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Mabel Lui

This is the 29th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades.
George Lam Chi-cheung is one of the most prolific Cantopop singer-songwriters of all time.
The entertainment veteran, also affectionately known to fans as Ah Lam, rose to prominence in the late 1970s and early 1980s with hits like “Need You Every Minute” and “Ah Lam’s Diary”.
Now 76 years old, the singer is still actively performing, and often seen showing off his wide vocal range in television programmes and yearly concerts.

Born in 1947 in Hong Kong, Lam developed his love for music at a young age. He completed his early education at Diocesan Boys’ School, but after failing his School Certificate Examination, his parents decided to send him to the UK for further studies.
During his time there, Lam was the lead singer and guitarist for a student band called The Midnighters.
After graduating, Lam moved to the United States to work for several years, but eventually decided to return to Hong Kong in the mid-1970s to pursue music full time. He began his entertainment career as a lead singer for a band called Jade, but by 1976 had released his first solo endeavour, an English-language album titled Lam.
The singer followed that up with another English-language album called Lam II, but when he realised that the Hong Kong market did not respond well to those albums, he pivoted to singing Cantonese jingles for television advertisements and TVB dramas.
In 1978, Lam released his first Cantonese album, and he went on to release at least one Cantonese album every year until the mid-1990s.

“Singing in Cantonese is much more disciplined than singing in English,” he told the Post in 1985. “You lose a lot of freedom.
“When you sing in English you can bend your notes or throw something in. In Cantonese that is phonetically impossible because if you bend a word it takes on a different meaning … It’s now got to the point where I don’t know how to sing in English any more.”
Back then, Lam differentiated himself from other performers by writing and producing his own tracks, showing a rare, well-rounded skill set that sparked the interest of record companies and listeners.
He also became known for his versatile tenor voice, with his releases spanning a wide range of genres. He often released covers of songs – including ones from the US, UK, Japan, South Korea and Latin America – while his own tracks varied from jazz and rap to songs inspired by tango and traditional Chinese music.

By the early 2000s, Lam had released over 40 albums. One of his most notable songs was “Ah Lam’s Diary”, which was labelled the first Cantopop rap song; another track, “10 Minutes 12 Inches”, which lasts for 10 minutes, is one of the longest Cantopop songs to ever be released.
Other popular songs of his include “Who is Most Beloved” – also the song that he gets asked to sing at weddings most frequently – and “Need You Every Minute”.
When asked to pick a favourite song from his extensive repertoire during a radio programme shortly before his 40th anniversary concert in 2016, Lam selected the latter because he said it encompassed a lot of people’s memories from their youth.
In 2003, Lam’s career faced a setback when he fell and injured his right ear while performing at the Hong Kong Coliseum as a guest of singer Liza Wang Ming-chun. As a result, he suffered partial hearing loss in his right ear, but continues performing to this day.

Lam also graced the small screen, hosting numerous music programmes and acting in television dramas.
His big-screen acting debut came in the 1979 film Money Trip, and in subsequent years, he appeared in films such as the action comedy The Owl vs Bombo (1984) – in which Michelle Yeoh had her first film role – and the Lunar New Year films Kung Hei Fat Choy (1985) and The Perfect Match (1991).
Perhaps Lam’s most notable film role to date is in Boat People (1982), the last film in Ann Hui On-wah’s Vietnam trilogy.
Also starring Andy Lau Tak-wah, Cora Miao Chien-jen and Season Ma, the film is told through the perspective of Lam’s character, Japanese photojournalist Shiomi Akutagawa, and chronicles the harrowing reality of life in Vietnam following the fall of Saigon.

When the film was released, it was met with acclaim – but also some controversy because of its political nature. Boat People went on to win five awards at the second Hong Kong Film Awards. Lam, for his part, was nominated for best actor.
Despite his enduring presence in the entertainment world, offstage and off-screen Lam was known as a man with a quiet persona. He shunned public attention, and garnered a reputation for being prickly, sometimes stopping interviews halfway through.
“When you are in show business you become public property, and that is something you have to expect,” he told the Post in 1985. “But it also does make life a little difficult.
“As an artist you have certain responsibilities towards the audience. While you try to be polite most of the time, the continuous attention occasionally gets to you.”

Aside from shying away from the public eye, Lam bucked convention in other ways. When his fellow singers began wearing extravagant costumes during their concerts, Lam chose to stick to his baggy suits and signature moustache.
“I’ve never bothered with image and all that. And I think I have proved to some degree that the audience wants some sincerity, wants some real stuff in their artists,” he told the Post in 1997.
“Whether it is in my music, my concerts, movies or in real life, I have never given them a false impression of who the real Lam is. I’ve held on to that belief and, of course, it may have hindered me in many ways. I may not have achieved super-super stardom but I think I have created a bond with my audience and my fans.”
Lam married music executive Ng Ching-yuen in 1980, and together they had two children, one of whom – Alex Lam Tak-shun – followed in his father’s footsteps and also became a singer and actor.

Lam and Ng divorced in 1994, following a scandal that involved Lam’s relationship with fellow singer Sally Yeh Chian-wen. Lam and Yeh married in 1996, and the two have been together ever since despite past rumours that they had separated.
“We are both Librans and somehow it just works,” Lam said in 2002. “Characteristically we are different – she is more outspoken and I am quiet – but deep down we want the same things.”
The two collaborated on several songs – one of which was the romantic duet “Choice” – and recently made an appearance on Infinity And Beyond (2022), a singing reality show produced by Mango TV and Hong Kong broadcaster TVB.
Despite now being in his seventies, Lam has kept busy, frequently putting on concerts in Asia and beyond. His last set of shows were in mainland China, where he performed in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Nanning.

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George Lam at an interview with the Post in 2004. Photo: SCMP

Singer-songwriter and actor George Lam has been a Hong Kong favourite since the 1970s, releasing numerous hit songs and appearing on TV and in films. Photo: SCMP

George Lam (left) performs at a celebration for the Philippines’ National Day in 1977. Photo: SCMP

George Lam at a recording studio in 1986. Photo: SCMP

George Lam at an interview with the Post in 1987. Photo: SCMP

George Lam performs at the Golden Bauhinia Awards in 1996. Photo: SCMP

George Lam and Season Ma in a still from Boat People (1982). Photo: Bluebird Film

Sally Yeh and George Lam disclose their plan to hold a series of joint concerts in Beijing to show their support for the city’s bid for the 2000 Olympics, in 1993. Photo: SCMP

George Lam sings at the Sha Tin Racecourse, Hong Kong, in 2009. Photo: SCMP

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Sum at an interview with the Post in 2002. Photo: SCMP

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Profile | How Cantopop singer-songwriter George Lam stayed popular for 5 decades – by being himself

Lam released his first solo album in 1976, had hits through the 70s and 80s, sang jingles for TV ads and dramas, and still performs at 76