The Golden Cups | Profile

The Golden Cups were formed in November 1966 in Yokohama by Tokimune “Dave” Hirao and guitarist Eddie Ban, after Hirao returned from a four month stay in the States. Previously the two had played in separate band, and together they resolved to gather the best of the players in Yokohama, and in doing so drafted drummer Mamoru Manu (who had previously played with Hirao in Sphinx), bassist Louise Louis Kabe, and guitarist Kenneth Ito. Yokohama being a large port city, historically it has had a higher percentage of foreign visitors and foreign residents. A number of the band members were of mixed Japanese-American blood, as were some of their fans, and the band often played clubs catering to the US military stationed in the area. Originally the band called themselves Group and I, and adopted the Golden Cups name after playing a residency at a Yokohama club by that name. The band released their first single “Itoshi No Jizabel” on the Toshiba label in 1967. The band played were very much in the “group sounds” mold, a mix of UK influenced R&B, and did well releasing catchy singles such as “Nagai Kami No Shoujo” (“Long-haired Girl”)and “Aisuru Kimi Ni” (“Love to You”), while leaving the rougher sounds, mostly cover versions, to album cuts. The band was also influenced by the white blues movement in the States, their third album was titled Blues Message and contained three songs from the Butterfield Blues album of 1966 East-West, and their liv... Read More

The Golden Cups were formed in November 1966 in Yokohama by Tokimune “Dave” Hirao and guitarist Eddie Ban, after Hirao returned from a four month stay in the States. Previously the two had played in separate band, and together they resolved to gather the best of the players in Yokohama, and in doing so drafted drummer Mamoru Manu (who had previously played with Hirao in Sphinx), bassist Louise Louis Kabe, and guitarist Kenneth Ito. Yokohama being a large port city, historically it has had a higher percentage of foreign visitors and foreign residents. A number of the band members were of mixed Japanese-American blood, as were some of their fans, and the band often played clubs catering to the US military stationed in the area. Originally the band called themselves Group and I, and adopted the Golden Cups name after playing a residency at a Yokohama club by that name. The band released their first single “Itoshi No Jizabel” on the Toshiba label in 1967. The band played were very much in the “group sounds” mold, a mix of UK influenced R&B, and did well releasing catchy singles such as “Nagai Kami No Shoujo” (“Long-haired Girl”)and “Aisuru Kimi Ni” (“Love to You”), while leaving the rougher sounds, mostly cover versions, to album cuts. The band was also influenced by the white blues movement in the States, their third album was titled Blues Message and contained three songs from the Butterfield Blues album of 1966 East-West, and their live album of 1969 Super Live Session, contained material from the famed Kooper-Bloomfield-Stills album Super Session. In July 1968 Kenneth Ito was required to return to Hawaii, and he was replaced by keyboard player Mickie Yoshino. After three months in Hawaii Ito returned, but in August of 1969 he and Eddie Ban left the group to form the Eddie Ban Group. At this point Kabe took over on lead guitar and after a few trials, Yanagi George joined on bass in September 1970. Around the same time Mamoru Manu left, and Ai Takano took over on drums. However the band’s career literally went up in flames a little over a year later. On Jan. 3, 1972 a fire broke out at the Okinawa venue they were playing at and the band ran for their lives from the building. While they were unhurt, their equipment burned, and the band decided to call it a day. Part of what has kept the Golden Cups popular over the years is that a number of their members have had successful careers afterward. Eddie Ban has stayed active in music since, with varying degrees of success. Yanagi George became a major star as a solo artist. Louise Louis Kabe later joined the cult band Speed, Glue and Shinki, then Johnny, Louis and Char, which evolved into the popular rock band Pink Cloud. The members have played together in various configurations from time to time, one version billed as Dave Hirao and the Golden Cups, as well as with other group sound band members. In March 2003 the band fully reformed and released a live album recorded in Yokohama, and later a best of album called Blues of Life. A documentary film of the band’s career called The Golden Cups One More Time was screened in November of 2004, and followed by a show at Shibuya Kokaido. Collapse