Cho Yong-pil

Cho has released 19 solo albums and has remained consistently popular during his 50-year career. He was recognized with the Eungwan Order of Cultural Merit for his enormous impact on the country pop music scene. He was selected as Singer of the Year and his song "Bounce" was selected as Song of the Year in the surveys conducted by Gallup Korea in 2013.

• Name — Cho Yong-pil • Born — 21 March 1950 • Birthplace — Hwaseong, South Korea • Occupation — * Singer • songwriter • Years Active — 1968–present • Awards — Eungwan Order of Cultural Merit (2013) • Website — https: choyongpil.com

Cho Yong-pil was born in Songsan-myeon, Hwaseong, South Korea, on March 21, 1950 and spent part of his childhood in Seoul. He and actor Ahn Sung-ki were schoolmates at the now-defunct Kyungdong Middle School in Seoul and remained friends even though they attended different high schools. When Cho was seven, he happened to listen to Ray Charles playing the harmonica, and this inspired the young Cho to become a musician.

Cho began his music career as a guitarist in various bands. In 1968, he formed a rock band called Atkins and played for the United States Army. Later, he joined Five Fingers, which played music by black artists. In 1971, Cho joined the band Kim Trio, which motivated him to perform rock music. Members of Kim Trio included Kim Dae Hwan (drum), Lee Nam Yee (bass) and Choi Yee Chul (guitar). This Kim Trio is different from the band of the same name from the 1980s.

Cho's debut single as a soloist, "Come Back to Busan Port (song)", brought him national attention when it was released in 1976, later becoming a hit in Japan. Cho then made a Japanese-language version of the song, and sang live in Japan. The combined sales of the "Come Back to Busan Port" single and the LP featuring the song exceeded 3 million copies. He was accused of smoking marijuana in 1977 and was banned from performing until 1979. His first album, Woman Outside the Window (창 밖의 여자), was released in 1980 and has been followed by many others. In 1980, he held a concert at Carnegie Hall in New York, the first Korean singer to perform there. In 1988, he became the first South Korean singer to perform in China, before the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

His commercial success declined after the rise of the group Seo Taiji and Boys and many other young musicians. His studio albums released after 1992 were not so successful. Noticing this, he announced that he would stop appearing on television, concluding that he would hardly make any hits. Subsequently, he focused more on concerts and music performance. In 1993, his Busan concert attracted an audience of 1 million, a record for South Korea. The following year, he became the first South Korean singer to surpass 1 million record sales. In 2005, Cho performed a concert in Pyongyang, North Korea, a rare occurrence for a South Korean singer.

In April 2013, Cho released his 19th album titled Hello, which debuted at number one on the South Korean charts, eclipsing Psy's "Gentleman". On April 25, 2013, he returned to television with the showcase "Hello". This show was also broadcast live on YouTube. The album ranked number one on the Gaon Album Chart for the week of April 28 – May 4, 2013. Two songs from the album won first place on South Korean music shows: "Hello" and "Bounce". Following the success of Hello, Cho reissued 14 of his old albums. He later released a Japanese version of the album. In 2018, Cho held a series of concerts to mark his 50th anniversary as a singer.

Cho released the single album Road to 20-Prelude 1 on November 18, 2022. To promote the album, he released a 30-second teaser video on his official YouTube channel on November 15. The video contains the titles of the new songs "Moment" and "Like Serengeti". He held a solo concert, 2022 Cho Yong-pil and the Great Birth, at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul from November 26 to 27 and December 3 to 4.

Cho released his 20th album 20 on October 22, 2024, 11 years after the release of his previous album.

Cho married An Jin-hyeon in their 40s, but in early 2003, Ahn died of heart disease at the age of 54.

• Title — Album details — Peak chart positions — Sales • KOR • Woman Outside the Window — * Released: March 20, 1980 * Label: Jigu Records * Format: LP — rowspan="18" No data — * KOR: 1,000,000 • Candlelight — * Released: December 5, 1980 * Label: Jigu Records * Format: LP — rowspan="6" No data • Cho Yong Pil 3 — * Released: July 10, 1981 * Label: Jigu Records * Format: LP • Can't Find the Oriole — * Released: May 17, 1982 * Label: Jigu Records * Format: LP • My Friend — * Released: June 25, 1983 * Label: Jigu Records * Format: LP • Party of Tears — * Released: February 9, 1984 * Label: Jigu Records * Format: LP • Let's Go on a Trip — * Released: April 10, 1985 * Label: Jigu Records * Format: LP • In the Air — * Released: November 15, 1985 * Label: Jigu Records * Format: LP — * KOR: 1,000,000 • Love and Life and Me! — * Released: May 10, 1987 * Label: Pil Company, Jigu Records * Format: LP — rowspan="10" No data • Cho Yong Pil '88 — * Released: May 28, 1988 * Label: Pil Company, Jigu Records * Format: CD, cassette • Q (10th Album Part II) (10집 Part II) — * Released: January 14, 1989 * Label: Pil Company * Format: CD, cassette • Reunion — * Released: January 20, 1990 * Label: Universal Music * Format: CD, cassette • The Dreams — * Released: April 20, 1991 * Label: Universal Music * Format: CD, cassette • Cho Yong Pil 14 — * Released: October 1, 1992 * Label: Universal Music * Format: CD, cassette • Cho Yong Pil and the Great Birth — * Released: July 1, 1994 * Label: Universal Music * Format: CD, cassette • Eternally — * Released: May 1, 1997 * Label: Universal Music * Format: CD, cassette • Ambition — * Released: October 27, 1998 * Label: Universal Music * Format: CD, cassette • Over the Rainbow — * Released: September 3, 2003 * Label: Universal Music * Format: CD, cassette • Hello — * Released: April 23, 2013 * Label: Universal Music * Format: CD, LP, digital download — 1 — * KOR: 250,046 • 20 — * Released: October 22, 2024 * Label: Universal Music * Format: CD, LP, digital download — 37 — * KOR: 8,215

• Title — Album details • Hello (Japanese Edition) — * Released: October 16, 2013 * Label: Universal Music * Format: CD, digital download

List of charted Japanese singles • Title — Year — Peak chart positions — Sales • JPN • "Mio Mio Mio" / "Return to Busan Port" (ミオ・ミオ・ミオ / 釜山港へ帰れ) — 1982 — 29 — * JPN: 260,000 • "Lost in Thoughts" (想いで迷子) — 1986 — 13

• Speech which wind conveys (1985)

Cho Yong-pil is recorded as singer, composer, songwriter, record producer and musician.

• Award — Year — Category — Nominated work or nominee — Result — Ref. Reference(s) • Ampex Golden Reel Award — 1982 — Golden Reel Award — Cho Yong-pil • Baeksang Arts Awards — 1981 — Best Song – Film — "Candlelight" (from Love Becomes Bitterness) • 1982 — Best Song – Television — "Flower Wind" (from Flower Wind) • Gaon Chart Music Awards — 2013 — Album of the Year for the 2nd Quarter — Hello • K-Pop Contribution Award — Cho Yong-pil • Golden Disc Awards — 1986 — Album of the Year (Daesang) — Empty Space • Album Bonsang • Popularity Award — "Speech Which Wind Conveys" • 2005 — Lifetime Achievement Award — Cho Yong-pil • 2014 — Album Bonsang — Hello • KBS Song Festival — 1980 — Best Male Singer (Daesang) — "Woman Outside The Window" • 1981 — "Red Dragonfly" • 1982 — "Tragic Love" • 1983 — "Dear Friend" • 1985 — "Yesterday, Today And..." • 1999 — Achievement Award — Cho Yong-pil • Best Singer of the 20th Century • Korea Popular Music Awards — 2018 — Thanks To You Award • Korean Broadcasters Awards — 1998 — Best Male Singer • Korean Music Awards — 2004 — Singer of the Year – Male • 2006 — Achievement Award • 2014 — Song of the Year (Daesang) — "Bounce" • Best Pop Song • MBC Gayo Daejejeon — 1980 — Best Popular Singer (Daesang) — "Woman Outside The Window" • 1981 — "Red Dragonfly" • 1983 — "I Like You" • 1984 — "Dear Friend" • 1985 — "Darling" • 1986 — "In The Air" • Melon Music Awards — 2013 — Best Rock — "Bounce" • Top Ten Artist Award — Cho Yong-pil • Mnet 20's Choice Awards — 2013 — 20's Record • 20's Online Music — "Hello" • 20's Voice — "Hello" and "Bounce" • Mnet Asian Music Awards — 2013 — Song of the Year (Daesang) — "Bounce" • Best Vocal Performance – Male • Artist of the Year (Daesang) — Cho Yong-pil • Best Male Artist • Album of the Year (Daesang) — Hello • Best Music Video — "Hello" • SBS Gayo Daejeon — 2005 — Special Achievement Award — Cho Yong-pil • Seoul Music Awards — 2003 — Live Award • 2013 — Best Album — Hello • Main Prize (Bonsang) — Cho Yong-pil

• Country or organization — Year — Honor — Ref. Reference(s) • Center for Cultural Unification Studies — 2005 — Grand Prize for Unification Culture • South Korea — 2003 — Order of Cultural Merit (Bogwan, 3rd Class) • 2013 — Order of Cultural Merit (Eungwan, 2nd Class) • Tanzania — 2001 — Medal of Culture