Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi

Known for his folk-rock style, Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi is a Japanese singer-songwriter who has sold more than 20 million records during his 40 year career. ∙ After dropping out of college in 1975, Nagabuchi cut his teeth as a folk singer playing to rowdy crowds—and dodging beer bottles—in late-night bars around Fukuoka. ∙ He made a breakthrough with the 1978 single “巡恋歌,” which appeared on his 1979 debut album, 風は南から, and has become a live favorite. ∙ Nagabuchi earned his first No. 1 album in 1979 with the double-Platinum sophomore release 逆流. ∙ In 1985, he performed as part of Live Aid, the global fundraiser concert broadcast to nearly 2 billion people across 150 countries. ∙ He is also an occasional actor, and he appeared in the 1986 comedy film Otoko wa tsurai yo: Shiawase no aoi tori, where he met his wife, movie star Etsuko Shihomi. ∙ An enduring figure in Japanese rock music, Nagabuchi found a second-calling as a human-rights advocate in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.