Makoto Ayukawa (of Sheena & the Rokkets) -- JUKEBOXER

 

It's been a pretty melancholy time over these weeks of January 2023 since I've witnessed the passing of many people. Of course, I've noted the deaths of well-known people in the music industry in both Japan and the United States, but in my neck of the woods in the past two weeks or so, we've lost someone who came to our small screens as a popular weather forecaster to become a Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, and one of the feistiest and longest-serving mayors in Canada, Hurricane Hazel McCallion, who ran Mississauga, a city whose name that US President Obama had initial trouble pronouncing one time and whose sister city is Kariya in Aichi Prefecture. Today, we even lost a famous hockey player, Bobby Hull, and even while writing this article, I've learned that actress Cindy Williams from ABC's "Laverne & Shirley" left this mortal coil a few days ago.

Last night, I was writing about the death of David Crosby of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young for a ROY article, and less than twelve hours later, I saw on NHK that rock guitarist and composer Makoto Ayukawa（鮎川誠）of Sheena & the Rokkets had passed away yesterday. He was 74 and suffered from pancreatic cancer. I had no idea that he had been ill but according to the report above, Ayukawa had kept a very tight lid on his sickness from the media.

Ayukawa hailed from Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture as the son of an American soldier and an employee at a ryotei. He got into the guitar as a Grade 5 student and would eventually get into Muddy Waters, Ray Charles and Elvis Presley for starters. In the 1970s, his region would become known as the Liverpool of Japan for its emerging rock scene and the local music would be labeled Mentai Rock（めんたいロック）, named after the regional delicacy of mentaiko（明太子）or spicy pollock roe. He joined the blues rock band Sonhouse（サンハウス）as a guitarist and composer before forming Sheena & the Rokkets in 1978 with his wife Etsuko "Sheena" Ayukawa（鮎川悦子）. Both bands are examples of Mentai Rock.

My first article on the Rokkets was for "You May Dream" in February 2015, and it was written because Sheena had herself passed away the week before from cervical cancer at the age of 61. However, I'd known about the band for some years before that; one reason was Ayukawa himself who cut a very distinct figure on television with his tall angular features and those sunglasses. In fact, I did put him alongside fellow musician Tomoyasu Hotei（布袋寅泰）as two of the cooler if somewhat intimidating Japanese guitarists out there. To be honest, the first time I saw him in a commercial, I was actually scared of the guy.

In 1981, Ayukawa put out his first solo album titled "Cool Solo"（クール・ソロ）and among the tracks is "JUKEBOXER". Written by Chris Mosdell (who was providing lyrics for Yellow Magic Orchestra) and composed by Ayukawa, the guitarist puts out a good ol' bluesy rock n' roll tune as he sings out about having a great time with his jukebox of 45s while looking pretty darn good. 

I hope wherever he is now, Ayukawa has reunited with his wife and they're back making wonderful music together once more. My condolences go out to the Rokkets, the Ayukawa family and friends, and their many fans.