Alan Tam
Encyclopedia
Wing Lun Alan Tam, MH
Medal of Honour
The Medal of Honour is part of the honours system in Hong Kong. It was created in 1997 to replace the British honours system after the transfer of sovereignty to the People's Republic of China and the establishment of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region...

 is an award-winning Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

 Cantopop
Cantopop
Cantopop is a colloquialism for "Cantonese popular music". It is sometimes referred to as HK-pop, short for "Hong Kong popular music". It is categorized as a subgenre of Chinese popular music within C-pop...

 and English pop
Hong Kong English pop
Hong Kong English pop are English language songs that are made, performed and popularized in Hong Kong. Known as simply English pop by Hong Kong people...

 singer and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

. During the early 1980s he played a major role in developing the cantopop scene as he was known for singing romantic ballads with modern arrangements. As of 2008, he is still active in the music industry, releasing new albums on a regular basis. Since the late 1980s, he has served as a mentor for the cantopop music industry, earning the nickname the "Principal" or "Principal Tam". Today he is regularly seen across the media in Hong Kong, mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...

, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

, and various parts of East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...

 participating in all types of entertainment related events and charity activities.

Biography

Tam was born in 1950 to renowned football player Tam Kong-pak (譚江柏), who represented the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...

 national team during the 1936 summer olympics
Football at the 1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Olympic football tournament, won by Italy, has come to share an affinity with the political backdrop against which it was being played; in terms of the history of football, however, the tournament suffered as a reaction to the development of the FIFA World Cup.The introduction of the first...

.

Early years

Tam developed a passion for music in his secondary school years in Hong Kong. He formed a band called "The Wynners" with his friends. They subsequently entered an amateur singing contest and took the first prize to begin a career in the entertainment industry, appearing in a number of TVB variety shows. The group disbanded, and he later reformed into the band The Wynners
The Wynners
The Wynners are a Hong Kong pop band formed in the 1970s. The five-piece is made up of Alan Tam , Kenny Bee , Bennett Pang , Danny Yip and Anthony Chan .-History:...

 with Kenny Bee
Kenny Bee
Chung Chun-to , better known as Kenny Bee, is a Hong Kong singer, musician and actor. He is well-known as a member of the Hong Kong English pop and cantopop band the Wynners, and as a solo artist who has been active in the Hong Kong entertainment industry for nearly three decades.-Career:Bee made...

 in 1973. The Wynners performed mostly in English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

, Tam was one of the two lead singers in the band until it split in 1978.

Alan Tam established a foothold on the Cantopop scene with songs dating back to the late 1980s like 'Embrace' (擁抱), 'Flower in Water' (水中花), 'Half Dazed, Half Awoken' (半夢半醒) and the popular 'Love Trap' (愛情陷阱).

His first album as a solo artist was 'Naughty Boy' (反斗星) in 1979. An early success was the song 'Love in Autumn' (愛在深秋) first performed in 1984.

As a solo singer

Tam's first album as a solo artist was "Naughty Boy" (反斗星) in 1979. He later releases such as "Love in Autumn" (愛在深秋) in 1984 or "Embrace" (擁抱), "Flower in Water" (水中花) or "Half Dazed, Half Awoken" (半夢半醒) achieved commercial success. In the 1981 RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards
1981 RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards
The 1981 RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards was held in 1981 for the 1980 music season.-Top 10 song awards:The top 10 songs of 1981 are as follows.-Other awards:-References:*...

 he also won his first major individual song award. His 1984 albums of (愛的根源), (霧之戀) and 1985 (愛情陷阱) formed a successful trilogy of albums. In 1987 he made an announcement that he would not accept any more awards with competition involved. He continued to release albums for the next 30+ years. From 1981 to 1988 he won a top 10 song award every year. This was in addition to his winning a top 10 song award every year from 1983 to 1987 for the Jade solid gold awards
Jade Solid Gold Top 10 Awards
The Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards Presentation is one of the main C-pop music award in Hong Kong based on the Jade Solid Gold TVB television show. The award began with the 1984 ceremonial season after the 1983 music season. Historically the ceremony is held in January following the end of...

. In 1993, he released the English album "My Love", in collaboration with Korean singer Kim Wan-Sun.

The Hong Kong press
Media of Hong Kong
Media in Hong Kong are available to the public in the forms of: television and radio, newspapers, magazines and the Internet. They serve the local community by providing necessary information and entertainment.-Overview:...

 frequently reported a fierce rivalry between Tam and fellow singer Leslie Cheung
Leslie Cheung
Leslie Cheung Kwok-Wing , nicknamed elder brother , was a film actor and musician from Hong Kong. Cheung was considered as "one of the founding fathers of Cantopop", and "combining a hugely successful film and music career".In 2000, Cheung was named Asian Biggest Superstar by China Central...

. Although both artists were at peace with each other, it was the fans who created the spectacle of a musical feud. In the late 90s the singers brushed aside any doubts about their friendship, and even appeared in galas and other special programmes. In 1999, Leslie Cheung, together with other 17 singers, participated in the Album "Paying Tribute to Alan Tam" (誰可改變15週年紀念集) and collaborated to produce the single remix of Tam's popular songs "Illusion" (幻影) and "Foggy Love" (霧之戀).

In 2003, he teamed up with fellow artist Hacken Lee
Hacken Lee
Hacken Lee Hak Kan is an award winning Hong Kong based Cantopop singer and lyricist, actor, Master of Ceremonies and Association football sportscaster.-Early years: 1985-1995:...

 for a major world tour entitled "Left Alan Right Hacken" (左麟右李) which expanded from Hong Kong, Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...

, mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...

, Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...

 to parts of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 and United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The name of the tour was a clever spinoff of the Chinese phrase of the same pronunciation (左鄰右裡). Since 2006 he has been helping his godson Kelvin Kwan
Kelvin Kwan
Kelvin Kwan is a cantopop singer from Go East, a subdivision of Universal Music.-Family background:Born into a wealthy family, Kwan was raised in Canada. His father is Hong Kong record producer William Kwan, an executive for the Hong Kong division of PolyGram, who played in the band Teddy Robin and...

 establish a career in the Hong Kong pop industry.

One of his signature fast songs "Love Trap" (愛情陷阱) earned him the 25th Anniversary Jade Solid Gold song honour award in 2006
2006 Jade Solid Gold Top 10 Awards
The 2006 Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards Presentation was held on January 2007. It is part of the Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards Presentation series held at the Hong Kong Coliseum.-Top 10 song awards:...

. By 1995 he had already sold more than 20 million albums. By 2005 he had launched more than 104 albums, and 800 songs. He has taken part in 264 concerts, of which 189 were individual concerts.

In 2007 he was the recipient of the 30th Hall of Fame Award from the Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong (CASH)
Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong
The Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong Ltd. is a copyright society in Hong Kong which aims to administer and enforce collectively the rights of composers and authors of musical works subsisting under the copyright law of Hong Kong SAR. Its motto is: "Protect Copyright - Let Creativity...

 for his 30+ years of contributions to the Hong Kong and Chinese music industry (以表揚他三十多年來對香港音樂創作及華人樂壇的貢獻).

As an actor

In the 1970s, Tam hosted the variety show The Wynners Show and took part in the television drama Over the Rainbow. He decided to pursue opportunities in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

 in 1980, and starred in renowned director Pai Ching-jui's A Girl Without Sorrow. He subsequently starred in more than ten films in Taiwan including The Funny Couple and Part Time Job. He later starred in a number of films like Armour of God with Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...

 and Master Wong v. Master Wong which is a parody of legendary Canton
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...

 kung fu fighter Wong Fei Hung
Wong Fei Hung
Wong Fei-hung was a Chinese martial artist, a traditional Chinese medicine physician, acupuncturist and revolutionary who became a folk hero and the subject of numerous television series and films. He was considered an expert in the Hung Gar style of Chinese martial arts. Wong is visibly the most...

. In 1981 Tam won the Best Actor award at the Golden Horse Awards
Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards
The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962, by Government Information Office, Republic of China...

 for his role in If I Were For Real (假如我是真的). He has virtually retired from acting since Age Of Miracles (1996) and Aces Going Places (1997). However, he makes a comeback for Here Comes Fortune (财神到) in 2010.

President of Artistes Guild

On 11 January 2008, Tam was elected as president of the Hong Kong Performing Artistes Guild
Hong Kong Performing Artistes Guild
Hong Kong Performing Artistes Guild or HKPAG is the main non-profit labour association for Hong Kong artistes, canto-pop singers and stage performers. It was formed on 12 December 1993. Its current Chairman is singer Eric Tsang....

. Just a month after he was elected, the Edison Chen photo scandal
Edison Chen photo scandal
The Edison Chen photo scandal involved the illegal distribution over the Internet of intimate and private photographs of Hong Kong actor Edison Chen with various women, including actresses Gillian Chung, Bobo Chan, Rachel Ngan and Cecilia Cheung. The scandal shook the Hong Kong entertainment...

 caused a media storm. The Guild condemned the increasing circulation and uploading of obscene photos on the Internet. Tam was interviewed daily by different media on the handling of the case. He statement, "The circulation of such obscene photos has created a bad atmosphere in society."

After the 2008 Sichuan earthquake
2008 Sichuan earthquake
The 2008 Sichuan earthquake or the Great Sichuan Earthquake was a deadly earthquake that measured at 8.0 Msand 7.9 Mw occurred at 14:28:01 CST...

 Tam helped set up a relief committee to look after the livelihood and schooling of orphaned children. He was on a HK committee along with Eric Tsang
Eric Tsang
Eric Tsang Chi-wai , MH is a prolific Hong Kong actor, film director, film producer and television host best known for hosting the Super Trio series on TVB over the course of 10 years.-Biography:Due to his popularity, he is often the MC in events organized by TVB, and is nicknamed "the Prize Master"...

, Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...

 and Eason Chan
Eason Chan
Eason Chan Yik-shun is a prominent male singer in Hong Kong's music industry. Undoubtedly one of the most dominant male singers in the post-1997 era of Hong Kong music industry. Eason Chan has been praised by Time magazine as a front runner in the next generation of Cantopop...

.

As an entrepreneur

In 1997 an announcement was made in Admiralty
Admiralty, Hong Kong
Admiralty is the eastern extension of central business district of the Central on the Hong Kong Island of Hong Kong. It is located on the eastern end of the Central and Western District, bordered by Wan Chai to the east and Victoria Harbour to the north. The name of Admiralty refers to the former...

, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

 to launch a Star East Entertainment restaurant
Star East
Star East is a Hong Kong production and entertainment company founded by Eric Tsang, Natalis Chan and Alan Tam and parent company of the film and TV production company BoB and Partners Co. Ltd.....

 concept boasting 40 celebrity investors. It was one of the most publicised investments made by Tam in collaboration with actors Natalis Chan
Natalis Chan
Natalis Chan Pak-Cheung, born 3 December 1950 in Hong Kong, is a Hong Kong television host, film actor and producer.Besides his duties as a variety show host, he has also been a horse racing commentator and horse trainer...

 and Eric Tsang
Eric Tsang
Eric Tsang Chi-wai , MH is a prolific Hong Kong actor, film director, film producer and television host best known for hosting the Super Trio series on TVB over the course of 10 years.-Biography:Due to his popularity, he is often the MC in events organized by TVB, and is nicknamed "the Prize Master"...

. In 2000 a merger was made between Star East and Planet Hollywood
Planet Hollywood
Planet Hollywood, a restaurant inspired by the popular portrayal of Hollywood, was launched in New York on October 22, 1991, with the backing of Hollywood stars Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.-History:...

.

External links

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