TANG DYNASTY

MAJOR MUSIC ARTISTS - CHINA


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Tang Dynasty

DESCRIPTION: Tang Dynasty are considered to be the first metal band in mainland China

ACTIVITY STATUS: Active

ACTIVITY PERIOD: 1988 - Current

MUSIC GENRE: Rock, Metal

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: CHINA

RECORD COMPANIES / LABELS (Current & Past): China Fire-Magic Stone-Rock Records

WIKIPEDIA PAGE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tang_Dynasty_(band)


ABOUT THEM:

Tang Dynasty is the first metal band in China. Their first CD combined elements of traditional Chinese music with British heavy metal. The music of Tang Dynasty was in their beginning mostly melancholic, partly depressive, lost in the attempt to escape into a imaginary dreamworld and full of contrasts. It expressed what Tang Dynasty saw as their way to show their honesty and true feelings. Tang Dynasty had four initial band members: Ding Wu, Zhang Ju, Kaiser Guo and Andrew Szabo.

Ding Wu, lead vocalist of Tang Dynasty was born on December 30th 1962 in Beijing and has spent most of his youth in the northern province, Heilongjiang before he returned to Beijing in 1972 to start studying at the Industrials Arts Academy. After his graduation he was working at on of Beijing's colleges, where he had his first contacts to foreign Western rock music. In 1981 he bought his first electric guitar on which he immediately started practicing. In 1984 he joined the the band Bu Dao Wung. In 1986 he joined the band Black Panther for a short time.

Zhang Ju was born 1970 in Beijing as youngest of three children. He started playing guitar in 1984 and switched to bass in 1986.

Lao Wu was born in Tianjin 1963 and was the lead guitarist of the band White Angel before he joined Tang Dynasty.

Zhao Nian was born in Beijing 1961 and played in the band The Micro-organists before.

In 1988 Ding Wu, Zhang Ju, Kaiser Guo (US) and Andrew Szabo (US) met at a party and decided to form Tang Dynasty. They played several gigs on smaller parties, but had to abandon touring plans after the Tiannmen incident 1989. Kaiser Guo and Andrew Szabo returned to the US. But in autumn 1989 Ding Wu and Zhang Ju met Liu Yijin (Lao Wu) and Zhao Nian, who join Tang Dynasty.
On February 17th and 18th 1990, Tang Dynasty was allowed to play on the 'Festival of modern music / 90's Modern Music Concert' (Xiandai Yingyuehui) in front of about 18000 people at the Capital Stadium. The euphoria and cheering reactions not only surprised the band but also the organizers.[1]

The tremendous success Tang Dynasty got with this concert helped the Taiwan record company "Rolling Stone" (Gun shi) to overcome their objections to sign the band.
Supplied with a record studio and a rehearsal room, Tang Dynasty recorded 11 songs until December 1991 and released their record A dream returns to Tang Dynasty (Tang Dynasty) in mainland China.

According to statistics from a Taiwan record company have been more than 700,000 legal copies sold, and as much as over 2,000,000 under the Rock-China Fire-Magic Stone affiliation throughout Asia and abroad. This doesn't take into account the more than millions more of illegal ones and uncounted fake 'Best-of'collections.
In December 1992 the overseas edition of their record A dream returns to Tang Dynasty was released in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia.
In 1993, they performed in Beijing'S Worker Stadium during the Olympic Games Concert. In April of the same year, their song was included in the shortlist of the category "International Viewer's Choice Awards - MTV Asia" at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards.

Read More at Rock in China: http://www.rockinchina.com/w/Tang_Dynasty

Source: Rock In China Wiki


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Parent Category Page Links: Music Artists / Outfits - China

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