As I mentioned in the article for J-WALK's "Neon Kagayaku Hibi"(ネオン輝く日々), the singer-songwriter Kiyoshi Hasegawa(長谷川きよし)was the first person that I heard singing this wonderfully bluesy ballad through a streaming YouTube channel, but alas, I couldn't find his version online. However, I was interested in finding out more about Hasegawa.
His J-Wiki article states that the singer-songwriter and guitarist from Tokyo eventually lost his sight due to glaucoma at a young age. However, he won 4th place at a chanson competition when he was a high school senior, and in 1969, he debuted professionally with "Wakare no Samba" (The Breakup Samba) that was written and composed by him.
Wonderful voice and there's something about it that reminds me of crooner Yosui Inoue(井上陽水). The J-Wiki article also states that although Hasegawa never particularly got any hits, his material was played on the late-night radio broadcasts and as a result, he gained much popularity from the young crowd who were interested in folk music at the time. His repertoire consists of bossa nova, folk and chanson, but I think it's that first genre that he's been in love with.
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