Kyoji Yamamoto

He has a resume that many musicians would sell their souls for. He has over 30 albums to his name, produced by such luminaries as John Wetton and Bob Ezrin. He has appeared at the prestigious Reading and Montreux festivals and headlined Tokyo's famed Budokan. His name is Kyoji Yamamoto, and he is quite possibly the finest guitar player you have never heard of.

Born and raised in rural Matsue in the Shimane Peninsula region of south-east Japan, Kyoji attended the prestigious Yamaha Music School in Tokyo. From 1975 to 1990, he led the seminal Japanese rock bands BowWow and Vow Wow, releasing such critically acclaimed albums as Cyclone (1985), V (1987) and Helter Skelter (1989). In the mid 80s, he temporarily relocated to the UK after Vow Wow’s success at the Reading Festival in 1982. That success was repeated six years later in 1988 as he and Vow Wow rode the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, counting Lars Ulrich and Metallica among their many admirers at that time.

Since then, Kyoji has explored many musical avenues. First, there were the short-lived Wild Flag and Phenomena II projects. At the end of the 90s, BowWow reunited, and to date Kyoji continues to play live with Vow Wow, BowWow and Wild Flag, recording solo and with BowWow. He has also been in great demand throughout Asia as a producer and has million-selling hits credited to his name.

Since 1998, he has also released 4 solo albums in his native Japan: Mind Arc (1998), Requiem (2000), Time (2004) and The Life Album (2010). In 2010, City Boy Records began the process of introducing Kyoji to an American audience, releasing Voyager: The Essential Kyoji Yamamoto to great critical acclaim. With one listen to this compilation, fans of guitar instrumentalists such as Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson and Eddie Van Halen will immediately recognize what Kyoji’s fans across the globe have known for years: that Kyoji Yamamoto’s music will take you on a long and unforgettable journey to your soul....