Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

Sam Hui

Role / Field:

Pioneering Hong Kong musician, actor, and songwriter credited with popularizing Cantopop.

Born:

1948-09-06

Century / Era:

1948s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

Samuel Hui Koon-kit (born 6 September 1948) is a Hong Kong musician, singer, songwriter and actor. He is credited with popularising Cantopop both via the infusion of Western-style music and his usage of vernacular Cantonese rather than written vernacular Chinese in biting lyrics that addressed contemporary problems and concerns. Hui is considered by some to be the first major superstar of Cantopop, known as the God of Song and alternatively as the Canto-pop godfather and the Elvis Presley of Hong Kong. As an actor, he is well-known for portraying the main character "King Kong" in five instalments of the Aces Go Places film series.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Hui was born in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China in 1948. His parents were both musicians; his father was a traditional Chinese musician while his mother was a Chinese opera singer. In 1950, along with his three older brothers, Michael, Ricky, and Stanley, Hui and his parents arrived in Hong Kong as refugees in 1950, originally living in Diamond Hill. Sam Hui attended Ying Wa College and St. Francis Xavier's College, Tai Kok Tsui in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and graduated from the University of Hong Kong with a Bachelor's degree in Social...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Abby Aldrich Rockefeller — Contemporary (Died in 1948) (1948): American socialite and influential philanthropist, key patron of modern art.
• Abdullah Öcalan — Contemporary (Born in 1948) (1948): Founder of the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and advocate for Kurdish rights.
• Abdulrazak Gurnah — Contemporary (Born in 1948) (1948): Acclaimed Tanzanian novelist and Nobel laureate exploring themes of colonialism and refuge.
• Abaoji — Shared historical date (09-06 · Died) (926): Founder of the Khitan Empire and first Emperor of the Liao Dynasty.
• Adolf Dassler — Shared historical date (09-06 · Died) (1978): Pioneering German cobbler and inventor who founded the sportswear giant Adidas.
• Akira Mutō — Historical peer (Died in 1948) (1948): Imperial Japanese Army General implicated in war crimes during WWII.
• Akira Yoshino — Historical peer (Born in 1948) (1948): Pioneering chemist credited with the first safe, production-viable lithium-ion battery.
• Alan Silvestri — Historical peer (Born in 1950) (1950): Award-winning composer renowned for epic film scores, especially for blockbuster franchises.
• Alec Jeffreys — Historical peer (Born in 1950) (1950): Pioneering geneticist known for developing DNA fingerprinting and profiling techniques.
• Akira Kurosawa — Shared historical date (09-06 · Died) (1998): Master of Japanese cinema, known for dynamic style and epic storytelling.
• 1948 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1948
• September 6 (09-06) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on September 6

Frequently Asked Questions about Sam Hui