	Toshiba Musical Industries (1968-1973) Toshiba EMI (1973-1985) FUN HOUSE (1986-1998) zetima (1998-present)
Associated Acts	JIROS, Hashida Norihiko to Schubertz, Brothers 5

Sugita Jiro (杉田二郎) is a Japanese singer under UP-FRONT CREATE, as well as a member of the group Brothers 5.

BiographyEdit

1967-1968Edit

In 1967, Sugita Jiro got his start as the leader of the amateur folk band JIROS, which he formed with the other founding members Daijiro Shiomi and Tetsujiro Hosohara.

In 1968, JIROS made their debut with the amateur single "Anata Dake ni / My Heart" on April 5 under Toshiba Musical Industries. Of the two songs on the single, Sugita Jiro's original song "Anata Dake ni" was featured in the Kongetsu no Uta segment on the radio station Young Town. Because of this, the song became a hit among students, and tapes of the song were subsequently released for general radio broadcasting on August 1st as an official single.

In 1968, Sugita Jiro participated in the 3rd Kansai Folk Camp in Kyoto from August 9-11, where he sang "Anata Dake ni" with Ochi Yuuji. Later that year in October, the two of them formed the folk group Hashida Norihiko to Schubertz alongside Hashida Norihiko and Inoue Hiroshi. At the same time, JIROS was disbanded so that Sugita Jiro could focus on his new group, and Daijiro Shiomi and Tetsujiro Hosohara could focus on solo activities.

1970Edit

On March 31, Hashida Norihiko to Schubertz member Inoue Hiroshi died. The group decided on disbandment following his death, and released four final singles simultaneously on May 5. Afterwards, the group officially disbanded in June when they finally released their LP "Tenchi Souzou", which was previously postponed with Inoue Hiroshi's death.

On August 23, "Sensou wo Shiranai Kodomo-tachi" was first performed at the Osaka Expo. Written by Kitayama Osamu and composed by Sugita Jiro, it was released as a single by Zen Nihon Amateur Folk Singers on November 5. The song would later be released in February 1971 with a reformed JIROS, this time with Sugita Jiro and Morishita Yoshinobu as members. "Sensou wo Shiranai Kodomo-tachi" would become JIROS' most famous song, winning an award for best lyrics at the 13th Japan Record Awards.

1972-2007Edit

In 1972, JIROS disbanded once more. Afterwards, Sugita Jiro officially became a solo singer-songwriter. Among his greatest hits as a solo artist in the 70's are the songs "Otoko Doushi" released in September 1975, "Yatsugatake" released in February 1978, and Freddie Aguila cover song "ANAK (Musuko)" in September 1978.

In May 1986, his song "Saikai" was released and became a long seller. It would go on to win an award at the following Japan Cable Awards. Three years later in April 1989, Sugita Jiro released the CM tie-up song "Summer Song for you."

In 1991, Sugita Jiro collaborated with Yoshida Tadashi and released the album "Love Letter ~Sugita Jiro Yoshida Tadashi wo Utau~." The album consisted of 10 songs selected from 2000 of Yoshida's composed songs. The following year in 1992, Sugita Jiro won the project award at that year's Japan Record Awards for his legacy and reputation as a well-loved and well established singer-songwriter in the industry.

In May 2007, Sugita Jiro held a concert in honor of the 60th anniversary of his debut in the industry, and invited 20 other folk singers as guests at the concert.

2012-2014Edit

In 2012, Sugita Jiro and his favorite lyricist Kitayama Osamu celebrated the 45th anniversary of Sugita Jiro's solo debut with the "Sugita Jiro Kitayama Osamu wo Utau ~Sensou wo Shiranai Kodomo-tachi e~" concert held on April 8. A few days later on April 11, Sugita Jiro released a 45th anniversary album where he re-recorded all of the songs that he worked on with Kitayama Osamu.

In 2014, Sugita Jiro formed the group Brothers 5 with Banba Hirofumi, Horiuchi Takao, Takayama Gen, and Inaba Akira.

ProfileEdit

• Name: Sugita Jiro (杉田二郎)
• Birth Date: November 2, 1946 (1946-11-02) (age 72)
• Birthplace: Kyoto, Japan
• Blood Type: A
• Western Zodiac: Scorpio
• Groups:
  • JIROS (1967-1968; 1970-1972; 2013-present)
  • Hashida Norihiko to Schubertz (1968-1970)
  • Brothers 5 (2014-present)

DiscographyEdit

External LinksEdit

• UP FRONT CREATE Profile