Koshi Inaba
| Koshi Inaba | |
|---|---|
 Koshi Inaba performing in 2012 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Hiroshi Inaba |
| Born | September 23, 1964 |
| Origin | Tsuyama, Okayama, Japan |
| Genres | Hard rock, blues rock, pop rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, lyricist, composer |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, piano, blues-harp, drums, maracas, mandolin |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Labels |
Rooms Records Vermillion |
| Associated acts | B'z, Steve Vai, Tak Matsumoto, Slash |
| Website | B'z official web site |
Koshi Inaba (稲葉浩志 Inaba Kōshi), born Hiroshi Inaba (稲葉浩志 Inaba Hiroshi) on September 23, 1964 in Tsuyama, Okayama, is a Japanese vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. He is best known as the singer and lyricist of the hard rock duo B'z.
Early life
Born and raised in Tsuyama, Okayama, Inaba enrolled in Yokohama National University's Faculty for Education in 1983 to become a qualified mathematics teacher. He made his musical debut in 1985 whilst still a student, contributing vocals to Toshiya "Ran" Matsukawa's album Burning ~Tribute to Randy Rhoads~ under the stage name Mr. Crazy Tiger. He graduated in 1987.
B'z and solo career
Beginning with B'z in 1988, Inaba has, together with guitarist Tak Matsumoto, continued to release new material and tour as part of B'z almost every year since. He has also periodically released solo material, starting in 1997 with the album Magma, produced whilst B'z were on a brief hiatus. Unlike in B'z, where he contributes only lyrics, Inaba has composed all the music for his solo releases.
Inaba has also sung on other artists' releases, such as the Steve Vai song "Asian Sky" from the album The Ultra Zone in 1999. On September 29, 2009, it was announced that he would be featured in Slash's 2010 solo album, Slash. Inaba sang on the first single, "Sahara", released on November 11, 2009 in Japan. The song Sahara was featured in the 15th track of the Japanese edition of the album.[1] On February 24, 2010, it was announced that single "Sahara" won the Western single of the year 2010 at Japan Gold Disc Award 2010 held by RIAJ.[2]
Vocal style and influences
He has a wide vocal range, covering three and a half octaves.
Amongst his musical influences are Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Queen, and Guns N' Roses. He respects David Coverdale, Robert Plant, Axl Rose, and especially Steven Tyler as vocalists. He is also a fan of Elvis Presley.
Discography
Albums
- Magma (January 29, 1997)
- Shian (October 9, 2002)
- Peace of Mind (September 22, 2004)
- Hadou (August 18, 2010)
- Singing Bird (May 21, 2014)
Singles
- Tooku Made (December 16, 1998)
- K I (June 11, 2003)
- Wonderland (July 14, 2004)
- Okay (June 23, 2010)
- Hane (January 13, 2016)
Digital Exclusive Singles
- Nensho (February 26, 2014)
- Nakinagara (March 26, 2014)
- Stay Free (April 23, 2014)
- Saturday (July 30, 2014)
- Yellow (August 24, 2016)
Guest Appearances
- Burning – Ran, 1985 (as Mr. Crazy Tiger)
- The Ultra Zone (on Asian Sky) – Steve Vai, 1999
- Slash (Sahara) – Slash, 2010
See also
References
- ↑ スラッシュ9年ぶりソロ作！！ (in Japanese). HMV Japan. March 29, 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
- ↑ 嵐、ゴールドディスク大賞で10タイトル受賞の新記録 (in Japanese). Natalie. February 24, 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-26.