boos_from_JapanRock singer Yanagi dies at 63
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Rock singer and guitarist George Yanagi, known as the "Japanese Eric Clapton" by his fans, died of kidney failure at a Yokohama hospital on Monday, his family said Friday. He was 63.
After forming his own band, "Yanagi George & Rainy Wood," in the mid-1970s, Yanagi had several smash hits including "Weeping in the Rain" (Ame ni naiteru) in 1978 and "Smile on Me" (Hohoemi no hosoku), which was featured in a TV commercial by cosmetic maker Shiseido Co. in 1979.
Rainy Wood disbanded in 1981 but got back together in 2005. The band took part in the Fuji Rock Festival, one of Japan's largest outdoor music festivals, in 2008.
(Mainichi Japan) October 14, 2011
