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Peggy Hayama

ペギー はやま

Peggy Hayama

Pen Names: Kotakarigari Shigeko (birth name)（Used as birth name / legal name）, Mori Shigeko (alternate romanization/notation)（Alternative name notation appearing in some sources）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1933-11-09 （Yotsuya, Tokyo (now Shinjuku, Tokyo), Japan）
Died
2017-04-12 （Hospital in Tokyo, Japan） age 83
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
singer, television personality
Active Years
1952-2017
Affiliations
King Records, Towa Shokai Ota Office, Japan Singers Association (former chairperson, later honorary chair)
Memberships
Japan Singers Association (chairperson / honorary chair), Registered artist at King Records
Influenced By
Bing Crosby (influential foreign singer)
Influenced
Subsequent generations of singers for children's and educational programs in Japan

Education

Aoyama Gakuin Girls' High School (now Aoyama Gakuin Senior High School)
Country: Japan
Graduated from the Aoyama Gakuin girls' course. Studied vocal music in school; did not attend a conservatory.

Awards

Arts Festival - Individual Encouragement Award
1958
Work: Musical 'I'll Sing for You, Johnny'
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs (Arts Festival)
Result: 受賞
Japan Record Awards — Planning Award
1980
Work: Album 'In Search of Manyo's Heart'
Organization: Japan Record Awards Committee
Result: 受賞
Japan Record Awards — Achievement Award
1991
Work: For contributions in introducing foreign songs to Japan
Organization: Japan Record Awards Committee
Result: 受賞
Japan Jazz Vocal Award — Grand Prize
1992
Work: Jazz vocal activities
Organization: Jazz World (organizer)
Result: 受賞
Art Encouragement Prize (Minister of Education Award)
1993
Work: 40th anniversary recital
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs
Result: 受賞
Purple Ribbon Medal
1995
Work: Contributions to music
Organization: Government of Japan (Cabinet Office)
Result: 受章
Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays
2004
Work: Long-standing contributions to the performing arts
Organization: Government of Japan (Cabinet Office)
Result: 受章
Japan Record Awards — Special Award
2012
Work: 'Nangoku Tosa o Ato ni Shite'
Organization: Japan Record Awards Committee
Result: 受賞
Matsuo Entertainment Award — Special Award
2014
Work: Lifetime contributions to entertainment
Organization: Matsuo Arts Foundation
Result: 受賞
NHK Broadcasting Culture Award
2015
Work: Broadcasting and musical activities
Organization: NHK
Result: 受賞
Japan Record Awards — Special Achievement Award (posthumous)
2017
Work: Lifetime contributions to music (posthumous)
Organization: Japan Record Awards Committee
Result: 追贈

Awards & Nominations

Art Encouragement Prize for Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology 1 appearances
  1. Edition 43 (1993) 受賞
    Work: Too Young! ありがとう、素敵な歌たち

    Too Young! ありがとう、素敵な歌たち is a work by ペギー葉山 and a recipient of the 芸術選奨文部科学大臣賞. It centers on personal experience, social atmosphere, memory, and changes in everyday life.

    An award-recognized work by ペギー葉山.

    award-winning literaturecharacter portraittime and memory

Works

Major Works

Nangoku Tosa o Ato ni Shite (Leaving Tropical Tosa)

1959 kayokyoku / popular song

A major 1959 hit that became widely beloved for its regional-flavored melody and lyrics.

nostalgiafarewelllandscape imagery

Gakusei Jidai (Student Days)

1964 kayokyoku / popular song

A song modeled on her own student years; it became a long-selling piece often sung at school events.

recollectionyouthnostalgia

Do-Re-Mi (Japanese lyrics)

1962 translated lyric / children's song

Peggy provided Japanese lyrics to the 'Do-Re-Mi' song from The Sound of Music; it was popularized through NHK's 'Minna no Uta' and other outlets.

educational songchildren's musictranslation

Que Sera Sera (cover)

1956 cover / popular

A cover of Doris Day's song; Peggy also performed dubbing and related theme song work for film/TV.

western coverspopular music

Yoake no Melody (Melody of Dawn)

2010 popular song

Released in 2010 and introduced on NHK radio 'Radio Shin'yabin', it gained listener support and charted after many years.

lifemorninghope

Bibliography

  • If I Sing to My Heart (1975)
  • Yoyogi-Uehara Meoto-zaka (1987; co-authored with Jun Negami)
  • The Singing Nurse: Caring for My Husband at Home — Two Thousand Days of Love and Battles (2004)

Adaptations

  • Ultraman Taro (voice appearance / 'Green Aunt' character)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
conversational, approachable singing stylesimple, child-friendly phrasing in translationsvocal phrasing influenced by jazz tradition
Recurring Motifs
nostalgiachildren's/educational songsdomestic and everyday scenes

Health

  • pneumothorax
    1963年春（療養・半年）
    Required a six-month convalescence in 1963; she returned successfully and produced hits after recovery.
  • pneumonia (cause of death)
    2017年4月
    Died of pneumonia in April 2017.

Legacy

A singer who bridged Western popular and jazz music with Japanese popular song, beloved for children's songs and translations; active in broadcasting and education and widely honored for her long career.

Museums

  • 'Nangoku Tosa o Ato ni Shite' song monument (Harimayabashi Park) Harimayabashi Park, Kochi City, Kochi Prefecture, Japan Opened in 2012

Academic Societies

  • Japan Singers Association

Archives

  • NHK Archives (performance records)
  • National Diet Library (works and materials)

In Popular Culture

  • Ultraman series (known as the voice of 'Ultrano's mother')
  • Beloved across generations via educational programs such as 'Minna no Uta'

Quotes

  • "I thought to make the words of 'Do-Re-Mi' easy for children to relate to, and that is how it came about. 'Do' is for donut — a childhood memory came to mind."
    Source: Interview / press reports (1995)

Trivia

  • Born on November 9, 1933, but because her birth certificate was not filed promptly her official registered birth date became December 9; she reportedly received birthday presents twice as a child.
  • Her stage name combined the American-style nickname 'Peggy' and the surname 'Hayama', the latter chosen after a suggestion from a fellow student; the American who first called her Peggy was reportedly never met again.
  • When writing Japanese lyrics for 'Do-Re-Mi' she originally planned to make all syllables into foods, but abandoned that idea because she could not think of a food starting with 'Fa' (the Japanese 'ファ').