1. Akira Yamanaka, better known as Joe Yamanaka, was a Japanese singer and actor.
17 Facts About Joe Yamanaka
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Joe Yamanaka is known for both his work with Flower Travellin' Band and as a solo musician; singing at a vocal range of three octaves.
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Joe Yamanaka is recognized for 20 years of charity and volunteer work with the Japan International Cooperation Agency and flew around the world helping those in poor or war-torn conditions; visiting more than 30 countries including Afghanistan, Myanmar, Bosnia, numerous sovereign states in Africa, China, Ukraine, North Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Brazil.
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Joe Yamanaka's aid work was a personal inspiration to help those who were growing up in similar conditions that he had experienced as a child.
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Akira Yamanaka was born in Yokohama, Japan, on September 2,1946.
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Joe Yamanaka grew up in a family of seven children, though the only one of mixed descent as his father was a US Army soldier of Caribbean descent.
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Joe Yamanaka grew up in an orphanage after his mother and stepfather died.
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Joe Yamanaka left the orphanage at the age of 16 and became a boxer to earn money, he then met his lifelong friend Rikiya Yasuoka, who was a kickboxer of Japanese-Sicilian heritage.
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Joe Yamanaka's career changed , though he would continue to act until his death, when he met another lifelong friend, Johnny Yoshinaga, who persuaded him to become a musician.
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Joe Yamanaka's most well-known song is "Proof of the Man", which sold more than half a million copies, and is a household name throughout Asia.
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Joe Yamanaka has a small acting role in the film as a half Japanese, half African-American who is murdered, which the film is based around.
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Joe Yamanaka was close friends with numerous celebrities including Mickey Curtis and Yoko Ono.
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Joe Yamanaka recorded the entrance theme for Shinji Takehara titled "Hot Vibration" and composed the song "Sorrow of Florence" with his friend Amalia Rodrigues.
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Joe Yamanaka later became the lead singer of The Wailers for around five years after his friend Bob Marley died.
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In March 2010, it was announced that Joe Yamanaka was diagnosed with lung cancer, which he learned in February.
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In March of the following year Joe Yamanaka participated in fundraising for relief from the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, and performed his last concert on May 5.
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Joe Yamanaka died from his cancer on August 7,2011, at 6:56 am, less than a month before his 65th birthday.