Quick Facts
Biography
Shōgo Hamada (浜田 省吾, Hamada Shōgo, born December 29, 1952) is a Japanese singer-songwriter and former member of the group Aido. He is a part of Sony Music Japan's SME Records division. He was born in Takehara City in Hiroshima Prefecture, and graduated from Kuremitsuta High School (where he was a member of the baseball team). He attended Kanagawa University, where he studied law, but left the school before graduating.
In 1975, he made his professional debut as the drummer of the band Aido. Sunglasses have been his trademark ever since his debut, and he has never performed live without sunglasses of some sort (most commonly Ray-Ban Aviator or Ray-Ban Wayfarer). His solo debut came in 1976 with the album Umareta Tokoro o Tōku Hanarete. Though his exposure in the media has always been extremely low, relative to many performers with similar levels of mainstream popularity, he has acquired his many fans over the years through his steady series of live performances. Many of his early songs expressed his skepticism about how one should live their life. In addition to his well-known ballads, he was strongly influenced by his father's experience as a victim of radiation poisoning following the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945, and many of his songs have a very strong protest song tone, likely the most of any "big name" singer in Japan.
He has written music for many other artists, including Momoe Yamaguchi, and Akiko Wada. He is affectionately referred to as "Hamasho" by many of his fans.
Discography
Singles released within Aido
| # | Single title | Date released | Formats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Couple's Summer" (二人の夏, Futari no Natsu) | 1975-05-01 | EP |
| 2 | "Seibu Shinjuku Line Romance" (恋の西武新宿線, Koi no Seibu Shinjuku-sen) | 1975-09-01 | EP |
Singles
| # | Single title | Date released | Formats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Back Street Boy" (路地裏の少年, Roji Ura no Shōnen) (EP version) | 1976-04-21 | EP |
| 2 | "Love Bargain" (愛のかけひき, Ai no Kakehiki) (Single version) | 1976-10-21 | EP |
| 3 | "Love Train" (ラブ・トレイン, Rabu Torein) | 1977-04-21 | EP |
| 4 | "Cold and Windy Season" (木枯しの季節, Kogarashi no Kisetsu) | 1977-11-21 | EP |
| 5 | "Filling with Tears" (涙あふれて, Namida Afurete) | 1978-08-21 | EP |
| 6 | "Let Love Sleep" (愛を眠らせて, Ai o Nemurasete) | 1979-04-21 | EP |
| 7 | "Feel the Wind" (風を感じて, Kaze o Kanjite) | 1979-08-21 | EP |
| 8 | "Kiss Goodbye" (さよならにくちづけ, Sayonara ni Kuchidzuke) | 1979-12-21 | EP |
| 9 | "Youth's Vision" (青春のヴィジョン, Seishun no Vijon) | 1980-02-21 | EP |
| 10 | "Generation Without a Tomorrow" (明日なき世代, Ashita Naki Sedai) (Single version) | 1980-07-21 | EP |
| 11 | "Tokyo" (東京) | 1980-10-21 | EP |
| 12 | "A Place in the Sun" (陽のあたる場所, Yō no Ataru Basho) | 1981-03-21 | EP |
| 13 | "Last Show" (ラストショー) | 1981-08-26 | EP |
| 14 | "Sadness Is Like Snow" (悲しみは雪のように, Kanashimi wa Yuki no Yō ni) | 1981-11-21 | EP |
| 15 | "On the Road" | 1982-02-25 | EP |
| 16 | "My Hometown" (マイホームタウン) | 1982-11-21 | EP |
| 17 | "Dance" (12-inch single version) | 1984-08-01 | 12-inch |
| 18 | "Lonely—A Promise Called Love" (Lonely-愛という約束事, Ai to Iu Yakusokugoto) (Single version) | 1985-05-22 | EP |
| 19 | "Big Boy Blues" (Single version) | 1985-12-08 | EP |
| 20 | "Back Street Boy" (路地裏の少年, Roji Ura no Shōnen) (12-inch Single version) | 1986-07-16 | 12-inch, CT |
| 21 | "Couple's Summer" (二人の夏, Futari no Natsu) | 1987-06-21 | EP |
| 22 | "Breathless Love" | 1988-05-29 | 12-inch, 8-cm CD, CT |
| 23 | "Sadness Is Like Snow" (悲しみは雪のように, Kanashimi wa Yuki no Yō ni) (Single version) | 1992-02-01 | 8-cm CD, CT |
| 24 | "Ave Maria" (アヴェ・マリア) | 1992-12-12 | 8-cm CD |
| 25 | "Ring of Stars" (星の指輪, Hoshi no Yubiwa) | 1994-04-25 | 8-cm CD |
| 26 | "Maria My Heart" (我が心のマリア, Waga Kokoro no Maria) | 1995-07-01 | 8-cm CD |
| 27 | "Goodbye Game" (さよならゲーム, Sayonara Geemu) | 1996-10-30 | 8-cm CD |
| 28 | "Image Poem" (イメージの詩, Imeeji no Uta) | 1997-10-22 | 8-cm CD |
| 29 | "Monochrome Rainbow" (モノクロームの虹, Monokurōmu no Niji) | 1998-04-01 | 12-cm CD |
| 30 | "Love Has No Pride" | 1998-10-01 | 12-cm CD |
| 31 | "Poet's Bell" (詩人の鐘, Shijin no Kane) | 1998-12-02 | 12-cm CD |
| 32 | "...To Be "Kissin' You"" (French edit) | 2000-04-01 | 12-cm CD |
| 33 | "Call Your Name" (君の名を呼ぶ, Kimi no Na o Yobu) | 2001-08-01 | 12-cm CD |
| 34 | "Love Song Devoted to You" (君に捧げる Love Song, Kimi ni Sasageru Love Song) | 2003-09-10 | 12-cm CD |
| 35 | "Season of Light and Shadow" (光と影の季節, Hikari to Kage no Kisetsu) | 2005-04-13 | 12-cm CD |
| 36 | "I am a Father" | 2005-07-17 | 12-cm CD |
| 37 | "Thank You" | 2005-10-12 | 12-cm CD |
Albums
| # | Album title | Date released | Formats | Miscellaneous info |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | Aido (愛奴) | 1975-05-01 | LP, CT | Released as a member of Aido |
| 1 | Far from My Home Town (生まれたところを遠く離れて, Umareta Tokoro o Tōku Hanarete) | 1976-04-21 | LP, CT | |
| 2 | Love Train | 1977-05-21 | LP, CT | |
| 3 | Illumination | 1978-09-21 | LP, CT | |
| 4 | Mind Screen | 1979-05-21 | LP, CT | |
| 5 | During Your Life… (君が人生の時…, Kimi ga Jinsei no Toki…) | 1979-12-05 | LP, CT | |
| – | Slow Down | 1980-08-01 | CT | Compilation album |
| 6 | Home Bound | 1980-10-21 | LP, CT | |
| 7 | Before the Generation of Love (愛の世代の前に, Ai no Sedai no Mae ni) | 1981-09-21 | LP, CT | |
| 8 | On the Road | 1982-02-25 | LP (2), CT (2) | |
| 9 | Promised Land (Promised Land～約束の地, Yakusoku no Chi) | 1982-11-21 | LP, CD, CT | |
| 10 | Sand Castle | 1983-12-01 | LP, CD, CT | |
| 11 | Down By the Mainstreet | 1984-10-21 | LP, CD, CT | |
| – | Club Snowbound | 1985-11-15 | LP, CT | Limited edition special release album |
| 12 | J.Boy | 1986-09-04 | LP (2), CD (2), CT (2) | |
| – | Club Surfbound | 1987-06-28 | LP, CT | Limited edition special release album |
| 13 | Club Surf&Snowbound | 1987-06-28 | CD | |
| 14 | Father's Son | 1988-03-16 | LP, CD, CT | |
| 15 | Wasted Tears | 1989-09-01 | LP, CD, CT | |
| 16 | For Whom the Bell Tolls (誰がために鐘は鳴る, Ta ga Tameni Kane wa Naru) | 1990-06-21 | CD, CT | |
| 17 | Edge of the Knife | 1991-09-01 | CD, CT | |
| 18 | The Moment of the Moment (その永遠の一秒に～The Moment of the Moment～, Sono Eien no Ichibyō ni) | 1993-09-06 | CD, CT, MD | |
| 19 | Road Out "Tracks" | 1996-02-29 | LP, CD, CT, MD | |
| 20 | The Door for the Blue Sky (青空の扉 ～The Door for the Blue Sky～, Aozora no Tobira) | 1996-11-11 | CD, MD | |
| 21 | In Early Summer (初夏の頃 ～In Early Summer～, Shoka no Koro) | 1997-01-22 | LP, CD, MD | |
| 22 | The History of Shogo Hamada "Since 1975" | 2000-11-08 | CD | |
| 23 | Save Our Ship | 2001-08-22 | CD | |
| 24 | Early Autumn (初秋, Shoshū) | 2003-09-26 | CD | |
| 25 | My First Love | 2005-07-06 | LP, CD | |
| 26 | The Best of Shogo Hamada Vol.1 | 2006-08-09 | CD | |
| 27 | The Best of Shogo Hamada Vol.2 | 2006-08-09 | CD | |
| 28 | Journey of a Songwriter | 2015-04-29 | LP, CD |