Roman Tam

Roman Tam
Chinese name 羅文 (traditional)
Chinese name 罗文 (simplified)
Pinyin Luó Wén (Mandarin)
Jyutping lo4 man4 (Cantonese)
Birth name Tam Pak-Sin (譚百先)
Origin Hong Kong
Born (1945-02-12)12 February 1945
Baise, Guangxi, China
Died 18 October 2002(2002-10-18) (aged 57)
Hong Kong
Other name(s) Law Kee (羅記)
Godfather of Cantopop
Occupation Singer, actor
Genre(s) Cantopop, Hong Kong English pop
Instrument(s) Vocals
Label(s) EMI
BMG
EEG
Years active 1960–2002
Associated acts Roman and the Four Steps
Ancestry Guiping, Guangxi, China

Roman Tam, known by the stage name Lo Man (羅文), nickname Law Kee (蘿記), (12 February 1945 – 18 October 2002) was a renowned Hong Kong Cantopop singer. He is regarded as the "Godfather of Cantopop".[1]

Career

Tam was seen as a cultural icon to Chinese communities around the world (including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and, later Mainland China). He had a string of hits in a career spanning 30 years. He was well respected for his singing skills, his positive outlooks, and his insistence on correct pronunciations.

Born in Baise, Guangxi, China with family roots in Guiping, Guangxi. He moved to Guangzhou(Canton) since 1947 at the age of 2. He later immigrated to Hong Kong in 1962 at the age of 17.[2] After forming a short-lived band known as Roman and the Four Steps,[3] he became a contract singer under studios term at TVB. He briefly switched to Asia Television in the early 1990s.

During the 1990s, he accepted many budding singers as his students. Some of which who became famous included Joey Yung and Ekin Cheng. He had sung many well known songs for various TV series including Below the Lion Rock and the 1982 TVB TV series The Legend of the Condor Heroes.

Tam never married. He died in Hong Kong at Queen Mary Hospital from liver cancer. The title of "Godfather of Cantopop" was confirmed in his obituary.

Collaborations

Roman Tam counts Jenny Tseng as his dearest friend and best partner. He recorded a series of duets with Jenny Tseng for the television drama hit "Legend of Condor Heroes." Jenny Tseng still pays tribute to Roman Tam during her concerts.

References

  1. HKVPradio, "Roman Tam the Godfather of cantopop" at the Wayback Machine (archived 18 April 2008), Retrieved on 7 April 2007. Article archived in 2008. Excerpted from the original article in Rhythm magazine by Lucia Chan, 8 June 2004.
  2. (simplified Chinese)"你记得吗?他来自广州……". Southern Metropolis Daily. 18 October 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  3. Shoesmith, Brian. Rossiter, Ned. [2004] (2004). Refashioning Pop Music in Asia: Cosmopolitan flows, political tempos and aesthetic Industries. Routeledge Publishing. ISBN 0-7007-1401-4
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Wong Jim
Golden Needle Award of RTHK Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award
1991
Succeeded by
Leslie Cheung
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