Joseph Koo

2023 - 1 - 5

Hong Kong composer Joseph Koo

Post cover — Image courtesy of "The Straits Times"

HK composer Joseph Koo dies at 92 (The Straits Times)

He is known for songs such as Below The Lion Rock and The Bund. Read more at straitstimes.com.

For his contributions to music, Koo received a Member of Order of the British Empire in 1982. He retired fully in 2015 and moved to Canada for good three years later. First performed by late singer Roman Tam, it became a well-loved anthem in Hong Kong for celebrating the city’s never-say-die spirit.

Tributes paid to Cantopop songwriter and composer Joseph Koo ... (South China Morning Post)

Joseph Koo will be remembered for his string of hits for the singers of Cantopop's golden age, more than 1000 songs and jingles for television, ...

Joseph Koo Dead: Hong Kong Music Composer Was 91 (Variety)

Joseph Koo, a top composer during Hong Kong cinema's golden age, died in Vancouver, age 91.

He also received the Life Achievement Award at the Hong Kong Arts Development Awards in 2010, presented by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council. With Hong Kong under Chinese rule from 1997, Koo received the territory’s Bronze Bauhinia Star award in 1988 and a Gold Bauhinia Star in 2015. While there, he produced scores and theme songs for films including 1980’s “Shanghai Bund” and the theme songs of the TV series “The Legend of the Condor Heroes” and “Five Easy Pieces,” which became all-time classics. Koo spent much of his career in the Hong Kong film, TV and pop music industries. He also penned the theme song for TV series “Below the Lion Rock” which remains Hong Kong’s unofficial anthem for many people, and for Later he became a performer and band leader performing at venues including the Luk Kwok Hotel in Hong Kong.

Musicians mourn death of renowned Hong Kong composer Joseph ... (CBC.ca)

Koo, 92, was dubbed the "godfather of Cantopop" or Cantonese pop music for laying the foundation for the genre through his TV drama theme song compositions. He ...

"And so I knew that the time would be arriving, but I just never expected it to hit so suddenly. He composed more than 1,200 songs in his decades-long career. "He is to Hong Kong music what Bruce Lee is to Kung Fu and martial arts.

Chinese netizens mourn Cantopop composer Joseph Koo Ka-fai ... (Global Times)

Chinese netizens have paid tributes to renowned composer Joseph Koo Ka-fai who passed away in Canada on Tuesday at the age of 92.

Guo Minglu, an assistant professor at the Shenyang Conservatory of Music, told the Global Times on Wednesday that Koo played an important role in the Hong Kong Philharmonic. Koo had received numerous awards in his life. , TVB's production to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland.

'Godfather of Canto-pop' Joseph Koo passes away in Vancouver (Vancouver Sun)

In Hong Kong, Joseph Koo was a star and a household name during the golden era of Canto-pop in the 1970s and '80s.

For just $3.50 per week, you can get unlimited, ad-lite access to The Vancouver Sun, The Province, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. His death made the nightly TV news in Hong Kong, and an At one point he moved back to Hong Kong for a decade, but always returned to Canada. “My dad thought ‘Why can’t music be composed in a way that uses Cantonese, our mother tongue from Hong Kong?” said Ken Koo. His first hit single with his sister had been done in Mandarin, the language of mainland China. “There was so much demand for his music, (especially) with one particular partner who did most of his lyrics, James Wong. In 1967 he was appointed music director and bandleader for Enjoy Yourself Tonight, which ran for 27 years on TVB, a Hong Kong TV station started by Shaw. Koo became a pianist and bandleader in Hong Kong nightclubs. “It was like Hollywood, when you were a star you had to learn everything, singing, dancing,” said his son Ken Koo. 9, 1931 in Guangzhou, China. In Vancouver, Joseph Koo wasn’t well known outside music circles in the Chinese community. Article content