Damo Suzuki ダモ鈴木 | |
|---|---|
 Suzuki in 2012 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kenji Suzuki |
| Born | 16 January 1950 Kobe, Japan |
| Died | 9 February 2024 (aged 74) |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1970–1974, 1983–2024 |
| Website | damosuzuki |
Kenji Suzuki (鈴木健次, Suzuki Kenji, 16 January 1950 – 9 February 2024), known as Damo Suzuki (ダモ鈴木), was a Japanese musician best known as the vocalist for the German Krautrock group Can between 1970 and 1973. Born in 1950 in Kobe, Japan, he moved to Europe in the late 1960s where he was spotted busking in Munich, West Germany, by Can bassist Holger Czukay and drummer Jaki Liebezeit. Can had just split with their vocalist Malcolm Mooney, and asked Suzuki to sing over tracks from their 1970 compilation album Soundtracks.[1] Afterwards, he became their full time singer, appearing on the three influential[2] albums Tago Mago (1971), Ege Bamyası (1972) and Future Days (1973).
After leaving Can in 1973, he abandoned music and became a Jehovah's Witness. Having left that organisation, he returned to music in the mid-1980s and began to tour widely. Over the following decades, Suzuki recorded a large number of albums under different aliases, which he later grouped as "Damo Suzuki's Network".[1]
- ^ a b Strauss, Matthew. "Damo Suzuki, Legendary Can Vocalist, Dies at 74". Pitchfork, 10 February 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2024
- ^ "Damo Suzuki, Can Vocalist, Dies At 74". Spin, 10 February 20240. Retrieved 11 February 2024