| Samuel Hui Koon-kit | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese name | 許冠傑 (Traditional) | |||||
| Chinese name | 许冠杰 (Simplified) | |||||
| Pinyin | Xǔ Guàn jié (Mandarin) | |||||
| Jyutping | heoi2 gun3 git6 (Cantonese) | |||||
| Birth name | Samuel (Sam) Hui | |||||
| Ancestry | Panyu(Now Canton), | |||||
| Origin | Hong Kong | |||||
| Born | 6 September 1948 Hong Kong |
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| Other name(s) | God of Songs (歌神), Sam哥 | |||||
| Occupation | Singer, Actor, composer, songwriter | |||||
| Genre(s) | Cantopop, Hong Kong English pop | |||||
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, Electric Bass Guitar, Piano, Violin, Harmonica, drums | |||||
| Years active | 1967 – 1992, 2003 - present | |||||
| Associated acts | The Lotus | |||||
| Spouse(s) | Rebecca Fleming (Rebu Hui) | |||||
| Children | Ryan Hui and Scott Hui | |||||
| Parents | Lee See Wun (Mother), Hui Sai Cheung (Father) | |||||
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Samuel Hui Koon-kit, usually known as Sam Hui, is best known for being a star in the Cantopop and movie industry in Hong Kong's from the 1960s to 1990s. He was born on 6 September 1948. He graduated from the Arts Faculty of University of Hong Kong, Ying Wa College and St Francis Xavier's College in the late 1960s to early 1970s. He and his brothers Michael and Ricky made several comedy blockbusters in the 1970s. He is also acknowledged for popularising Cantopop, by incorporating the then unknown idiosyncrasies of Western popular music into the Cantopop genre.
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He started his career as a host to a youth music TV show on TVB. At the time, he was the lead musician of his band named The Lotus. In the early years of his career, he sang Western songs from Britain and the U.S. However, he began singing Cantonese songs when he wrote the theme songs for the comedies produced by his brother Michael Hui.
His music appealed to the Hong Kong masses particularly the working class with its simple lyrics and light-hearted nature which was popular in Hong Kong music in the late 1970s. One of his most popular song during the mid 70's was the theme song to the movie "The Private Eyes". It was a humorous reflection on the plight of harsh working life for middle and lower class in Hong Kong. He penned most of the compositions and personally wrote most of the humorous lyrics that generally encompassed current issues in Hong Kong such as the song Could Not Care Less About 1997 (話知你 97), which literally encourages the Hong Kong public to throw caution to the wind and enjoy their life instead of worrying about the imminent Handover to China in 1997. While some of his songs are light hearted, other have philosophical message that is brought out with artful use of chinese words that have multiple symbolism. Examples are like his farewell song in 1992 and "From the Heart of Loafer" That kind of sophisticated language and message are rarely seen in lyrics of contemporary artist.
On a personal note, he was closer to his middle brother Ricky Hui than to their eldest brother Michael Hui, and he and Michael reportedly fell out with each other after their pre-1985 successes. However, in Michael's Chicken and Duck Talk (1988) Sam appeared in a short 3-minute cameo, playing himself as master of ceremonies at the grand opening of David's Chicken. Then in 1990, the three brothers reunited in 'Front Page', a lampoon on Hong Kong's sometimes over-zealous entertainment news industry.
Sam also collaborated with several popular singers such as Leslie Cheung both musically and on-screen culminating in the hit single co-written by both Hui and Chung entitled Silence is Golden (沉默是金) which Hui also sung as a solo track on his 1987 album Hot Summer, as well as the catchy tune "I've Never Been Afraid". Sam also starred in the Aces Go Places, a series of Hong Kong action–comedies in the 1980s, with Karl Maka.
He held a farewell concert in 1991-92, in which he invited many music celebrities and officially declared that he would not be active in the movie industry nor in Cantopop in the future. He was once seriously injured while filming The Legend of Wisely in Tibet due to lack of oxygen, thereafter falling very ill and many of his fans pointed out that this near fatal accident may have been pivotal on his decision to retire as they superstitiously believed that he was haunted by a spirit.
Despite reiterating his plans for retirement, Hui came back for a short stint in the movie Winner Takes All co-starring Nicholas Tse and Ruby Lin. This he maintained, was a result of being unable to ignore his heart's desire.
In 2007, Hui signed with EC Music and released his first album in 17 years, named "Life is Good" (人生多麼好).
During the later 90s, Hui's father had advised him to retire to avoid the stresses he endured from hosting concerts. Sam Hui's "lack of oxygen" suffered on a previous film, was actually carbon monoxide poisoning. His mother purportedly also had some reservations against his performing, mainly that he could injure himself on stage. A Hong Kong concert in 1990 supposedly marked his early retirement, however Hui then agreed to host a 42 show concert. Around the time of the 30th show, Hui's father died but despite his grief, he continued to host. During 1991-1992, Hui hosted a total of 14 shows in Hong Kong preempting his actual retirement. He also hosted a show in Vancouver, Canada, in the Radisson Hotel, and also in Toronto, Canada, in which he dedicated this concert to his late-father.
Widely acclaimed as the "God of Song" in Hong Kong, he decided to come out of retirement in 2004 and held multiple come-back concerts in which he was welcomed by a Hong Kong public and sell-out shows. In these concerts, he paid tribute to the recent passing of close colleagues, Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui in 2003 and claimed that their deaths had influenced his decision to come out of retirement, culminating in his comeback song in 2004 with "'04 Bless You" (04'祝福你).
He performed in a concert in Kuala Lumpur on 19 and 20 February 2005 with his sons and his brother Ricky but has not made active plans for any follow-ups. He also performed in Vancouver on 15 December 2005 and in Singapore on 29 March 2008.
He is currently performing in concert at Mohegan Sun Casino and Resort
He had a sold-out concert in Hong Kong on 16 December 2007 with more than 30,000 fans.
Sam Hui is married to Rebecca "Rebu" (née Fleming) and has two sons, Ryan and Scott. Ryan Hui is also a singer/songwriter and has released several albums, while Scott Hui has pursued a career in film, directing a few videos for his brother.
Cantonese Albums:
English Albums:
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Lau Dong |
Golden Needle Award of RTHK Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award 1985 |
Succeeded by Tang Ti-sheng |
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