Yamaha Music Festival

Yamaha Music Festival

The Yamaha Music Festival, officially known as World Popular Song Festival and unofficially as the "Oriental Eurovision", used to be the world's biggest song contest, until it ended in 1989; that honour has now passed to the Eurovision Song Contest, in terms of viewership and participation. It was organised by the Yamaha Music Foundation in Tokyo, Japan from 1970 until 1989. The first edition of the World Popular Song Festival (WPSF) took place on 20, 21 and 22 November 1970 with 37 participating countries from all continents.

Belgium was represented at the 1970 edition by the dazzling Daliah Lavi, famous for her role in "Casino Royale" (1967), the James Bond parody featuring Woody Allen. Ms. Lavi performed the chanson "Prends L'Amour" and ended up 13th in the Grand Final (the contest had two semi-finals and one final). The Netherlands delegated world-known jazz singer Rita Reys with the song "Just Be You", a composition by her husband Pim Jacobs. Other famous 1970 participants were 1969 Eurovision winner Frida Boccara for France, Jacques Michel for Canada and Ted Mulry for Australia, who scored a national number 1 hit with his entry. Winner of the 1st WPSF was Israel with the duo Hedva & David. More than 2 million copies of their winning entry "Ani Holem Al Naomi" ("I Dream Of Naomi") were sold worldwide, giving a serious credibility boost to the new Festival.

Well-established names as well as new talents tried their fortune at the WPSF: a very young ABBA under the name Björn & Benny with uncredited backing vocals by their partners Agnetha and Anni-Frid performing the track "Santa Rosa" with little success (later relegated to the B-side of their second single "He Is Your Brother"), Céline Dion (Best Song Award in 1982), Bryan Adams (Participating in 1982), Tina Charles, Eros Ramazzotti, Gianna Nannini, Demis Roussos, Bonnie Tyler, B.J. Thomas, LaToya Jackson, Erasure, Italian singer-songwriter Alice and many others.

In the history of the WPSF the United Kingdom is the ultimate "pop nation", winning the "WPSF Grand Prix" 5 times in the seventies (even three times in row). The United Kingdom is followed by the United States with 4 Grand Prix victories. Not only big nations but also smaller countries managed to deliver the ultimate "world pop song": Jamaica in 1972 with Ernie Smith, Norway in 1974 with Ellen Nikolaysen, Cuba in 1981 with Osvaldo Rodríguez and Hungary in 1983 with Newton Family.

Grand Prix Winners

Awards

*Grand Prix

*Most Outstanding Performance Award (MOPA)

*Outstanding Performance Award (OPA)

*Outstanding Song Award (OSA)

*Kawakami Award

External links

* [http://www.yamaha-mf.or.jp/history/e-history/wpsf/ Official Site by Yamaha Music Foundation]
* [http://users.telenet.be/wpsf Detailed information about the WPSF - partly in English, partly in Dutch]


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