George Lam

George Lam Chi Cheung (born 12 October 1947), also known professionally by his surname Lam, is a Hong Kong-based veteran Cantopop singer, singer-songwriter, music producer and actor. He has remained popular for four decades. Lam produces most of his own albums, writes many of his own songs, occasionally writes for other artists, and covers other people's songs. Being very innovative, he came up with the very first Cantopop rap, "Ah Lam's Diary", with lyrics written by himself. In addition, he pioneered the stringing together of many hit Cantopop songs to create a 10-minute long medley called "10 Minutes 12 Inches". Over the years, he has introduced a wide variety of songs to the Hong Kong music scene, with many of his own compositions and covers becoming classics of Cantopop. One of his special talents is in picking which songs to do covers of among a wide variety of sources, including songs from the United Kingdom, United States, Continental Europe, Russia, Middle East, Latin America, Japan, etc. The songs he chose for such covers range from classical music, songs from musicals, Hebrew folk song, to funk and rock and roll. His own compositions and covers encompass a very wide stylistic range, from country rock, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, funk, jazz, rap, Chinese-style tunes to tango and bossa nova. He is particularly skillful in interpreting and performing all songs in his own inimitable style. Lam has a wide vocal range and is known for excelling in many different genres of music. He can sing powerfully in fast rhythmic numbers and in a very heartfelt way in romantic ballads. In recognition of his contribution to the music scene, Lam was awarded numerous awards, including the Golden Needle Award in 1994, the CASH Hall of Fame Award in 2003, the J.S.G. Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015, and the RTHK Hall of Fame Award in 2016. In addition to his singing career, Lam has also acted in many films, making his film debut in Luckies Trio in 1978. Possibly his most memorable role was as a Japanese journalist in Boat People (1982), directed by Ann Hui.