Chiemi Eri

Eri Chiemi
江利 チエミ
Chiemi Eri in 1952 film Mōjū tsukai no shōjo
Chiemi Eri in 1952 film Mōjū tsukai no shōjo
Background information
Birth nameKubo Chiemi
Born(1937-01-11)January 11, 1937
Taitō, Tokyo, Japan
DiedFebruary 13, 1982(1982-02-13) (aged 45)
GenresJazz, pop, kayōkyoku, enka
OccupationSinger
Years active1952–1982
LabelsKing Records

Chiemi Eri (江利 チエミ, Eri Chiemi, January 11, 1937 – February 13, 1982),[1] was a Japanese singer and actress.

Eri was born as Chiemi Kubo (久保 智恵美, Kubo Chiemi) on January 11, 1937 in Tokyo, Japan. She was born to a musician father and a mother who was a singer, thus encouraging her musical career.[2] She started her singing career at the age of 14 with her version of "Tennessee Waltz." She regularly sang on American military bases as a teenager.[3] Her repertoire consisted largely of traditional Japanese songs as well as a few American songs such as "Jambalaya" and "Come on-a My House". Eri started her career as an actress similar to Hibari Misora. Eri, Misora and Izumi Yukimura formed a trio. In her concerts, she was supported by Nobuo Hara's jazz band.[4] The actress was one of Japan's best-known singers in the mid-20th century and also appeared in numerous television shows from the early 1950s until just before her death. However, she is fairly unknown in many other parts of the world since her albums were rarely distributed in other markets, in which her music can almost only be accessed via the internet.

Eri married Ken Takakura in 1959 and they divorced in 1971.[5] She released the single "Sakaba Nite" (酒場にて, lit. "At the Bar") in 1974. The song was later included in the omnibus album "Enka no Kokoro".[6]

  1. ^ Chiemi Eri at IMDb accessed 18 August 2008
  2. ^ "Chiemi Eri, by Chiemi Eri". Akuphone. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  3. ^ "Chiemi Eri, by Chiemi Eri". Akuphone. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  4. ^ "Hara, 82, to hang up saxophone". The Japan Times. 2008-12-03. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
  5. ^ "Asian DVD Guide". Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  6. ^ "Nhkサービスセンターオンラインショップ Ｃｄ 演歌のこころ H23B3: Cd／カセット". Archived from the original on June 22, 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2009.