James Wong Jim | |||||||||||
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| Born | Wong Jum-sum 18 March 1941 | ||||||||||
| Died | 24 November 2004 (aged 63) | ||||||||||
| Other names | James Wong Wong Jim Uncle Jim | ||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Hong Kong (ph.D, mPhil ,Upper second class honoured B.A.) | ||||||||||
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1962–2004 | ||||||||||
| Spouses | Wah Wa
(m. 1967; div. 1976)Winnie Chan (m. 1995) | ||||||||||
| Partner(s) | Eunice Lam (1976–1990) | ||||||||||
| Children | 3 | ||||||||||
| Awards | Hong Kong Film Awards – Best Original Film Score 1988 A Chinese Ghost Story 1991 Fight and Love with a Terracotta Warrior 1992 Once Upon a Time in China 1995 Butterfly Lovers Best Original Film Song 1988 A Chinese Ghost Story 1991 The Swordsman Golden Horse Awards – Best Original Song 1992 Once Upon a Time in China II | ||||||||||
| Musical career | |||||||||||
| Origin | Hong Kong, China | ||||||||||
| Genres | Cantopop | ||||||||||
| Instruments |
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| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 黃霑 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 黄沾 | ||||||||||
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| Wong Jum-sum | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 黃湛森 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 黄湛森 | ||||||||||
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James Wong Jim (Chinese: 黃霑; Jyutping: wong4 zim1; Cantonese Yale: wòhng jīm; 18 March 1941 – 24 November 2004, also known as "霑叔" or "Uncle Jim") was a Cantopop lyricist and songwriter based primarily in Hong Kong. Beginning from the 1960s, he was the lyricist for over 2,000 songs, collaborating with songwriter Joseph Koo (a.k.a. Koo Kar-Fai) on many popular television theme songs, many of which have become classics of the genre. His work propelled Cantopop to unprecedented popularity.[1][2][3][4]
He was also well known in Asia as a columnist, actor, film director, screenwriter, and talk show host. He took part in creative directing positions within the entertainment industry in Hong Kong.
Wong died on 24 November 2004 of lung cancer after a four-year battle at the age of 63.[5]
- ^ Growing With Hong Kong: The University and Its Graduates... 2002– Page 317: "Good lyrics are an essential ingredient of Cantonese songs and James Wong Jum-sum, lyricist and composer, has created more than a thousand to ..."
- ^ Yiu-Wai Chu Lost in Transition: Hong Kong Culture in the Age of China – 2013 Page 83 "The Cantonese version was written in 1974 by James Wong, the Godfather of Cantopop, when a Walt Disney show... While Hong Kong Disneyland highly valued James Wong's lyrics, the Hong Kong government tended to think differently."
- ^ Jingzhi Liu – A Critical History of New Music in China – 2010 Page 584 "stage—songs in Cantonese by popular composers like Sam Hui (Xu Guanjie), Joseph Koo (Gu Jiahui), James Wong (Huang Zhan) and Lai Siu-tin (Li Xiao- tian). These new-style Canto-pop songs were welcomed with open arms by the young people of Hong Kong, because the lyrics, ..."
- ^ World Music Volume 2 Latin and North America Caribbean India Asia ... Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham, Richard Trillo – 2000 – Page 49 "Amongst the Chinese – and particularly the Cantonese-speaking population of southern China and Hong Kong – by far ... Cantopop (Cantonese pop) began to appear in the 1970s – an amalgam of Western soft-rock and mellow Cantonese lyrical singing – 'Southern China-meets-the West', ... Joseph Koo and James Wong were the groundbreakers, composing Cantopop song for TV themes in the 1970s."
- ^ "Hong Kong Government statement on Wong's death (Chinese only)". Hong Kong Government. 24 November 2004. Archived from the original on 7 March 2005. Retrieved 14 June 2007.