| Danny Chan | ||||
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| Danny Chan from his album, LPCD45. | ||||
| Chinese name | 陳百強 (Traditional) | |||
| Chinese name | 陈百强 (Simplified) | |||
| Pinyin | Chen2 bai3 qiang2 (Mandarin) | |||
| Jyutping | Chan4 baak3 koeng4 (Cantonese) | |||
| Ancestry | Taishan, Guangdong | |||
| Origin | Hong Kong | |||
| Born | 7 September 1958 Hong Kong |
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| Died | Hong Kong 25 October 1993 (aged 35) |
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| Other name(s) | Danny Chan | |||
| Occupation | Singer, Composer, Actor | |||
| Genre(s) | Cantopop | |||
| Instrument(s) | Singing, Electronic organ | |||
| Years active | 1979-1992 | |||
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Danny Chan Bak-keung Chinese: 陈百强 (7 September 1958- 25 October 1993) was a popular 1980s cantopop singer, composer and actor in Hong Kong with origins in Taishan, Guangdong. Chan was of the first generation of pop idols in Hong Kong. He was already an electronic organ player, a songwriter, an actor and a promising singer at the beginning of his career. He made a name for himself with his debut release, "Tears For You", which established him as a teen idol. Ripple, Just Loving You and What One Wants in Life are just some of the golden hits written and sung by Chan. He is mostly remembered for his Cantonese romance ballads and high quality compositions. Chan died in 1993 after being in a coma for 17 months[1].
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Chan won third prize at the "HK Pop Song Composition Competition" in 1977. In that same year, he made his acting debut with Hong Kong Television Broadcasts (TVB) through a TV drama called "Sweet Babe". In 1978, he won first prize at the "Hong Kong Yamaha Electone Festival". He held his first music concert in Hong Kong that same year. His first music album, entitled "First Love," was released in 1979.
Chan subsequently signed a music contract with HK EMI[2]. After spending several years with HK EMI, he signed with HK Warner Brothers where he reached superstar status. In 1985, he signed with DMI, which was a joint venture between EMI and Dickson Poon. Through EMI, Chan was able to launch several successful albums. He returned to HK Warner Brothers in the late 1980s.
Chan's career peaked in the early 1980s when he joined a music group called Warners and sang a number of hit songs such as Will Always Be Loving You (偏偏喜歡你), Take Care of Yourself Tonight (今宵多珍重) and No (不). Danny Chan was considered a contemporary to Hong Kong cantopop peers like Leslie Cheung and Alan Tam.
During the span of his music career, Chan held many music concerts in Hong Kong, China, Japan, Singapore, Australia, Thailand, Canada and the United States. Chan also participated and represented Hong Kong in song festivals such as the Nagasaki Asia Music Festival in Japan (1988), Peace Music Concert (1988), Tokyo Music Festival (1989) and the Shanghai Music Festival in China (1991). He was also invited to perform at the Seoul Korea 1988 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. In 1988, he performed in the presence of the royal Thai Princess in a Thai Charity Show. In 1991, Chan announced of his decision to leave the Hong Kong music industry. He held a farewell concert in Shanghai in 1992 and subsequently retired from the Cantopop music industry.
There was speculation in the late 1980s that Chan suffered from alcoholism as it was unfairly perceived in the press that his career lagged behind that of then Hong Kong cantopop superstars, Alan Tam and Leslie Cheung. On 18 May 1992, Chan was found unconscious and he was admitted to Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong[2]. He never regained consciousness from his coma and died 17 months later at age 35. Immediately after he fell unconscious through his death, there was much public and media speculation over the cause of Chan's condition. There were rumors that he had consumed a mixture of alcohol and drugs which led to his coma. Others speculated that he had overdosed on pills, suffered depression and had attempted suicide.
On 8 November 2005, the Hong Kong Post issued a set of special stamps featuring "Hong Kong Pop Singers"[3]. This stamp set focused on Hong Kong's popular singers, saluting five pop stars who have left their marks on Cantopop music history. Chan was featured on the HK$1.80 stamp.
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In 1999, the song Ripples (漣漪) became popular once again when the Hong Kong Government used it in commercials for the Tracker Fund IPO.
A partial list of songs composed and sung by Chan:
| Deceased Famous Singers in Hong Kong (Ref.) |
|---|
| Wong Ka Kui (aged 31) | Danny Chan (aged 35) | Roman Tam (aged 57) | Leslie Cheung (aged 46) | Anita Mui (aged 40) |
   | Danny Chan in Memoriam - HKVP Radio :: View Forum - Danny Chan in Memoriam |
| | HK post stamps - Hongkong Post Stamps - Newsletter |
| | Speech by Postmaster General at issue of "Hong Kong Pop Singers" special stamps - Speech by Postmaster General at issue of "Hong Kong Pop Singers" Special stamps |
| | Stamps to feature Hong Kong pop singers - Hongkong Post - News |
| | Danny Chan Group in Youtube - with over 390 videos of Danny - YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. |
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