In pictures: Canto-pop superstar Sam Hui turns 70
‘Elvis Presley of Hong Kong’ began performing in the late 1960s but it was his breakthrough 1976 album The Private Eyes and its title track that ignited his singing and acting career
To mark the 70th birthday of Sam Hui on September 6, we are re-posting this 2016 tribute to the Canto-pop star also known as the Elvis Presley of Hong Kong.
Canto-pop godfather Sam Hui Koon-kit is marking 40 years since his breakout album The Private Eyes, the soundtrack to the 1976 film of the same name, and returns to the stage for three concerts at the Hong Kong Coliseum in Hung Hom next week.
The Private Eyes was Hui’s third Canto-pop album, and the title track became Hui’s biggest hit to date, mainly because of the colloquial Cantonese in the lyrics, which struck a chord with listeners of the time.
In the years that followed, Hui became the first superstar of Canto-pop, winning the nickname “the god of song”, releasing 27 albums in both Cantonese and English, and appearing in more than 25 films.
Although he bowed out of show business with dozens of farewell shows in 1991 and 92, Hui has regularly emerged from retirement to serenade fans with his greatest hits. The latest in these comeback concerts will be the “Vote for Sam” shows at the Coliseum from October 27-29.
