The following below are a few of the popular acts from the 1970's. Also, this decade produced many popular groups that are still around right now. Southern All Stars and Chage and Aska began their careers in the 1970's.
Pink Lady
In 1976, a duo called Pink Lady skyrocketed to fame by having nine straight number-one singles and at the end of the decade dissapeared. Mitsuyo Nemoto and Keiko Masuda were known for their slinky mini skirts. Their dancing which consisted of youthful vitality, good choreography and sexy moves. This was very popular because many female idol singers do not do much dancing but just usual hand gestures. During the mid-70's, they appeared on every show and any show that had them knew it would bring in good ratings. During 1979, the Pink Lady phenomenon lost its steam. So, Mii and Kei went to the U.S. to be part of a show for NBC. Unfortunately, the show didn't last eve a season. They struggled for another year but unfortunately their songs were no longer popular. In 1981, they disbanded. In the 1990's, Pink Lady nostalgia were starting to become fan collectible items worth good money. So, the T&S Agency responsible for the duo, created another duo called Pink Lady X in 1996 to be the Pink Lady of the 1990's but was unsuccessful.
Yamaguchi Momoe:
In the 1970's, Yamaguchi Momoe is regarded as the most popular singer of all time. In many "Best Japanese Music Shows of All Time" specials shown every year, Yamaguchi Momoe is always ranked as #1. One of the reasons is because she was a woman who sung songs about a woman who can stand in her own two feet. Also, because she retired when she was still so very popular. The reason for her retirement, according to her own biography was that she didn't like the job and that her love of singing has become work without regards to her own wishes. In 1978, a popular trio idol group called "The Candies" retired because "they can become ordinary girls again". This planted the idea of retirement to Yamaguchi's mind. In 1980, she announced to the public that she will marry Tomokazu Miura (an actor she acted with in "Izu no Odoriko") and quit show business. The news hit many fans really hard but she went out in a blaze of glory with her popularity and reputation still intact. Even today, there are many rumors that she will return back to singing but the fact so far is that she has no plans to.
YMO: Yellow Magic Orchestra
YMO is a group consisting of three veteran studio musicians. They were the next Japanese wave that made an impact in America and also throughout the world. Why is that? They were the first Japanese pop group to use electronic sounds to produce a new kind of music called "techno-pop". They were the first Japanese pop band to have a world tour. A member of YMO, Sakamoto Ryuichi is the only person who continued to stay popular. He is known for his acting in which American pop singer, Madonna had a role ready for him in one of her movies. He also is known for his score for the 1987 movie, The Last Emperor in which he won an oscar. YMO well be remembered for their unusual style and their music.
Resources:
Mark Schilling's "Encyclopedia to Japanese Pop Culture"
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