Hitoshi Ueki

Japanese actor, comedian, singer, guitarist, talent who was born in Mie prefecture. (25th December 1926 - 27th March 2007) 植木 等 / Hitoshi Ueki is a member of ハナ肇とクレージーキャッツ (Hana Hajime and Crazy Cats). In 1946 he passed the Teichiku Record's rookie singer contest. In 1952 he formed his own trio "Hitoshi Ueki and New Sounds" with 山崎唯 Yui Yamazaki (p), 大石康司 Koji Oishi (b). There is an anecdotal story that when their band played, Hampton Hawes, who stayed in Japan as occupation army, jumped in as a pianist and participated in the performance. In 1954 he was receiving classical utterance lessons from a female opera singer 平山美智子 Michiko Hirayama. Then フランキー堺 Frankie Sakai who was looking for a guitarist at that time, he joined "Frankie Sakai and City Slickers". He plays a talent as a comedy relief, such as "bullshit scat" here, not as a guitarist. In 1955, Frankie Sakai turned into an actor and was pulled out by Nikkatsu. He transferred to Cuban Cats with 谷啓 Kei Tani who had been transferred from City Slickers on March 1, 1957. He works as one of its main members and gains popularity with jazz club. Cuban Cats later changed the band name to "ハナ肇とクレージーキャッツ" (Hana Hajime and Crazy Cats). They ridiculed the salarymen (economic animal) of the Japanese economic development of the 1960s Hitoshi Ueki, Hajime Hajime and Crazy Cats played the irresponsible guy 's rough characters in their comedy movies.