Cho Yong-pil (born on March 21, 1950 in Hwaseong, Korea) is a South Korean singer. Growing up in Seoul and inspired by American singer-songwriter Ray Charles, Cho performed in several bands including country and western group Atkins, and popular South Korean rock group Five Fingers. Debuting as a soloist in 1975, Cho released “Come Back to Busan Harbor” which attracted considerable commercial success, particularly in Japan, leading a Japanese-language version of the song that Cho performed live. His first studio album Chang bakkui yeoja 창 밖의 여자 (The Woman outside the Window) (1979), was certified gold and soon after the release of his follow-up album Candelight (1980), Cho was propelled onto the international stage, becoming the first Korean singer to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York. Releasing a further 15 albums between 1981 and 1998, including smash hit In the Air (1985), Cho focused on touring after 1992, performing over 30 concerts a year and to audiences in the millions, On April 23, 2013, Cho’s 19th album Hello was released, debuting at number 1 on the Korean charts, winning him Album of the Year awards at both the Seoul Music Awards and the Gaon Chart Music Awards, respectively. In 2016, Cho released The History / 40th Anniversary Live Concert, a collection of live performances from his 2008 South Korean/U.S 40th anniversary tour, recorded at South Korea's Jamsil Arena. In 2024, he released his newest album 20.
