Kenny Bee
Encyclopedia
Chung Chun-to better known as Kenny Bee, is a Hong Kong
singer, musician
and actor
. He is well-known as a member of the Hong Kong English pop
and cantopop
band the Wynners
, and as a solo artist who has been active in the Hong Kong entertainment industry for nearly three decades.
, sharing vocal duties with Alan Tam
. Before joining the Wynners, he was a vocalist and saxophonist on the Hong Kong nightclub circuit, and briefly fronted a band called the Sergeant Majors.
, playing lead roles in a number of romantic movies, amongst which were "Story of a Small Town", (directed by Li Hsing, 1979), "Good Morning, Taipei" (directed by Li Hsing, 1979), both of which won the Golden Horse Award, and "The Green, Green Grass of Home" (directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien
, 1983).
In the eighties Bee moved his base back to Hong Kong, and has since amassed a large number of movie credits, mainly in the genre of romantic comedies.
Career highlights include
"Let's Make Laugh" (directed by Alfred Cheung, 1983),
"Shanghai Blues
" (directed by Tsui Hark
, 1984),
"Fist of Fury 1991
" (with Stephen Chow
, 1991),
"the Chinese Feast
" (directed by Tsui Hark
, 1995) and
"Initial D
" (directed by Andrew Lau
and Alan Mak
, 2005).
In addition, he was credited as the director for "100 Ways to Murder Your Wife" (starring himself, Chow Yun-fat
and Anita Mui
, 1986).
The 1980s marked the peak of Bee's popularity with the Hong Kong audience so far,
during which four of his studio albums went gold and two went platinum.
Notable hits from this period include
"Let Everything Be Gone With the Wind" (讓一切隨風),
"If We Were Meant To Be" (要是有緣) and
"A Romance" (一段情).
Known for a distinct, husky voice, the singer penned most of his own hits and plays multiple instruments. In the early days he was often seen on stage with a keyboard
or a saxophone
. In recent performances he usually accompanies himself with a guitar
.
Bee released his latest Cantonese solo album, "Escape (濤出新天)," in December 2006, backed by his new band, Black Tea.
Recently, Bee partnered with violin luthier Scott Cao
to design their own line of classical guitars, “Bonstar.” In 2008, Bee performed a series of solo concerts at the Hong Kong Coliseum, as well as in Singapore and Macau. Aside from working solo, the Wynners continue their world tour. Their next stop will be in Shanghai in April, 2009.
The marriage ended in a high-profile divorce in 1999, feeding tabloids with stories on extramarital affairs,
expensive spending habits and financial troubles for many months to come.
Bee filed for personal bankruptcy
in 2002.
He is currently living with girlfriend Fan Jiang, with whom he has two daughters.
In December 2007, Bee released an autobiography, "MacDonnell Road," titled after a street in Hong Kong he grew up on.
Hong Kong people
Hong Kong people refer to people who originate from Hong Kong. The term has no legal definition in Hong Kong. Rather, terms such as Hong Kong permanent resident and Hong Kong resident are used...
singer, musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He is well-known as a member of the Hong Kong English pop
Hong Kong English pop
Hong Kong English pop are English language songs that are made, performed and popularized in Hong Kong. Known as simply English pop by Hong Kong people...
and cantopop
Cantopop
Cantopop is a colloquialism for "Cantonese popular music". It is sometimes referred to as HK-pop, short for "Hong Kong popular music". It is categorized as a subgenre of Chinese popular music within C-pop...
band the Wynners
The Wynners
The Wynners are a Hong Kong pop band formed in the 1970s. The five-piece is made up of Alan Tam , Kenny Bee , Bennett Pang , Danny Yip and Anthony Chan .-History:...
, and as a solo artist who has been active in the Hong Kong entertainment industry for nearly three decades.
Career
Bee made his break into the Hong Kong entertainment industry in 1973 as a member of the popular 1970s band, the WynnersThe Wynners
The Wynners are a Hong Kong pop band formed in the 1970s. The five-piece is made up of Alan Tam , Kenny Bee , Bennett Pang , Danny Yip and Anthony Chan .-History:...
, sharing vocal duties with Alan Tam
Alan Tam
Wing Lun Alan Tam, MH is an award-winning Hong Kong Cantopop and English pop singer and actor. During the early 1980s he played a major role in developing the cantopop scene as he was known for singing romantic ballads with modern arrangements. As of 2008, he is still active in the music...
. Before joining the Wynners, he was a vocalist and saxophonist on the Hong Kong nightclub circuit, and briefly fronted a band called the Sergeant Majors.
Acting
As members of the Wynners went separate ways in the late seventies, Bee embarked on a solo career as an actor in TaiwanTaiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, playing lead roles in a number of romantic movies, amongst which were "Story of a Small Town", (directed by Li Hsing, 1979), "Good Morning, Taipei" (directed by Li Hsing, 1979), both of which won the Golden Horse Award, and "The Green, Green Grass of Home" (directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien
Hou Hsiao-Hsien
Hou Hsiao-Hsien is an award-winning film director and a leading figure of Taiwan's New Wave cinema movement.-Biography:...
, 1983).
In the eighties Bee moved his base back to Hong Kong, and has since amassed a large number of movie credits, mainly in the genre of romantic comedies.
Career highlights include
"Let's Make Laugh" (directed by Alfred Cheung, 1983),
"Shanghai Blues
Shanghai Blues
Shanghai Blues is a Hong Kong film directed by Tsui Hark, which had its premiere on September 1984. Kenny Bee, Sylvia Chang and Sally Yeh starred in this film. The music is composed by Wong Jim...
" (directed by Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark , born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong New Wave film director and producer. He is viewed as a major figure in the Golden Age of Hong Kong cinema .-Early life:...
, 1984),
"Fist of Fury 1991
Fist of Fury 1991
Fist of Fury 1991 is a 1991 Hong Kong film directed by Choh Chung-Sing, and starring Stephen Chow in the lead role. Aside from a few parodied scenes, the film bears no other similarities to the Bruce Lee film Fist of Fury except in title only...
" (with Stephen Chow
Stephen Chow
Stephen Chow Sing-Chi is a Hong Kong actor, comedian, screenwriter, film director and producer.- Professional career :Stephen Chow began as a temporary actor for TVB. He entered TVB in early 1980s, and was trained there, although he had few opportunities to appear in films. Chow graduated from...
, 1991),
"the Chinese Feast
The Chinese Feast
The Chinese Feast is a 1995 Hong Kong film co-written, produced and directed by Tsui Hark, and starring Leslie Cheung, Anita Yuen, Kenny Bee, and Law Kar-ying.-Synopsis:...
" (directed by Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark , born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong New Wave film director and producer. He is viewed as a major figure in the Golden Age of Hong Kong cinema .-Early life:...
, 1995) and
"Initial D
Initial D (film)
Initial D is a 2005 Hong Kong film directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak. It is a film adaptation of the Japanese Initial D manga and anime series.-Plot:...
" (directed by Andrew Lau
Andrew Lau
Andrew Lau Wai-Keung is a Hong Kong cinematographer and filmmaker. Lau began his career in the 1980s and 1990s, serving as a cinematographer to filmmakers such as Ringo Lam, Wong Jing and Wong Kar-wai. In the 1990s, Lau decided to have more creative freedom as a cinematographer by becoming a film...
and Alan Mak
Alan Mak
Alan Mak Siu-Fai , born on 1 January 1968 in Hong Kong, is a writer, director, actor and producer.-Biography:In 1986, Mak studied at the School of Drama in the Hong Kong Academy for Performance Arts. Upon graduation in 1990, he started his movie career....
, 2005).
In addition, he was credited as the director for "100 Ways to Murder Your Wife" (starring himself, Chow Yun-fat
Chow Yun-Fat
Chow Yun-fat, SBS is an actor from Hong Kong. He is best known in Asia for his collaboration with filmmaker John Woo in heroic bloodshed genre films A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, and Hard Boiled; and to the West for his role as Li Mu-bai in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon...
and Anita Mui
Anita Mui
Anita Mui Yim-fong was a popular Hong Kong singer and actress. During her prime years she made major contributions to the cantopop music scene, while receiving numerous awards and honours. She remained an idol throughout most of her career, and was generally regarded as a cantopop diva...
, 1986).
Music
Alongside acting, Bee develops his career as a solo singer-songwriter and has released over fifty studio and compilation albums, in Cantonese, Mandarin and English, to date.The 1980s marked the peak of Bee's popularity with the Hong Kong audience so far,
during which four of his studio albums went gold and two went platinum.
Notable hits from this period include
"Let Everything Be Gone With the Wind" (讓一切隨風),
"If We Were Meant To Be" (要是有緣) and
"A Romance" (一段情).
Known for a distinct, husky voice, the singer penned most of his own hits and plays multiple instruments. In the early days he was often seen on stage with a keyboard
Electronic keyboard
An electronic keyboard is an electronic or digital keyboard instrument.The major components of a typical modern electronic keyboard are:...
or a saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
. In recent performances he usually accompanies himself with a guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
.
Bee released his latest Cantonese solo album, "Escape (濤出新天)," in December 2006, backed by his new band, Black Tea.
Recently, Bee partnered with violin luthier Scott Cao
Scott Cao
Scott Cao is a violin maker , who is originally from China but now works in Campbell, California, USA.-Biography:In the mid-1970s, amidst Mao's cultural revolution, Cao was a farm worker. A violin-making teacher who visited the area offered him the opportunity of an apprenticeship...
to design their own line of classical guitars, “Bonstar.” In 2008, Bee performed a series of solo concerts at the Hong Kong Coliseum, as well as in Singapore and Macau. Aside from working solo, the Wynners continue their world tour. Their next stop will be in Shanghai in April, 2009.
Personal life
Bee married socialite-turned-actress Teresa Cheung in 1988, with whom he has a son, Nicholas Bee, and a daughter, Chloe Bee.The marriage ended in a high-profile divorce in 1999, feeding tabloids with stories on extramarital affairs,
expensive spending habits and financial troubles for many months to come.
Bee filed for personal bankruptcy
Personal bankruptcy
Personal bankruptcy is a procedure which, in certain jurisdictions, allows an individual to declare bankruptcy. In other jurisdictions, bankruptcies are reserved for corporations.-Canada:...
in 2002.
He is currently living with girlfriend Fan Jiang, with whom he has two daughters.
In December 2007, Bee released an autobiography, "MacDonnell Road," titled after a street in Hong Kong he grew up on.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Let's Rock | ||
| 1976 | Gonna Get You | ||
| 1977 | Rainbow in My Heart | ||
| Chelsia, My Love | |||
| 1978 | Making It | ||
| 1979 | The Story of a Small Town | ||
| Good Morning, Taipei | |||
| All's Well that Does Well | |||
| 1980 | Sai Fung Dik Ku Heung | ||
| The Spooky Bunch | |||
| Cute Girl | aka Lovable You | ||
| Don't Forget the Promise | |||
| Spring in Autumn | |||
| Burning Love | |||
| Love Comes from the Sea | |||
| 1981 | Errant Love | ||
| My Cape of Many Dreams | |||
| Another Spring | aka Once Again with Love | ||
| Bang Bang Yat Chun Sam | |||
| The Funniest Movie | |||
| Undated Wedding | |||
| Fung Kwong Sai Kai | |||
| The Land of the Brave | |||
| Special Treatment | |||
| Cheerful Wind | |||
| Lucky By Chance | |||
| 1982 | Crimson Street | ||
| Six is Company | |||
| The Green, Green Grass of Home | |||
| Ye Sing Dik Ching Chun | |||
| 1983 | Let's Make Laugh | ||
| 1984 | Prince Charming | ||
| And Now What's Your Name | |||
| The Funny General | |||
| Shanghai Blues | |||
| 1985 | The Flying Mr. B | ||
| 1986 | Strange Bedfellow | ||
| 100 Ways to Murder Your Wife | |||
| Millionaire's Express Millionaire's Express Millionaire's Express aka. Shanghai Express is a 1986 Hong Kong martial arts action western film written and directed by Sammo Hung. Film starred Hung, Yuen Biao, Rosamund Kwan, Mei-sheng Fan and Hwang Jang Lee.-Plot:... |
Fook Loi | ||
| 1987 | To Err is Humane | ||
| Armour of God | Band member | ||
| Reincarnation | |||
| My Cousin, the Ghost | |||
| My Heart is that Eternal Rose | |||
| Project A Part II Project A Part II Project A Part II is a 1987 Hong Kong martial arts action film directed by and starring Jackie Chan which serves as a sequel to his massive Asian hit film Project A... |
|||
| The Happy Bigamist | |||
| 1988 | Mr. Possessed | ||
| One Husband Too Many | |||
| 18 Times | |||
| Spy Games | |||
| 1989 | Happy Together Happy Together (1989 Hong Kong film) -Cast and roles:* Cherie Chung * Vivian Chow * Lowell Lo * Chingmy Yau * Lawrence Cheng * Kenny Bee-External links:* *... |
||
| A Fishy Story | |||
| Burning Sensation | |||
| City Squeeze | |||
| Bachelor's Swan Song | |||
| Hearts No Flowers | |||
| Miracles | cameo | ||
| My Heart Is That Eternal Rose My Heart Is That Eternal Rose My Heart Is That Eternal Rose is a 1989 Hong Kong film directed by Patrick Tam.-Cast and roles:* Kenny Bee - Rick Ma* Joey Wong - Lap* Tony Leung Chiu-Wai - Cheung* Chan Wai-Man - Shen* Cheung Tat-ming - Law Man-Shing's Son... |
|||
| 1990 | BB30 | ||
| 1991 | Sisters of the World Unite | ||
| Mainland Dundee | |||
| Top Bet | |||
| Today's Hero | |||
| Fist of Fury 1991 Fist of Fury 1991 Fist of Fury 1991 is a 1991 Hong Kong film directed by Choh Chung-Sing, and starring Stephen Chow in the lead role. Aside from a few parodied scenes, the film bears no other similarities to the Bruce Lee film Fist of Fury except in title only... |
Smart | ||
| 1992 | Fist of Fury 1991 II | ||
| Mary from Beijing Mary from Beijing Mary from Beijing aka. Awakening is a 1992 Hong Kong film directed by Sylvia Chang.-Cast and roles:* Lawrence Ah Mon - Immigration Officer* Kenny Bee - Wong Kwok-wai* Cynthia Cheung - Elizabeth* David Chiang - Yip... |
aka Awakening | ||
| Once a Black Sheep | |||
| Saviour of the Soul Saviour of the Soul Saviour of the Soul is a 1991 Hong Kong film. Although the film shares the same Chinese title as Louis Cha's The Return of the Condor Heroes, it is unrelated to the novel... |
Siu-Chuen | ||
| The Ape which Turned into a Man | |||
| 1993 | The Eagle Shooting Heroes The Eagle Shooting Heroes The Eagle Shooting Heroes is a 1993 Hong Kong comedy film directed by Jeffrey Lau. It is a parody of Louis Cha's novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes.-Production:... |
Wong Chung-Yeung Wang Chongyang Wang Chongyang [Chinese calendar: 宋徽宗政和二年十二月廿二 – 金世宗大定十年正月初四] was a Chinese Taoist and one of the founders of the Quanzhen School in the twelfth century during the Song Dynasty. He was one of the Five Northern Patriarchs of Quanzhen... |
|
| The Tigers: the Legend of Canton | |||
| Rose, Rose I Love You | |||
| The Moon Warriors The Moon Warriors Moon Warriors is a 1992 Hong Kong wuxia film directed by Sammo Hung and written by Alex Law.-Plot:Fei is a simple fisherman, who still possesses great sword-fighting prowess. He ends up foiling an assassination attempt against 13th Prince and helping him in an attempt to regain the throne from his... |
Emperor Yen Ling | ||
| 1995 | Ten Brothers | ||
| The Chinese Feast The Chinese Feast The Chinese Feast is a 1995 Hong Kong film co-written, produced and directed by Tsui Hark, and starring Leslie Cheung, Anita Yuen, Kenny Bee, and Law Kar-ying.-Synopsis:... |
Kit | ||
| 1996 | What a Wonderful Life | ||
| Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Star | |||
| 1998 | Ninth Happiness | ||
| 2000 | Healing Hearts | ||
| 2002 | Happy Family Happy Family (2002 film) Happy Family is a 2002 Hong Kong film directed by Herman Yau.-Cast and roles:* Nick Cheung - Sang* Candy Lo - Kaka* Kenny Bee - Mr. Han* Cecilia Yip - Mrs... |
Mr Han | |
| Troublesome Night 16 Troublesome Night 16 Troublesome Night 16 is a 2002 Hong Kong horror comedy film produced by Nam Yin and directed by Yip Wai-ying. It is the 16th of the 19 films in the Troublesome Night film series.-Plot:... |
Sung Kong Song Jiang Song Jiang was the leader of a group of outlaws who lived during the Song Dynasty. The outlaws were active in the present-day provinces of Shandong and Henan before their eventual surrender to the government. Song Jiang is also featured as a character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great... |
||
| 2004 | Super Model | ||
| Elixir of Love | |||
| 2005 | Leave Me Alone Leave Me Alone (film) Leave Me Alone is a 2004 Hong Kong thriller film directed and co-written by Danny Pang. It stars Ekin Cheng in a dual role.-Plot:Gay fashion designer Yiu Chun Man is visited in Hong Kong by his straight twin brother, Yiu Chun Kit... |
||
| Initial D Initial D (film) Initial D is a 2005 Hong Kong film directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak. It is a film adaptation of the Japanese Initial D manga and anime series.-Plot:... |
Yuichi Tachibana | ||
| A Chinese Tall Story A Chinese Tall Story A Chinese Tall Story is a 2005 Hong Kong fantasy adventure film, written and directed by Jeffrey Lau.-Synopsis:It is a twisted story about the monk Tripitaka and his three disciples who are journeying west to acquire Buddhist scriptures. While stopping in Shache City , they come under attack by... |
|||
| 2006 | Shanghai Red | ||
| The Return of the Condor Heroes The Return of the Condor Heroes (2006 TV series) The original soundtrack was released on 13 May 2006 from Rock Records Co., LTD . There are two versions of the soundtrack. The mainland Chinese release contains a total of 15 tracks while the Taiwanese release includes two bonus tracks... |
Gongsun Zhi | ||
| 2007 | It's a Wonderful Life | ||
| 2010 | Just Another Pandora's Box Just Another Pandora's Box Just Another Pandora's Box, also known as Once Upon a Chinese Classic, is a 2010 Hong Kong parody film directed by Jeffrey Lau and starring Ronald Cheng, Gigi Leung, Betty Sun, Eric Tsang, Huang Bo, Guo Degang, Gillian Chung, and Patrick Tam. It is a spiritual successor to Lau's two-part 1994 film... |
||
| Shanghai Blue | |||
| 2011 | Mr. Zhai | ||
| A Land without Boundaries | |||
| East Meets West 2011 |
Cantonese albums
- 閃閃星辰 - 1980
- 不可以不想你 - 1981
- 說愛就愛 - 1983
- 要是有緣 - 1983
- 我行我素 - 1984.07
- 鍾鎮濤精選 (Collection) - 1984
- 痴心的一句 - 1985.01
- 鍾鎮濤(淚之旅) - 1985.09
- 鍾鎮濤(Trip Mix): 淚之旅/太多考驗 (12" Single Mix) - 1985
- 情變 - 1986.05
- 鍾鎮濤(Trip Mix II): 香腸、蚊帳、機關槍/原諒我 (12" Single Mix) - 1986
- 最佳鍾鎮濤 (New Song + Collection) - 1986
- 寂寞 - 1987.03
- 聽濤 - 1987.10
- 晴 - 1988.05
- 情有獨鍾 (New Songs + Collection) - 1988.10
- 人潮內... 我像獨行 - 1989.03
- 看星的日子 - 1989
- B歌 (Collection, distributed in Singapore) - 1989
- 鍾鎮濤 (3" CD, Collection) - 1990
- 不死鳥 - 1990
- 仍是真心 - 1992.08
- 全部為你 - 1993
- 鍾鎮濤金曲精選 (2 Discs, Collection) - 1993.12
- 88極品音色系列: 鍾鎮濤 Kenny Bee (Collection) - 1997.07
- B計劃 (2 Discs, New Songs + Collection) - 1998.03
- B歌集 (2 Discs, Collection) - 1998.07
- 鍾鎮濤dCS聲選輯 (Collection) - 2000.02
- 俠骨仁心原聲專輯 - 2001.04.20
- 真經典鍾鎮濤 (Collection) - 2001.07.27
- 還有你 (2 Discs, Collection) - 2002.08.22
- 濤出新天 - 2006.12.29
Mandarin albums
- 我的伙伴 - 1979.05.09
- 早安台北 - 1979.08.20
- 白衣少女 - 1980
- 鍾鎮濤專輯 (Collection) - 1981
- 鍾鎮濤(阿B) (Mandarin/Cantonese) - 1982
- 表錯七日情(國) (Mandarin/Cantonese) - 1983
- 哦！寶貝‧為甚麼 - 1983
- 詩人與情人 - 1989.02
- 捨不得•這樣的日子 - 1989
- 捨不得 - 1990
- 飄 - 1990.09
- 活出自己 - 1991.06
- 我的世界只有你最懂 - 1992.06
- 祝你健康快樂 - 1993.09
- 情人的眼睛 (Collection) - 1994.02
- 簡簡單單的生活 - 1994
- 情歌對唱集(寂寞) (with Teresa Cheung, Mandarin/Cantonese) - 1995.05
- 痴心愛你 - 1995.06
- 男人 - 2004.02.16