1984 Movers and Shakers of Taiwan’s Music Industry

Many of the leading figures in recorded music both on stage and behind the curtains, including Su Lai, Vincent ­Liang, Yeh Chia-show, Lo Ta-yu, Jonathan Lee, and Lee Shou-­chuan, all had their starts as campus folk singers. They showed the same passion for the behind-the-scenes work of producing and promoting music as for singing. This wave of young talent turned Taiwan into one of the centers of Asia’s music industry in just a few years.

It is estimated that about 200 records per year were being produced back then, so the competition was fierce. In 1984 Sinorama reported on the industry amid its boom, interviewing many of its movers and shakers.

The first album that Jonathan Lee produced was ­Zheng-yi’s The Rain Came at Just the Right Time. It was an instant and smashing success, turning him into a rising star in the recording industry. He went on to produce large numbers of classic songs and best-selling albums and is still known today as “the godfather of Chinese-language pop” and “the million-dollar producer.”

Lo Ta-yu, who had originally studied medicine, threw himself into every aspect of the music-making process, from writing music and lyrics, to arranging and producing. He emphasized the emotional content of music and downplayed musical or vocal pyrotechnics. Although his voice may not have been considered “beautiful,” his hits “Love Song 1980,” “Love Song 1990,” “Childhood” and “Story of Time” are still widely covered today.

Applause, spotlights, encores…. These behind-the-scenes heroes may not have gotten their fair share of all that, but they truly comprised a driving force behind that era’s popular music.

Many leading lights of the campus folk song movement went on to become behindthe- scenes movers and shakers who pushed Taiwan’s music industry to the forefront of Chinese-language pop.(Vincent Liang)

Many leading lights of the campus folk song movement went on to become behindthe- scenes movers and shakers who pushed Taiwan’s music industry to the forefront of Chinese-language pop.(Jonathan Lee)

Many leading lights of the campus folk song movement went on to become behindthe- scenes movers and shakers who pushed Taiwan’s music industry to the forefront of Chinese-language pop.(Lee Tai-hsiang)

Many leading lights of the campus folk song movement went on to become behindthe- scenes movers and shakers who pushed Taiwan’s music industry to the forefront of Chinese-language pop.(Lo Ta-yu)

Many leading lights of the campus folk song movement went on to become behindthe- scenes movers and shakers who pushed Taiwan’s music industry to the forefront of Chinese-language pop.(Su Lai)

Many leading lights of the campus folk song movement went on to become behindthe- scenes movers and shakers who pushed Taiwan’s music industry to the forefront of Chinese-language pop.(Chyi Chin)

Fecund creativity helped to lay a sturdy foundation for Taiwan’s music industry when albums proliferated in the 1980s.