Frank Nagai (フランク永井; March 18, 1932 – October 27, 2008) was a Japanese singer. Known for his attractive baritone voice. His real name was Kiyoto Nagai (永井清人 ''Nagai Kiyoto''). Yurakucho de Aimasho vinyl

Life

Frank Nagai was born in

Matsuyama, Miyagi was a town located in Shida District, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. In 2003, the town had an estimated population of 6,988 and a population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant densi ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. He had his major debut in 1954 when he was discovered by composer

Tadashi Yoshida Tadashi (Kanji: 正, 禎, 忠, 荘, 匡史, 理 Hiragana is a Japanese language, Japanese syllabary, part of the Japanese writing system, along with ''katakana'' as well as ''kanji''. It is a phonetic lettering system. The word ''hiragana'' ...

(吉田正). He had many hit songs such as "Yurakucho de Aimasho", "Tokyo Night Club", "Kimi Koishi", and "Omae ni". He also appeared in motion pictures, including the film ''Nishi Ginza Eki Mae'' (1958), for which he sang the title song. He enjoyed immense popularity as a singer in Japan. He is credited with discovering female singer Kazuko Matsuo (松尾和子), who later became quite famous. The two often sang duets together. He attempted

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

on October 21, 1985, attempting to hang himself, distressed that his lover bore his illegitimate child. He survived, but was left with permanent brain damage.

Notable songs

* (1957) * (1958) * (1958) * (1959) * (1961) * (1962) * (1966) * (1972) * "

Sixteen Tons "Sixteen Tons" is a song written by Merle Travis about a coal miner, based on life in the mines of Rosewood, Kentucky. Travis first recorded the song at the Radio Recorders Studio B in Hollywood, California, on August 8, 1946. Cliffie Stone ...

" (cover song)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nagai, Frank 1932 births 2008 deaths 20th-century Japanese male singers 20th-century Japanese singers Enka singers Japanese jazz singers Deaths from leukemia in Japan People from Ōsaki, Miyagi Singers from Miyagi Prefecture Japanese male jazz musicians People with severe brain damage