No, the above isn't an anime depiction of Tom Cruise circa 2000. I was so taken by the cool charisma of the singer-songwriter Tetsuya Itami（伊丹哲也）that I felt that I just had to get the Bing AI generator to create something similar to the guy.
Well, I have heard of rockers such as Shogo Hamada（浜田省吾）and Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi（長渕剛）, but I only came across the Osaka-born Itami in the last little while. Having enjoyed music since he was little, he jumped onto the folk boom by purchasing an acoustic guitar and making his own compositions, especially influenced by American rock n' roll.
In 1980, he brought together a band and called themselves Side By Side, and in May of that year, their entry song in the 19th Yamaha Popular Song Contest, "Machi ga Naiteta" (The Town was Crying), won the Grand Prize and it won a similar prize at the 11th Annual World Popular Song Festival (also organized by Yamaha) later in November. On November 28th, "Machi ga Naiteta" was released as their debut single.
Looking like one tough chopper-riding lone wolf troubadour in his sunglasses and leather jacket, Itami cuts quite a figure as he sings a folksy blues rocker about having to very reluctantly leave the town that he grew to love for unknown reasons. Of course, within that town is that lovely someone who used to be the paramour. Those Osaka roots and that growly voice not only give him some of those scary gravitas but also the chops to properly sing out the rock. "Machi ga Naiteta" reached No. 19 on Oricon. It's also available on the band's debut album "TETSUYA ITAMI" which was released in September 1981.
Following a total of four albums and nine singles, Side by Side called it a day in 1986. However, Itami has kept on performing and from 2017, he has taken on the new stage name of T.I. Beat.
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