The Checkers (Japanese band)
The Checkers | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Kurume, Japan |
| Genres | Rock and roll, rockabilly, pop rock, doo-wop |
| Years active | 1981 – 1992 |
| Labels | Pony Canyon |
| Past members | Fumiya Fujii (vocals, chorus) Masaharu Tsuruku (vocals, chorus) Yoshihiko Takamoku (vocals, chorus) Tohru Takeuchi (guitars, chorus) Yuji Ohdoi (bass, contrabass, chorus) Yoshiya Tokunaga (drums, percussion, chorus) Naoyuki Fujii (sax, flute, back-vocals, chorus) |
| The Checkers | |
|---|---|
| YouTube information | |
| Channel | |
| Years active | 2021 - |
| Subscribers | 82.3k[1] |
| Total views | 31,951,574 million times[1] |
Last updated: January 15, 2024 | |
The Checkers (Japanese: チェッカーズ) was a very popular Japanese band in the 1980s. They were a pop icon of their time as kids copied hair styles and fashion of the band members. [2]
The band was formed in Kurume-city, Fukuoka Pref. by Toru Takeuchi, the leader and the guitarist, who asked Fumiya Fujii to start a band with him in 1980. They won the Yamaha Light Music Contest in Junior category soon after forming the band. Due to some of the members being high school students at the time they were approached with a record deal they waited until those members finished high school. They made a debut on 21 September 1983 and split up on 31 December 1992.[3][4] All of their single releases entered top 10 in Japanese charts, many of them making it to No 1. Fumiya Fujii, who was the lead singer and the main lyricist, went on to pursue a successful solo career.[5]
Although it was a band that, along with Hiroaki Serizawa[6], produced their own songs, they were frequently regarded as just male aidoru by Japanese rock fans because of their early marketing promotion.[7]
Members
Past members
- Fumiya Fujii - vocals, chorus (1962-)
- Naoyuki Fujii - sax, flute, back-vocals, chorus (1964-)
- Masaharu Tsuruku - vocals, chorus (1964-)
- Yoshihiko Takamoku - vocals, chorus (1962-)
- Tohru Takeuchi - guitars, chorus (1962-)
- Yuji Ohdoi - bass, contrabass, chorus (1962-)
- Yoshiya Tokunaga - drums, percussion, chorus (1962-2004; his death[8])
Discography
As Checkers
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPN Oricon [9] | ||||
| 1983 | "Gizagiza Heart no Komoriuta" (ギザギザハートの子守唄) |
8 | CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | Canyon Record |
| 1984 | "Namida no Request" (涙のリクエスト) |
2 | CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | |
| "Kanashikute Jealousy" (哀しくてジェラシー) |
1 | CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming, | ||
| "Hoshikuzu no Stage" (星屑のステージ) |
CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | |||
| "Julia ni Heartbreak" (ジュリアに傷心) |
CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | |||
| 1985 | "Ano Ko to Scandal" (あの娘とスキャンダル) |
CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | ||
| "Oretachi no Rockabilly Night" (俺たちのロカビリーナイト) |
CD, LP, Cassette, digital download | |||
| "Heart of Rainbow: Ai no Niji o Watatte/Blue Pacific" (Heart of Rainbow～愛の虹を渡って～/ブルー・パシフィック) |
CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | |||
| "Kamisama Help!" (神様ヘルプ!) |
CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | |||
| 1986 | "Oh!!Popstar" |
2 | CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | |
| "Song for U.S.A." |
1 | CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | ||
| "Nana" |
- | CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | ||
| 1987 | "I Love You, Sayonara" |
2 | CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | |
| "Wanderer" |
1 | CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | ||
| "Blue Rain" |
2 | CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | ||
| 1988 | "One Night Gigolo" |
3 | CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | |
| ""Jim&Jane no Densetsu" (Jim&Janeの伝説)" |
4 | CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | ||
| ""Sunao ni I'm Sorry" (素直にI'm Sorry)" |
2 | CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | ||
| 1989 | "Room" |
3 | CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | |
| "Cherie" |
5 | CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | ||
| "Friends and Dream" |
2 | CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | ||
| 1990 | "Sadame" (運命) |
CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | ||
| "Yoake no Breath" (夜明けのブレス) |
CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | |||
| "Sayonara o Mō Ichido" (さよならをもう一度) |
7 | CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | ||
| 1991 | "Love '91" |
3 | CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | |
| "Mrs. Mermaid" |
4 | CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | ||
| "Furetegoran: Please Touch Your Heart" (ふれてごらん~Please Touch Your Heart~) |
CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | |||
| 1992 | "Konya no Namida wa Saikō" (今夜の涙は最高) |
5 | CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | |
| "Blue Moon Stone" |
7 | CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | ||
| "Present For You" |
4 | CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming |
Albums
Original albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| JPN Oricon [9] | ||
| "Zettai Checkers" (絶対チェッカーズ) |
|
1 |
| "Motto Checkers" (もっと!チェッカーズ) |
| |
| "Mainichi Checkers" (毎日チェッカーズ) |
| |
| "Flower" |
| |
| "Go" |
| |
| "Screw" |
|
4 |
| "Seven Heaven" |
|
1 |
| "Oops!" |
| |
| "I Have a Dream" |
|
2 |
| "Blue Moon Stone" |
|
Compilation albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPN Oricon [9] | |||
| "Non-Stop CHECKERS" |
|
- | |
| "BEST The CHECKERS" |
|
1 | |
| "Checkers The BEST" |
|
11 | |
| "The Checkers" |
|
1 | |
| "The OTHER SIDE" |
|
11 | |
| "Early Singles" |
|
3 | |
| "Ballade Selection" |
|
- | |
| "Ballade Selection II" |
|
- | |
| "ALL Songs REQUEST" |
|
- | |
| "COMPLETE The CHECKERS all singles collection" |
|
- | |
| "COMPLETE The CHECKERS all singles collection reverse" |
|
- | |
| "All Ballads Request" |
|
- | |
| "THE CHECKERS SUPER BEST COLLECTION 32" |
|
- | |
| "THE CHECKERS 30TH ANNIVERSARY BEST～7X30 SINGLES～2" |
|
- | |
| "Platinum Best Checkers All Time Collection" (プラチナムベスト チェッカーズ オールタイム・コレクション) |
|
- | |
| "Checkers All Singles Special Collection" (チェッカーズ・オールシングルズ・スペシャルコレクション) |
|
- | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||
Live albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPN Oricon [9] | |||
| "The Checkers Final Last Budokan Live 1992.12.28 " (THE CHECKERS FINAL ラスト武道館ライブ 1992.12.28) |
|
- | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||
Soundtracks
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPN Oricon [9] | |||
| "Checkers in Tan Tan Tanuki Original Soundtrack" (CHECKERS in TAN TAN たぬき) |
|
1 | |
| "SONG FOR U.S.A. Original Song Album" (SONG FOR U.S.A. オリジナル・ソング・アルバム) |
|
- | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||
Box sets
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPN Oricon [9] | |||
| "Checkers 7 Inch Box" (チェッカーズ 7インチBOX) |
|
- | |
| "Checkers 40th Anniversary Original Album Special CD-Box" (チェッカーズ 40th Anniversary オリジナルアルバム・スペシャルCD-BOX) |
|
- | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||
As Cute Beat Club Band
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPN Oricon [10] | ||||
| 1987 | "Nanatsu no Umi no Chikyūgi" (7つの海の地球儀) |
4 | CD, LP, Cassette | Canyon Record |
Albums
Original albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPN Oricon [10] | |||
| "Shine Naru George Springhill Band Sama " (親愛なるジョージ・スプリングヒル・バンド様) |
|
1 | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||
Live albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPN Oricon [10] | |||
"Not Checkers: Endagasa Ekikangen Live " (NOT CHECKERS-円高差益還元ライブ)
|
|
2 | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||
Videography
Video albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPN Oricon [10] | |||
| THE CHECKERS CHRONICLE 1988 SCREW TOUR |
|
- | |
| THE CHECKERS CHRONICLE 1987 GO TOUR |
|
- | |
| THE CHECKERS CHRONICLE 1986 FLASH！！ TOUR |
|
- | |
| THE CHECKERS CHRONICLE 1985 II PIRATES TOUR |
|
- | |
| THE CHECKERS CHRONICLE 1985 I Typhoon' TOUR |
|
- | |
| CHECKERS ALL SONGS REQUEST: DVD EDITION |
|
- | |
| THE CHECKERS CHRONICLE 1992 I Blue Moon Stone TOUR I |
|
- | |
| THE CHECKERS CHRONICLE 1991 II I have a Dream TOUR "WHITE PARTY II" |
|
- | |
| THE CHECKERS CHRONICLE 1991 I I have a Dream TOUR "WHITE PARTY I" |
|
- | |
| THE CHECKERS CHRONICLE 1990 OOPS！ TOUR |
|
- | |
| THE CHECKERS CHRONICLE 1989 SEVEN HEAVEN TOUR |
|
- | |
| THE CHECKERS CHRONICLE 1992 VI Rec． |
|
- | |
| THE CHECKERS CHRONICLE 1992 V FINAL TOUR "ACOUSTIC COLLECTION" |
|
- | |
| THE CHECKERS CHRONICLE 1992 IV FINAL TOUR "ACCESS ALL AREA" |
|
- | |
| THE CHECKERS CHRONICLE 1992 III FINAL TOUR |
|
- | |
| THE CHECKERS CHRONICLE 1992 II Blue Moon Stone TOUR II |
|
- | |
| THE CHECKERS BEST HITS LIVE 1985-1992 |
|
- | |
| 1992 Blue Moon Stone TOUR I&II |
|
- | |
| Checkers 40th Anniversary FINAL TOUR (Remaster Edition) |
|
TBA | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||
References
- ^ a b "About チェッカーズ公式YouTubeチャンネル". YouTube.
- ^ Mark Schilling The Encyclopedia of Japanese pop culture 1997 0834803801 p.230 "In the latter half of the 1980s rock bands like Rebecca, The Checkers, Hound Dog, Tube, Anzen Chitai, Bakufu Slump, and Kome Kome Club began to take center stage on the pop scene. Unlike earlier bands, who played Western-style rock for hard-core fans, these groups had a more Japanized sound that ordinary kids could relate to. Also, taking a hint from New Music queen YUMING, who mounted spectacular stage shows."
- ^ "チェッカーズ デビュー40周年、"混沌の80年代カルチャー"から生まれた伝説のロックバンドの軌跡". thetv. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
- ^ "チェッカーズ、衝撃の解散から30年...伝説のラストライブを全国劇場で上映へ". Oricon. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
- ^ "藤井フミヤのデビュー作『エンジェル』にソロシンガーとしてのビギニングを見出す". okmusic. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
- ^ "Japanese heavyweight songwriter to make US debut as singer at age 70". Mainichi Daily News. 2018-05-24. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
- ^ 藤井フミヤ 100回目の武道館公演を達成も扱い小さく (in Japanese). Ameba News. 2008-01-04. Archived from the original on 2008-04-30. Retrieved 2008-12-27.
- ^ "元チェッカーズのドラマー、〈クロベエ〉こと徳永善也、永眠". tower.jp. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f "チェッカーズのCD・DVDリリース一覧". Oricon. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
- ^ a b c d "CUTE BEAT CLUB BANDのCD・DVDリリース一覧". Oricon. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
See also
| Authority control databases: Artists |
|---|
