Cho Yong-pil (; born March 21, 1950) is a South Korean singer-songwriter. Dubbed the "King of Pop" of South Korea, he is considered one of the most influential figures in the country popular music genre, K-pop. Over a five-decade career, his songs have ranked number one on local music charts in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2010s.
Born in Hwaseong, Cho 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. He was recognized with the Eungwan Order of Cultural Merit for his enormous impact on the country pop music scene. 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.
Career 1950–1967: Early years Cho Yong-pil was born in Songsan-myeon, Hwaseong, South Korea, on March 21, 1950 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. When Cho was seven, he happened to listen to Ray Charles playing the harmonica, and this inspired the young Cho to become a musician.
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. Later, he joined Five Fingers, which played music by black artists. In 1971, Cho joined the band Kim Trio, which motivated him to perform rock music. Members of Kim Trio included Kim Dae Hwan (drum), Lee Nam Yee (bass) and Choi Yee Chul (guitar). This Kim Trio is different from the band of the same name from the 1980s.
1976–1992: Solo debut and commercial success Cho's debut single as a soloist, "", brought him national attention when it was released in 1976, later becoming a hit in Japan. Cho then made a Japanese-language version of the song, and sang live in Japan. The combined sales of the "Come Back to Busan Port" single and the LP featuring the song exceeded 3 million copies. He was accused of smoking marijuana in 1977 and was banned from performing until 1979. His first album, Woman Outside the Window (), 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. In 1988, he became the first South Korean singer to perform in China, before the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
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. 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. 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.
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". On April 25, 2013, he returned to television with the showcase "Hello". This show was also broadcast live on YouTube.
The album ranked number one on the Gaon Album Chart for the week of April 28 – May 4, 2013. Two songs from the album won first place on South Korean music shows: "Hello" and "Bounce". Following the success of Hello, Cho reissued 14 of his old albums. He later released a Japanese version of the album.
In 2018, Cho held a series of concerts to mark his 50th anniversary as a singer.
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 held a solo concert, 2022 Cho Yong-pil and the Great Birth, at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul from November 26 to 27 and December 3 to 4.
2024: 20 Cho released his 20th album 20 on October 22, 2024, 11 years after the release of his previous album.
Personal life Cho married An Jin-hyeon in their 40s, but in early 2003, Ahn died of heart disease at the age of 54.
Discography Korean studio albums Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales KOR: 20: Woman Outside the Window Released: March 20, 1980 Label: Jigu Records Format: LP rowspan="18" KOR: 1,000,000 Candlelight Released: December 5, 1980 Label: Jigu Records Format: LP rowspan="6" Cho Yong Pil 3 Released: July 10, 1981 Label: Jigu Records Format: LP Can't Find the Oriole Released: May 17, 1982 Label: Jigu Records Format: LP My Friend Released: June 25, 1983 Label: Jigu Records Format: LP Party of Tears Released: February 9, 1984 Label: Jigu Records Format: LP Let's Go on a Trip Released: April 10, 1985 Label: Jigu Records Format: LP In the Air Released: November 15, 1985 Label: Jigu Records Format: LP KOR: 1,000,000 Love and Life and Me! Released: May 10, 1987 Label: Pil Company, Jigu Records Format: LP rowspan="10" Cho Yong Pil '88 Released: May 28, 1988 Label: Pil Company, Jigu Records Format: CD, cassette Q (10th Album Part II) Released: January 14, 1989 Label: Pil Company Format: CD, cassette Reunion 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 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 KOR: 250,046Sales of Hello: 20 Released: October 22, 2024 Label: Universal Music Format: CD, LP, digital download 37 KOR: 8,215Cumulative Sales of 20:
Japanese studio albums Title Album details Hello (Japanese Edition) Released: October 16, 2013 Label: Universal Music Format: CD, digital download
Japanese singles +List of charted Japanese singlesTitleYear Peak chart positionsSalesJPN"Mio Mio Mio" / "Return to Busan Port"(ミオ・ミオ・ミオ / 釜山港へ帰れ)198229 JPN: 260,000"Lost in Thoughts" (想いで迷子)198613
Book Speech which wind conveys (1985)
Awards and nominations Award Year Category Nominated work or nominee Result Ampex Golden Reel Award 1982 Golden Reel Award Cho Yong-pil Baeksang Arts Awards 1981 Best Song – Film "Candlelight" (from Love Becomes Bitterness) 1982 Best Song – Television "Flower Wind" (from Flower Wind) Gaon Chart Music Awards 2013 Album of the Year for the 2nd Quarter Hello K-Pop Contribution Award Cho Yong-pil Golden Disc Awards 1986 Album of the Year (Daesang) Empty Space Album Bonsang Popularity Award "Speech Which Wind Conveys" 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award Cho Yong-pil 2014 Album Bonsang Hello KBS Song Festival 1980 Best Male Singer (Daesang) "Woman Outside The Window" 1981 "Red Dragonfly" 1982 "Tragic Love" 1983 "Dear Friend" 1985 "Yesterday, Today And..." 1999 Achievement Award Cho Yong-pil Best Singer of the 20th Century Korea Popular Music Awards 2018 Thanks To You Award Korean Broadcasters Awards 1998 Best Male Singer Korean Music Awards 2004 Singer of the Year – Male 2006 Achievement Award 2014 Song of the Year (Daesang) "Bounce" Best Pop Song MBC Gayo Daejejeon 1980 Best Popular Singer (Daesang) "Woman Outside The Window" 1981 "Red Dragonfly" 1983 "I Like You" 1984 "Dear Friend" 1985 "Darling" 1986 "In The Air" Melon Music Awards 2013 Best Rock "Bounce" Top Ten Artist Award Cho Yong-pil Mnet 20's Choice Awards 2013 20's Record 20's Online Music "Hello" 20's Voice "Hello" and "Bounce" Mnet Asian Music Awards 2013 Song of the Year (Daesang) "Bounce" Best Vocal Performance – Male Artist of the Year (Daesang) Cho Yong-pil Best Male Artist Album of the Year (Daesang) Hello Best Music Video "Hello" SBS Gayo Daejeon 2005 Special Achievement Award Cho Yong-pil Seoul Music Awards 2003 Live Award 2013 Best Album Hello Main Prize (Bonsang) Cho Yong-pil
State and cultural honors Country or organization Year Honor Center for Cultural Unification Studies 2005 Grand Prize for Unification Culture South Korea 2003 Order of Cultural Merit (Bogwan, 3rd Class) 2013 Order of Cultural Merit (Eungwan, 2nd Class) Tanzania 2001 Medal of Culture
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