Eiichi Ohtaki

Known for his distinctive voice and his ability to write catchy, melodic songs, Eiichi Ohtaki was a Japanese singer-songwriter, musician, and producer. He was born on December 4, 1948, in Ōshū, Iwate Prefecture. He began his musical career in the late 60s as a member of the rock band Happy End, which released three critically acclaimed albums—Happy End (1970), Kazemachi Roman (1971), and Happy End (1973)—before disbanding in 1972. That same year, he released his self-titled studio debut, a batch of folk-rock songs that would become a unique entry in his catalog. Eiichi Ohtaki released his sophomore effort, Niagara Moon, in 1975, followed by the Sugar Babe collaborative album Niagara Triangle Vol. 1 and a third solo full-length titled Go! Go! Niagara in 1976. His 1981 LP, A Long Vacation, won Best Album at the 23rd Japan Record Awards and has been widely regarded as one of the best Japanese rock albums of all time. Even though he retired from his solo activities following the release of his 1984 album Each Time, Eiichi Ohtaki went on to become an accomplished record producer and worked with many other artists in the subsequent decades. He passed away on December 30, 2013, at the age of 65. Debut Again, his first posthumous release, appeared in 2016, and the rarities collection Happy Ending came out in 2020. In 2022, the early singles compilation (Omnibus) 50th Anniversary Edition peaked at Number 15 on the Billboard Japan Albums chart.