Crazy Ken Band (クレイジーケンバンド?), also referred to as CKB, is a Japanese musical group formed in 1997 by its lead vocalist, writer and composer Ken Yokoyama. The band first came together in 1991 under the name "CK's", with a four-member lineup: Ken Yokoyama, Keiichi Hiroishi, Masao Onose and Shinya Horaguchi. This incarnation of the group was centred around a 15-man instrumental and vocal group. In 1997, Keiichi Nakanishi became the fifth member and the group's name was changed to "Crazy Ken Band".
The band made its debut in June 1998 with the album Punch! Punch! Punch!. In 2000, support member Toraji Shingū became a full member of the band. The group's first single, "Nikutai Kankei", was released in June 2001. In 2003, HMV Japan ranked the band at #98 in their "Top 100 Japanese pops Artists". In 2005, their song "Tiger & Dragon" was used as the theme song of the critically acclaimed TBS drama of the same name.
The group's first compilation album, CKBB - Oldies But Goodies was released on March 3, 2004, reaching a chart position of #9 and remaining on the charts for forty-nine weeks. A set of compilation albums, Best Tsuru and Best Kame, their third and fourth compilation albums respectively, were released on February 24, 2010. Both were successful; Tsuru charted at #10 on the Oricon weekly chart, selling 13,323 copies in its first week, while Kame charted at #11, selling 12,158 copies in its first week.
"December 17" (12月17日?) and "Kuroi Kizuato no Blues" (黒い傷跡のブルース?), two songs from Galaxy, were featured in the 2006 video game Yakuza 2. "December 17" was later featured on Best Tsuru.
Read more about Crazy Ken Band: Members
Famous quotes containing the words crazy, ken and/or band:
“It’s crazy how you can get yourself in a mess sometimes and not even be able to think about it with any sense and yet not be able to think about anything else.”
—Stanley Kubrick (b. 1928)
“Is America a land of God where saints abide for ever? Where golden fields spread fair and broad, where flows the crystal river? Certainly not flush with saints, and a good thing, too, for the saints sent buzzing into man’s ken now are but poor- mouthed ecclesiastical film stars and cliché-shouting publicity agents.
Their little knowledge bringing them nearer to their ignorance,
Ignorance bringing them nearer to death,
But nearness to death no nearer to God.”
—Sean O’Casey (1884–1964)
“What passes for identity in America is a series of myths about one’s heroic ancestors. It’s astounding to me, for example, that so many people really seem to believe that the country was founded by a band of heroes who wanted to be free. That happens not to be true. What happened was that some people left Europe because they couldn’t stay there any longer and had to go someplace else to make it. They were hungry, they were poor, they were convicts.”
—James Baldwin (1924–1987)