Cho Yong-pil

In this Korean name, the family name is Cho.

Cho Yong-pil (Korean: 조용필; born March 21, 1950) is a South Korean singer-songwriter who is considered one of the most influential figures in South Korean popular music (K-pop). He debuted as a member of the rock band Atkins in 1968 and made his solo debut with the hit single "Come Back to Busan Port" in 1976. Cho has released 19 solo albums and has remained consistently popular during his 50-year career.^[1][2] Nicknamed the "King of Pop" of South Korea,^[3][4] his songs have ranked number one on South Korean music charts in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2010s.^[5] He was recognized with the Eungwan Order of Cultural Merit for his enormous impact on the South Korean pop music scene.^[6] He was selected as Singer of the Year and his song "Bounce" was selected as Song of the Year in the surveys conducted by Gallup Korea in 2013.^[7]

Cho Yong-pil
Cho in April 2013
Born	(1950-03-21) March 21, 1950 (age 74) Hwaseong, South Korea
Occupations	Singer songwriter
Years active	1968–present
Awards	Eungwan Order of Cultural Merit (2013)
Musical career
Genres	K-pop folk-pop trot rock ballad
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Labels	Jigu Record Pil Records Universal Music
Korean name
Hangul	조용필
Hanja	趙容弼
Revised Romanization	Jo Yongpil
McCune–Reischauer	Cho Yongp'il
Website	choyongpil.com

Career

1950–1967: Early years

Cho Yong-pil was born in Songsan-myeon, Hwaseong, South Korea, on March 21, 1950^[8][9] and spent part of his childhood in Seoul. He and actor Ahn Sung-ki were schoolmates at the now-defunct Kyungdong Middle School in Seoul and remained friends even though they attended different high schools.^[10][11] When Cho was seven, he happened to listen to Ray Charles playing the harmonica, and this inspired the young Cho to become a musician.^{[citation needed]}

1968–1975: Atkins, Five Fingers and Kim Trio period

Cho began his music career as a guitarist in various bands. In 1968, he formed a rock band called Atkins and played for the United States Army.^[3][12] Later, he founded Five Fingers, which played music by black artists. In 1971, Cho joined the band Kim Trio,^[5] which motivated him to perform rock music. Members of Kim Trio included Pa Kim (guitar), Dan Kim (drum) and Sun Kim (keyboard).

1976–1992: Solo debut and commercial success

Cho's debut single as a soloist, "Come Back to Busan Port [ja]", brought him national attention when it was released in 1976, later becoming a hit in Japan.^[5][13] Cho then made a Japanese-language version of the song, and sang live in Japan. He was accused of smoking marijuana the following year and was banned from performing until 1979.^[5] His first album, Woman Outside the Window (창 밖의 여자), was released in 1980 and has been followed by many others. In 1980, he held a concert at Carnegie Hall in New York, the first Korean singer to perform there.^[5] In 1988, he became the first South Korean singer to perform in China, before the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.^[5]

1992–2012: Commercial decline and concerts

His commercial success declined after the rise of the group Seo Taiji and Boys and many other young musicians. His studio albums released after 1992 were not so successful. Noticing this, he announced that he would stop appearing on television, concluding that he would hardly make any hits.^{[citation needed]} Subsequently, he focused more on concerts and music performance. In 1993, his Busan concert attracted an audience of 1 million, a record for South Korea.^{[citation needed]} The following year, he became the first South Korean singer to surpass 1 million record sales. In 2005, Cho performed a concert in Pyongyang, North Korea, a rare occurrence for a South Korean singer.^[5]

2013–2021: Hello and 50th anniversary

In April 2013, Cho released his 19th album titled Hello, which debuted at number one on the South Korean charts, eclipsing Psy's "Gentleman".^[14] On April 25, 2013, he returned to television with the showcase "Hello". This show was also broadcast live on YouTube.^[15]

The album ranked number one on the Gaon Album Chart for the week of April 28 – May 4, 2013.^[16] Two songs from the album won first place on South Korean music shows: "Hello" and "Bounce".^[17][18] Following the success of Hello, Cho reissued 14 of his old albums.^[19] He later released a Japanese version of the album.^[13]

In 2018, Cho held a series of concerts to mark his 50th anniversary as a singer.^[4]

2022: Road to 20-Prelude 1

Cho released the single album Road to 20-Prelude 1 on November 18, 2022. To promote the album, he released a 30-second teaser video on his official YouTube channel on November 15. The video contains the titles of the new songs "Moment" and "Like Serengeti". He will hold a solo concert, 2022 Cho Yong-pil and the Great Birth, at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul on November 26–27 and December 3–4.^[20]

2024: 20

Cho released his 20th album 20 on October 22, 2024, 11 years after the release of his previous album.^[21]

Discography

Korean studio albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions		Sales
		KOR Gaon [22]	KOR Hot 100 [23]
Woman Outside The Window (창밖의 여자)	Released: March 20, 1980 Label: Jigu Records Format: LP	No data	No data	KOR: 1,000,000+[24]
Candlelight (촛불)	Released: December 5, 1980 Label: Jigu Records Format: LP			No data
Cho Yong Pil 3	Released: July 10, 1981 Label: Jigu Records Format: LP
Can't Find the Oriole (못찾겠다 꾀꼬리)	Released: May 17, 1982 Label: Jigu Records Format: LP
My Friend (친구여)	Released: June 25, 1983 Label: Jigu Records Format: LP
Party of Tears (눈물의 파티)	Released: February 9, 1984 Label: Jigu Records Format: LP
Let's go on a Trip (여행을 떠나요)	Released: April 10, 1985 Label: Jigu Records Format: LP
In The Air (허공)	Released: November 15, 1985 Label: Jigu Records Format: LP			KOR: 1,000,000[citation needed]
Love and Life and Me! (사랑과 인생과 나!)	Released: May 10, 1987 Label: Pil Company, Jigu Records Format: LP			No data
Cho Yong Pil '88	Released: May 28, 1988 Label: Pil Company, Jigu Records Format: CD, cassette
Q (10th Album Part II) (10집 Part II)	Released: January 14, 1989 Label: Pil Company Format: CD, cassette
Reunion (추억속의 재회)	Released: January 20, 1990 Label: Universal Music Format: CD, cassette
The Dreams	Released: April 20, 1991 Label: Universal Music Format: CD, cassette
Cho Yong Pil 14	Released: October 1, 1992 Label: Universal Music Format: CD, cassette
Cho Yong Pil and the Great Birth (조용필과 위대한탄생)	Released: July 1, 1994 Label: Universal Music Format: CD, cassette
Eternally	Released: May 1, 1997 Label: Universal Music Format: CD, cassette
Ambition	Released: October 27, 1998 Label: Universal Music Format: CD, cassette
Over The Rainbow	Released: September 3, 2003 Label: Universal Music Format: CD, cassette
Hello	Released: April 23, 2013 Label: Universal Music Format: CD, LP, digital download	1	1	KOR: 250,046+[25]
20	Released: October 22, 2024 Label: Universal Music Format: CD, LP, digital download	37	–	KOR: 6,360[26]

Japanese studio albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions	Sales
		JPN [27]
Hello (Japan Edition)	Released: 2013 Label: Universal Music	264	—

Book

• Speech which wind conveys (1985)

Awards and nominations

Award	Year	Category	Nominated work or nominee	Result	Ref.
Ampex Golden Reel Award	1982	Golden Reel Award	Cho Yong-pil	Won	[28]
Baeksang Arts Awards	1981	Best Song – Film	"Candlelight" (from Love Becomes Bitterness)	Won	[29]
	1982	Best Song – Television	"Flower Wind" (from Flower Wind)	Won	[30]
Gaon Chart Music Awards	2013	Album of the Year for the 2nd Quarter	Hello	Won	[31]
		K-Pop Contribution Award	Cho Yong-pil	Won
Golden Disc Awards	1986	Album of the Year (Daesang)	Empty Space	Won	[32]
		Album Bonsang		Won
		Popularity Award	"Speech Which Wind Conveys"	Won
	2005	Lifetime Achievement Award	Cho Yong-pil	Won	[33]
	2014	Album Bonsang	Hello	Won	[34]
KBS Song Festival	1980	Best Male Singer (Daesang)	"Woman Outside The Window"	Won	[35]
	1981		"Red Dragonfly"	Won	[36]
	1982		"Tragic Love"	Won	[37]
	1983		"Dear Friend"	Won	[38]
	1985		"Yesterday, Today And..."	Won	[36]
	1999	Achievement Award	Cho Yong-pil	Won
		Best Singer of the 20th Century		Won
Korea Popular Music Awards	2018	Thanks To You Award		Won	[39]
Korean Broadcasters Awards	1998	Best Male Singer		Won
Korean Music Awards	2004	Singer of the Year – Male		Nominated	[40]
	2006	Achievement Award		Won	[41]
	2014	Song of the Year (Daesang)	"Bounce"	Won	[42]
		Best Pop Song		Won
MBC Gayo Daejejeon	1980	Best Popular Singer (Daesang)	"Woman Outside The Window"	Won	[36]
	1981		"Red Dragonfly"	Won
	1983		"I Like You"	Won
	1984		"Dear Friend"	Won
	1985		"Darling"	Won
	1986		"In The Air"	Won
Melon Music Awards	2013	Best Rock	"Bounce"	Won	[43]
		Top Ten Artist Award	Cho Yong-pil	Nominated	[44]
Mnet 20's Choice Awards	2013	20's Record		Won	[45]
		20's Online Music	"Hello"	Nominated	[46]
		20's Voice	"Hello" and "Bounce"	Nominated
Mnet Asian Music Awards	2013	Song of the Year (Daesang)	"Bounce"	Won	[47]
		Best Vocal Performance – Male		Nominated
		Artist of the Year (Daesang)	Cho Yong-pil	Nominated
		Best Male Artist		Nominated
		Album of the Year (Daesang)	Hello	Nominated
		Best Music Video	"Hello"	Nominated
SBS Gayo Daejeon	2005	Special Achievement Award	Cho Yong-pil	Won	[33]
Seoul Music Awards	2003	Live Award		Won	[48]
	2013	Best Album	Hello	Won	[49]
		Main Prize (Bonsang)	Cho Yong-pil	Won

State and cultural honors

Country or organization	Year	Honor	Ref.
Center for Cultural Unification Studies	2005	Grand Prize for Unification Culture	[50]
South Korea	2003	Order of Cultural Merit (Bogwan, 3rd Class)	[51]
	2013	Order of Cultural Merit (Eungwan, 2nd Class)	[52]
Tanzania	2001	Medal of Culture	[53]

External links

• Official website (in Korean)

References

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