Tabata Songs

Yoshio Tabata (田端義夫, Tabata Yoshio, January 1, 1919 – April 25, 2013) was a Japanese ryūkōka and enka singer, songwriter, and electric guitarist. His debut song "Shima no Funauta" (島の舟唄, literally "Island Ship Song") was released in 1939. Along with enka-shi Haruo Oka's 1939 debut, his debut had a big impact on Japanese popular music because Japanese popular ryūkōka music of that time was mainly sung by classical music singers such as Ichiro Fujiyama and Noriko Awaya. He was born in Matsusaka, Mie prefecture, Japan.