Shoji Tabuchi

Japanese-American country and bluegrass fiddler and singer. Born April 16, 1944, in Daishoji, Ishikawa, Japan. Died August 11, 2023. In college, at Momoyama Gakuin University, Izumi, Osaka, Tabuchi joined The Bluegrass Ramblers. They went on to win the prestigious Battle of College Bands Championship in 1965. Tabuchi moved to San Francisco in 1967. He and a friend formed a band called the Osaka Okies and landed gigs at several top Bay Area clubs. A patron at a financial-district restaurant where Tabuchi played for tips became his first wife in 1968, and he became an American citizen. The two moved to Kansas City, and Tabuchi began performing at the Starlite Club in nearby Riverside, Missouri. From 1970 to 1975, Tabuchi toured as an opening act with country singer David Houston. He left Houston in 1975 to set out as a headliner on his own. In 1980, Tabuchi arrived in Branson, Missouri, and became a popular performer there. In 1990 he opened his own 2,000-seat Shoji Tabuchi Theatre, and began hosting his own show, twice daily. The Shoji Tabuchi Show incorporated bluegrass – with Orange Blossom Special while sometimes doing a headstand being his showpiece – polka, gospel, Cajun, Hawaiian, western swing, rap, and rock music. Shoji Entertainment SR 2, Box 2983 Branson, MO 65616