He had a string of hits in a career spanning 30 years. He was well respected for his singing skills, his positive outlooks, and his insistence on correct pronunciations. He was also groundbreaking for being the first major Hong Kong singer to pose in drag and to pose in nude. Born in Guangzhou, China with family roots in Guiping, Guangxi, he later immigrated to Hong Kong in 1962 at the age of 12. After forming a short-lived band known as Roman and the Four Steps, he became a contract singer under studios term at Television Broadcasts Limited.
He briefly switched to Asia Television Ltd in the early 1990s. During the 1990s, he accepted many budding singers as his students. Some of which who became famous included Joey Yung and Ekin Cheng. He had sang many well known songs for various TV series including Below the Lion Rock and the 1982 TVB TV series The Legend of the Condor Heroes. Tam never married. He died in Hong Kong at Queen Mary Hospital from liver cancer. The title of "Godfather of Cantopop" was confirmed in his obituary.
Description
- Chinese name : 羅文 ( traditional )
- Chinese name : 罗文 ( simplified )
- Birth name : Tam Pak-Sin ( 譚百先 )
- Ancestry : Guiping, Guangxi, China
- Origin : Hong Kong
- Born : 12 February 1950, Guangzhou, China
- Died : 18 October 2002 ( aged 52 ), Hong Kong
- Other name(s) : Law Kee ( 羅記 ), Godfather of Cantopop
- Occupation : Singer, actor
- Genre(s) : Cantopop, Hong Kong English pop
- Instrument(s) : Vocals
- Label(s) : EMI, BMG, EEG
- Years active : 1960–1996
- Associated acts : Roman an
Roman Tam counts Jenny Tseng as his dearest friend and best partner. He recorded a series of duets with Jenny Tseng for the television drama hit "Legend of Condor Heroes." Jenny Tseng still pays tribute to Roman Tam during her concerts.
Awards
- RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards, 1991 RTHK Golden Needle Award
