George Lam

George Lam Tse Cheung
林子祥
Born	(1947-10-12) 12 October 1947 Hong Kong
Occupation(s)	Singer, composer, music producer, actor
Years active	1975–present
Spouse(s)	Ng Ching Yuen ​ ​ (m. 1980; div. 1994)​ Sally Yeh ​ (m. 1996)​
Children	Alex Lam Tak Shun (son), with Ng Ching Yuen April Lam (daughter), with Ng Ching Yuen
Awards	Golden Needle Award in 1994, the CASH Hall of Fame Award in 2003, the J.S.G. Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015, and the RTHK Hall of Fame Award in 2016. Hong Kong Film Awards – Best Original Film Song 1987 Passion
Musical career
Also known as	Ah Lam (Chinese) Lam (English)
Origin	Hong Kong
Genres	Cantopop, Mandopop, English pop, Folk, Blues, Funk, Jazz
Instrument(s)	Vocals, guitar, piano
Labels	Warner Music Group, EMI
Chinese name
Chinese	林子祥
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Lín Zǐxiáng Yue: Cantonese Jyutping lam4 zi2 coeng4

George Lam Tse Cheung (born 12 October 1947), also known professionally by his surname Lam, is a Hong Kong-based veteran Cantopop singer, singer-songwriter, music producer and actor. He has remained popular for more than four decades. Lam produces most of his own albums, writes many of his own songs, occasionally writes for other artists, and covers other people's songs. He is the mastermind of his concerts and many of his LP/CD cover designs. Being very innovative, he came up with the very first Cantopop rap, "Ah Lam's Diary", with lyrics written by himself. In addition, he pioneered the stringing together of many hit Cantopop songs to create a 10-minute long medley called "10 Minutes 12 Inches". Over the years, he has introduced a wide variety of songs to the Hong Kong music scene, with many of his own compositions and covers becoming classics of Cantopop. One of his special talents is in picking which songs to do covers of among a wide variety of sources, including songs from the United Kingdom, United States, Continental Europe, Russia, Middle East, Latin America, Japan, etc. The songs he chose for such covers range from classical music, songs from musicals, Hebrew folk song, to funk and rock and roll. His own compositions and covers encompass a very wide stylistic range, from country rock, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, funk, jazz, rap, Chinese-style tunes to tango and bossa nova. He is particularly skillful in interpreting and performing all songs in his own inimitable style. Lam has a wide vocal range and is known for excelling in many different genres of music. He can sing powerfully in fast rhythmic numbers and in a very heartfelt way in romantic ballads.

In recognition of his contribution to the music scene, Lam was awarded numerous awards, including the Golden Needle Award in 1994, the CASH Hall of Fame Award in 2003, the J.S.G. Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015, and the RTHK Hall of Fame Award in 2016.

In addition to his singing career, Lam has also acted in many films, making his film debut in Luckies Trio in 1978. Possibly his most memorable role was as a Japanese journalist in Boat People (1982), directed by Ann Hui.

Biography

Lam was born in Hong Kong. He was born to a family of physicians, with both his father and paternal grandfather being doctors. He attended Tak Sun Primary School, then Diocesan Boys' School, a predominantly English-language boys school, where he was a boarder. At the latter school, he chose to study French rather than Chinese.

Lam started to pick up music at a young age. His grandfather often took him to movies, both Chinese and Western ones, which exposed him to film music. In addition, his mom loved to sing and dance while his dad loved listening to music and playing piano. All this constant music around him kindled his interest in this art form. He started to love listening to music on the radio when he was a teenager and taught himself to play guitar. In 1965, Lam left Hong Kong to further his studies in the U.K. During this time and his subsequent stay in the United States his musical horizon was further broadened by exposure to a great variety of musical genres in those countries.

When he first went to the U.K. in 1965, he attended Dover College (he was a Leamingtonian there) under the headship of Timothy Cobb. His long time pal Ching Y. Wong, S.C. also went to the college from Diocesan Boys' School. After about a year, he transferred to Barcote School of Coaching to join his brother, Tony. There he formed a folk song group, The Midnighters, with two friends. Lam paid a return visit to both colleges in January 2019.

After his studies in the U.K., Lam worked for a few years there before moving to California, where he coached tennis and worked in a stock brokerage firm. It was at this time he started writing his own songs. Not long thereafter, he returned to Hong Kong to launch his music career.

Initially, Lam was one of the lead singers in a band called "Jade". In 1976, he went solo with his first English album,"Lam". His first Cantonese album came out in 1978. In 1980, both his own compositions《在水中央》and《分分鐘需要你》won the Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Awards. Throughout the 1980s, Lam had 23 songs that topped the RTHK Chinese Pop Chart, second only to Alan Tam, who had 28. Lam has also hosted some TV music programs, acted in some TV dramas, and played lead roles in many films.

In May 2003, Lam accidentally fell down a 2.5-metre deep floor opening while he was performing on stage at the Hong Kong Coliseum as a guest of Lisa Wang. This fall injured his right ear, which lost part of its hearing, particularly in high frequencies, and resulted in tinnitus. Thereafter, he could essentially only hear sounds in mono. A few months after his injury, he purposely put on a series of concerts in southern China to get used to his new hearing problems. Within a short period of time, he managed to adapt to this new reality and was able to perform very well on stage and resume his career in full.

Lam has remained popular in Hong Kong for more than four decades. Over time, Lam has not only gained the recognition and respect of his peers such as Anita Mui, Leslie Cheung, and Paula Tsui, he has also played a part in shaping the Hong Kong music scene, as many of today's top singers such as Eason Chan, Hacken Lee, and Andy Lau were influenced by his music.

Lam married Ng Ching Yuen in 1980. Together, they have a son, Alex Lam Tak Shun, who is also a singer and actor, and a daughter. Lam and Ng divorced in 1994. On 17th July 1996, he married singer and actress Sally Yeh.

Voice and timbre

Lam has a very wide tenor range. His highest notes could reach F5, D#6 in full head voice and volume rather than soft falsetto, and also a rock-like break in his voice. His lowest note is G2, ten notes below middle C (C4).

Discography

Cantonese Albums:

• 各師各法 (1978)
• 抉擇 (1979)
• 摩登土佬 (1980)
• 一個人 (1980)
• 活色生香 (1981)
• 海市蜃樓 (1982)
• 愛情故事 (1983.07)
• 愛到發燒 (1984.04)
• 林子祥創作歌集 (1984.12)
• 林子祥85特輯 (LAM '85) (1985.04)
• 十分十二吋 (12" Single) (1985.08)
• 誘惑 (1985.12)
• 最愛 (1986.06)
• 千億個夜晚 (1987.01)
• 花街70號 (1987.07)
• 林子祥創作+歌集 (1988.01)
• 生命之曲 (1988.10)
• 林子祥長青歌集 (1989)
• 十三子祥 (1990)
• 日落日出 (1990)
• 小說歌集 (1991)
• 最難忘的你 (1992)
• 祈望 (1992)
• 林子祥'93創作歌集 (1993)
• 單手拍掌 (1994)
• 緣是這樣 (1996)
• 好氣連祥 (1997)
• 現代人新曲+精選 (1998)
• 只有林子祥 (2001)
• Until We Meet Again (2004)
• 佐治地球轉 (2007)
• Lamusique (2010)
• Lamusique Vintage (2011)
• LAMUSIC Original Classics (2014)
• 佐治地球40年 (2015)

English Albums:

• Lam (1976)
• Lam II (1977)
• Teresa Carpio & Lam (1978)
• Lessons (1990)
• When a Man Loves a Woman (1993)

Albums in Mandarin:

• "這是你是真的傷了我的心" (1991)
• "這樣愛過你" (1992)
• "決定" (1993)
• "感謝" (1995)
• "尋祥歌" (1998)

List of songs written by George Lam for his own albums

• 1977年 Lam II —— Boring Love (+ lyrics)、Up-Down (+ lyrics)
• 1978年 各師各法 —— 三個願望、確係愛得悶
• 1979年 抉擇 —— 點解娶老婆
• 1980年 摩登土佬 —— 分分鐘需要你、愛的美敦書、願愛得浪漫、廣告廣告
• 1980年 一個人 —— 在水中央、她的歌聲、執到寶、轉轉轉
• 1981年 林子祥精選 —— 愛的種子
• 1981年 活色生香 —— 活色生香、究竟天有幾高、再生人、沙漠小子、有句話、七月初七、走馬燈、可以不可以
• 1982年 海市蜃樓 —— 海市蜃樓、今天開始、幾段情歌
• 1983年 愛情故事 —— 小男人主義、懶舒服、熱血青年、阿喲心聲、巴黎街頭
• 1984年 愛到發燒 —— 邁步向前、我偷望你偷看、石像
• 1984年 林子祥創作歌集 —— 水仙情、師傅教落、紅日豐收、再見楊柳、跳躍太陽下、誰能明白我、心肝寶貝、追憶、床上的法國煙、此情可待、說聲珍重
• 1985年 林子祥85特輯 (LAM '85)—— Moments (+lyrics)、仍然記得嗰一次、零時十分、星光的背影
• 1985年 誘惑 —— 這一個夜、千枝針刺在心、為誰忙
• 1986年 最愛 —— Ah Lam日記 ( wrote the lyrics in Cantonese)、曾經、冷冰冰的形象、一個早上
• 1987年 千億個夜晚 —— 風雨故人來、單身女人、今生以後
• 1987年 花街70號 —— April (+ lyrics)、似曾相識
• 1988年 林子祥創作+流行歌集 —— 每夜唱不停、雨點、昨日街頭、幻覺、Talking About (+ lyrics)
• 1988年 生命之曲 —— 誰為你、真的漢子、三心一意、今晚可有空
• 1989年 長青歌集 —— 勝敗之間、矛盾
• 1990年 十三子祥 —— 似夢迷離、一咬O.K.
• 1990年 日落日出 —— 日落日出
• 1990年 Lessons —— Without The 2 Of Us、Tennis Nemesis、Sabbatical、He Said、Talking About、Lessons、April、Three Wishes、Boring Love、It's Only Goodbye(+ lyrics of all the songs)
• 1991年 小說歌集 —— 懷念這深深一吻、怎麼可以沒有你、原來沒有你是這樣
• 1991年 這次你是真的傷了我的心 (Mandarin)—— 不要笑我痴、當時年紀小、這次你是真的傷了我的心、戀愛無所不在、回首夢已遠
• 1992年 我這樣愛過你 (Mandarin)—— 夜、Three Wishes (+ lyrics)、聲聲問、願今宵永在夢裏
• 1992年 祈望 —— 祈望、一笑置之、急促的心跳、如風如煙
• 1992年 最難忘的你 —— 將心意盡訴、獨自暢飲、改變常改變、人海中一個你
• 1993年 林子祥93創作歌集 —— 交出一切、你心有我、終生伙伴、我的一生、歸向平淡、偶像、你令我找到自己、愛偏偏要別離、曾經滄海、舊居中的鋼琴、一團和氣
• 1993年 決定 (Mandarin)—— 那年冬天、注定多情、愛你到此為止
• 1994年 單手拍掌 —— 你是朋友、不可能沒有你、我走我路、今天的一切、單手拍掌、在這世界有你最好、無愧於心、小屋的風雨
• 1995年 感謝 (Mandarin)—— 回首來時路、情關、在水中央、無言的愛
• 1996年 緣是這樣 —— 十八變、我以你自豪、緣是這樣、快樂的真相、十分鐘意、有情天地、感激
• 1997年 好氣連祥 —— 擁抱、愛情、人間好漢、最遠偏偏最近、谷爆、知己
• 1998年 現代人新曲+精選 —— 現代人、百年之癢、簡簡單單、醉一半
• 1998年 尋祥歌 (Mandarin)—— 夜歸的男人、最愛的人不是我、貪戀、千言萬語都是愛、自在、傷口還在、為自己鼓掌、越愛越沉默、快樂歌、狂歡
• 2001年 只有林子祥 —— 只有夢長、萬里天風伴我飛、我好想、愛與被愛
• 2002年 港樂 林子祥 —— The Prayer ( + worked with 潘源良 on the lyrics)
• 2004年 Until We Meet Again —— Until We Meet Again、美而廉、講笑、我們笑 (Mandarin)
• 2007年 佐治地球轉 —— 常在我心中、Angel、自由行、流離半世、林振祥、Through Your Eyes (+ lyrics)、前世、問天不應、很多很多、誰都可以( +worked with 潘源良 on the lyrics)、腹語、我的秘密 (+ lyrics in Mandarin)
• 2011年 Lamusique Vintage —— Invincible ( + lyrics)
• 2014年 LAMUSIC Original Classics —— 衝上雲霄、Make My Day (+ lyrics)、小苹果、秘密花園
• 2014年 單曲 —— 東方傳奇 (東方足球隊會歌)
• 2015年 單曲 —— 粵唱越響 (跨粵流行嘅主題曲)

List of songs written by George Lam for other artists

• 路家敏 小貓與我
• 杜麗莎 仍然記得個一次
• 林嘉寶 幸運兒
• 徐小鳳 星光的背影 、在水中央
• 陳百強 寵愛
• 梅艷芳 抱緊眼前人
• 葉蒨文 零時十分
• 葉蒨文 蒨意
• 葉蒨文 願意
• 葉蒨文 完全是你
• 側田 有火
• 張敬軒 相對論

Concerts held in Hong Kong

• 1976 《Teresa Carpio & George Lam Concert》
• 1981 《林子祥Show》
• 1983 《林子祥演唱會》
• 1985 《林子祥85演唱會》
• 1987 《林子祥演唱會》
• 1988 《LAM 88-89 LIVE》
• 1990 《特醇星徽林子祥90演唱會》
• 1992 《白花油林子祥有情演唱會》
• 1995 《林子祥寄廿載情演唱會95》95 Lam in Live
• 1998 《林子祥葉蒨文好氣連場98'》
• 2001《最愛接觸林子祥演唱會》 Live Contact Lam 2001
• 2001 《01年拉闊壓軸 林子祥&陳奕迅音樂會》
• 2002 《港樂·林子祥HKPO & Lam Live》
• 2005 《子有祥情林子祥演唱會》 " Always" Lam in Concert
• 2007 《仍然最愛林子祥杜麗莎演唱會》Teresa & Lam Live at the HK Coliseum 2007
• 2009 《十分十二子祥演唱會》Lam@Coliseum
• 2010 《Lam Made in Love 音樂會》
• 2011 《 Vintage Lamusic Concert 》
• 2011 《Music is Love George Lam X Hacken Lee》 《林子祥x李克勤 拉闊音樂會2011》
• 2013 《絕對熹祥- A Mix & Match Concert with 林子祥 & 趙增熹》
• 2016 《林子祥佐治地球四十年演唱會》George Lam 40th Anniversary Concert—Hong Kong
• 2019 《林子祥 Lamusical 2019 演唱會》Lamusical2019

Filmography

(actor unless otherwise noted)

Year	Title	Role	Awards
1978	Luckies Trio 《各師各法》
1979	Money Trip 《懵女，大賊，傻偵探》
	The Secret 《瘋劫》
1980	Disco Bumpkins 《摩登土佬》
	Pembunahan Pursuit 《糊塗英雄》
1981	All the Wrong Clues 《鬼馬智多星》
	Life After Life 《再生人》
1982	Aces Go Places 《最佳拍檔》
	It Takes Two 《難兄難弟》
	Boat People 《投奔怒海》		Nominated – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor
1983	All the Wrong Spies 《我愛夜來香》		Nominated – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Original Film Song
1984	Banana Cop 《英倫琵琶》
	The Owl vs Bombo 《貓頭鷹與小飛象》		Nominated – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Original Film Song
1985	Kung Hei Fat Choy 《恭喜發財》
	Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars 《夏日福星》
	It's a Drink, It's a Bomb 《聖誕奇遇結良緣》
	Lost Romance		Nominated – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Original Film Song
1986	Passion 《最愛》		Won – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Original Film Song
1987	Easy Money 《通天大盜》
1988	Heart to Hearts 《三人世界》
	Starry is the Night 《今夜星光燦爛》		Nominated – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Original Film Song
1989	Perfect Match 《最佳男朋友》
	Heart into Hearts 《三人新世界》
1990	A Bite of Love 《一咬OK》
	Shanghai Shanghai 《亂世兒女》
1991	The Banquet 《豪門夜宴》
	The Perfect Match 《富貴吉祥》
1992	Heart Against Hearts 《三人做世界》
1993	Perfect Couples 《皆大歡喜》
1997	A Queer Story 《基佬四十》
	Up for the Rising Sun 《擁抱朝陽》
2003	Love Under the Sun
2004	Six Strong Guys 《六壯士》
2006	Love at First Note 《戀愛初歌》
2007	The Pye-Dog		Nominated – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Original Film Song
	Wonder Women
2009	Look for a Star 《游龍戲鳳》
2011	Hi, Fidelity<bɾ>《出軌的女人》
2018	Europe Raiders

External links

• George Lam at IMDb