Yoshio Tabata

Yoshio Tabata (田端義夫) was a Japanese ryūkōka and enka singer, songwriter, and electric guitarist. His debut song "Shima no Funauta" (島の舟唄) was released in 1939. Along with enka-shi Haruo Oka's 1939 debut, his debut had a big impact on Japanese popular music because Japanese popular ryūkōka music of that time was mainly sung by classical music singers such as Ichiro Fujiyama and Noriko Awaya. He was born in Matsusaka, Mie prefecture, Japan.

Discography

 * Shima no Funauta (島の舟唄) : 1939
 * Ume to Heitai (梅と兵隊) : 1941
 * Shima Sodachi (島育ち) : 1962
 * Jūku no Haru (十九の春) : 1975
 * Shōwa San Dai ki (昭和三代記) : 1994
 * Hyaku-nen no Ai (百年の愛) : 1998 (Tribute song to Taro Shoji born in 1898)
 * Tabi no Owari ni Kiku Uta wa (旅の終わりに聞く歌は) : 2001