Tsuneo Aoyagi

Tsuneo Aoyagi
Aoyagi Tsuneo at the Fukaura Utagoe in 2010
Name	青柳常夫 (Aoyagi Tsuneo)
Born	Unknown
Died	September 8, 2022
Occupation	Vocalist, accordionist, musical conductor
Years Active	1950's—His death (assumed)
Works	Popee the Performer
Spouse	Unknown
Children	At least 1

Tsuneo Aoyagi, known affectionately by those who knew of him as "Yagi-san", was a vocalist and accordionist. He provided the vocals for the theme song of Popee the Performer (Popee the Clown), as well as on other tracks made for the show.

Although he was more widely known for his work on Popee the Performer, Tsuneo Aoyagi was also known for his involvement in "singing cafes" as the leader of the singing café "Tomoshibi" in the 1950s and 1960s. He was also a musical conductor for choirs and musicals since the 1960's, which was derived from the singing movement in Japan after World War II.

Tsuneo Aoyagi was a participant in some events for Popee the Performer, including an event held on January 18th, 2003, to celebrate the release of the Popee the Performer Vol. 1 (DVD), as well as an event held on August 16th, 2003, to celebrate the release of the Popee the Performer Vol. 2 (DVD). He would play his accordion and play songs from the show, as well as some songs that were not from the show, such as "Medaka No Gakko".

Although this is speculative, based on the reports posted for both events on the Nippon Columbia website, Aoyagi Tsuneo seemed to a be a warm person who took care to really immerse the people around him in his music, which he appears to have enjoyed greatly.

Aoyagi Tsuneo with his accordion at the event held by Nippon Columbia on January 18th, 2003, to celebrate the release of the Popee the Performer Vol. 1 (DVD).

The following is an (amateur) translation of an excerpt from the report of the Popee the Performer Vol. 1 (DVD) release event on January 18th, 2003. This excerpt illustrates the ability Mr. Tsuneo had to draw his audience in.

The audience, who were a bit confused at first, gradually became part of Aoyagi-san's world.

The next song, “Medaka no Gakko,” with choreography, had everyone from the children to the adults playing along.

A young man in all black sang “Popee the Clown” and a boy sang “Tambourine Life” with Aoyagi san's guidance, and in the first performance, a young man in all black sang the first verse, and in the second, a boy could sing without looking at the lyrics, so Aoyagi-san brought him on stage to sing.

Discography

• Popee the Clown (Soundtrack)
• P.O.S.T.&K.O.T. Popee the Performer Original Soundtrack
• Koro-chan Pack (Popee the Performer)

Tracks that Tsuneo Aoyagi specifically provided vocals for are listed below:

• Popee the Clown
• Popee the Clown (Japanesque Version)
• PoPiPa no PEE
• Flightless Paola
• Silent Night
• Tambourine Life