City Pop Legend

Japanese city pop legend Masayoshi Takanaka heads to North America on tour in spring 2025! The The hugely influential guitarist was a pioneer of city pop, the musical genre which swept through Japan in the 1970s and 80s taking inspiration from funk, rock, jazz and American pop music. His influence has since reached far beyond Japan whether you're a city pop aficionado or not. He's well known to American audiences, having been sampled by Grimes, collaborated with Santana and released a joint album with Little Richard, among many others - don't miss your chance to see him live!

Ever the showman, he's known for using outlandish, often comically extravagant guitars, including one in the shape of a full-size surfboard and another with a model railroad running around it. Getting his start in the bands Flied Egg and the Sadistic Mika Band, his solo ventures began in 1976, consistently releasing a steady stream of killer albums annually for four decades. His 1976 song "Blue Lagoon" is especially well known to guitarists, being named the 14th best guitar instrumental in 2019 by Young Guitar Magazine.