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Miyuki Kawanaka

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Miyuki Kawanaka (川中 美幸, Kawanaka Miyuki, December 5, 1955) is a Japanese enka singer. Her singing career spanned over four decades. She married Katsuo Yamada in 1991.

Early life

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Kawanaka was born Kimiko Kawanaka in Yonago, Tottori. At a young age, she moved to Suita, Osaka where she grew up.

In 1973, at age 18, she debuted as Kasuga Harumi and tried to become a pop idol with the release of the songs "Shinjuku Tenshin" and "Kantsubaki no Shima Kara". Both singles failed and she returned to Osaka to work at her mother's okonomiyaki restaurant.

In 1976, she won a contest singing "Anatani Inochi Gake". She adopted stage name Miyuki Kawanaka and launched her second debut as an enka singer. In 1980 Kawanaka's single Futarizake (ふたり酒) hit, with sales over a million copies.[1]

Her second biggest hit, "Niren-sou" (二輪草) in 1998, which sold more than a million copies in Japan alone, spending 80 weeks in the top 100 of the oricon chart.

Kawanaka was invited to perform at the annual NHK Red and White Song Festival for 24 non-consecutive years, the 7th most on the all-time list for a female artist. Her last appearance at the prestigious programme was 2011, the 62nd edition of the show.

Discography

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Original works charting in the top 100.

Album Name Year
Risking My Life For You 1977
Two Drinks 1980
About Two 1981
Anata Hitosuji 1981
Hanasakiminato 1982
Echizenmisaki 1982
Intoxicated 1982
You and Me 1983
Ferryboat Resort 1983
The Rain That Keeps Us In 1983
Two People's Spring 1984
Hidden River 1984
Aren't You a Man? 1985
Snow Dividing Oshoro Coast 1985
Two People's Bonds 1986
Naniwa Glow 1986
Love Song's Channel 1987
Bungosuidou 1988
Woman Crying Sea of Japan's Tears 1988
It's a Moonlit Night, Right? 1989
Takoyaki Life 1990
Gulping Down Sake 1990
Your Spring 1991
Blazing Love Song 1991
Dream Chasing Woman 1992
Wishing for a Port Town Long Ago 1993
Kitayama Drizzle 1995
Paper Lantern Flower 1996
Once More, a Love Song 1996
Beautiful Woman Reika 1997
Soft Windflower 1998
Eisou ~Lily of the Valley~ 1999
Naniwa Woman 2000
Business Trip Story 2000
Two People's Spring 2001
River's Flow 2001
Evening Showers 2002
Kifune's Inn 2002
Your Whole Life 2003
Interesting Woman 2004
Mother Weather 2004
Light Snow on the Grass 2005
One Straight Song 2006
Tourounagashi 2006
Kanazawa Rain 2006
Fuufuchyanrin 2007
Kiso River Drizzle 2008
Glazed Over Feeling 2009
Two People's Flowers 2010
Nagasaki Rain 2011
Hanabouro ~Hoarfrost Inn~ 2012
Famous Scene 2012
Poet 2012
Pair of Sakura 2013
I Love Osaka 2013
Gion Woman 2014

References

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  1. ^ "Teichiku sales keyed to new acts". Billboard. March 6, 1982. p. 72. Retrieved June 5, 2010.