Hiroshi “Monsieur” Kamayatsu was a Tokyo-born singer, guitarist and composer who wrote songs for the group-sounds band the Spiders before a solo career that spanned more than five decades.[1][2]
The Spiders
Born in Tokyo on 12 January 1939, the son of jazz singer Teddy Kamayatsu, he joined the Spiders as vocalist and rhythm guitarist and wrote several of their songs, including “Ano Toki Kimi wa Wakakatta”, “Bang Bang Bang” and “Furi Furi”; his own composition “Electric Obaachan” (September 1970) was his last Spiders single.[1][2]
Solo career
His first full solo album, Monsieur / Kamayatsu Hiroshi no Sekai (25 February 1970), was multitracked entirely by himself, and “Dō ni ka Naru sa” followed in April 1970. “Ware ga Yoki Tomo yo” became a signature song, reportedly selling more than 900,000 copies. In 1976 he appeared on a TBS special backed by Tin Pan Alley alongside Yumi Arai (Yumi Matsutoya), the two exchanging songs. He was a founding member of Vodka Collins, and in 1994 recorded Gauloise in London with the Brand New Heavies for Keigo Oyamada’s Trattoria label. He died of pancreatic cancer on 1 March 2017, aged 78; singer Ryoko Moriyama was his cousin.[1][2]
Discography
- Monsieur / Kamayatsu Hiroshi no Sekai1970
- Gauloise1994
Notable songs
References
- “Hiroshi Kamayatsu”. Wikipedia. Retrieved 11 October 2026.
- “かまやつひろし”. Wikipedia (Japanese). Retrieved 11 October 2026.
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