Tatsuro Yamashita

Japanese singer-songwriter and record producer born February 4, 1953, in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. Heavily influenced by American jazz, soul, and big band music, his early work included rare cover versions of songs by The Beach Boys and other classic American standards.

His major debut came in 1976 with an album recorded in New York and Los Angeles, featuring arrangements by conductor Charlie Calello. His popular breakthrough arrived in 1980 with a hit single that peaked at #3 on the Oricon chart and was featured in a major Maxell audio cassette campaign.

He is best known for his 1983 composition "Christmas Eve," which became a modern holiday standard and was later covered by Pentatonix for the Japanese release of their album. An English-language version was written by frequent collaborator Alan O'Day.

Beyond his recording career, Yamashita is renowned as an avid record collector and DJ. Since 1992, he has hosted Japan's most celebrated oldies radio program, "Tatsuro Yamashita's Sunday Songbook" on TOKYO FM, which continues to air regularly.