Yūzō Kayama (born Kayama Yūzō on April 11, 1937 in Yokohama, Japan) is a Japanese musician, singer-songwriter and actor. Born the son of popular Japanese actor Ken Uehara, Kayama spent much of his childhood immersed in the performing arts, particularly music. In the 1960s he became interested in psychedelic rock music, releasing singles “Back Sand Beach” and “Kimi to Itsumademo (Love Forever)”, which sold over two million copies and was certified gold in 1965, becoming the best-selling record in Japanese music history. Following in his father’s footsteps, Kayama made his acting debut in 1960 in Otoko to otoko (film), rising to stardom in the Wakadaishō (Young Guy) film series. Kayama released 37 albums from 1966 to 1990, including Holiday in Hawaii (1966), Kimi No Tamenti (1968), Chiheisen No Kanata (1977), For the Good Times (1983) and Yesterday (1986) and in 2020, a compilation album was released to celebrate his 60th anniversary as a musician, featuring various Japanese artists performing a collection of his best-known songs entitled Dedicated to Yūzō Kayama. In 2022, Kayama announced his retirement from live performances, releasing the single “Sarai” with Japanese singer-songwriter Shinji Tanimura. The song was chosen as the theme for NTV charity program 24-Hr TV and was included on Kayama’s 2022 album Wakadaishou Best.
