“I want someone with better singing skills to sing,” says Nagai Rokusuke, angry at Sakamoto Kyu…

On the afternoon of July 21, 1961, rehearsals had begun at Sankei Hall in Otemachi, Tokyo, for the “3rd Nakamura Hachidai Recital” by Nakamura Hachidai, the popular jazz pianist and up-and-coming composer who had won the first Japan Record Award.

“Uhheffomffite, Akhalkovhhhhhhhhh…”

Stage director Naga Rokusuke, standing in the wings of the venue and gazing at the stage, could not believe his ears.

“Nice to meet you, my name is Kyu Sakamoto,” sang the boy who had just greeted me with a charming smile. Perhaps due to the nervousness of being on the big stage, he stood motionless and his legs were clearly shaking.

Aside from the trembling, he thought the singing was a bit too playful. He was the one who wrote the lyrics for the song. Rokusuke Nagai was shocked and angry, and protested to Hachidai Nakamura as soon as the rehearsal was over.

“What is that? I want someone with better singing skills to sing it. I want them to sing it with care and in the Japanese language!”

However, Hachidai Nakamura said, “That’s fine. That’s good,” and didn’t take it seriously at all. On the contrary, it was very well received, and when Hana Hajime of the Crazy Cats said, “It’s a good song,” actress Yoshie Mizutani (now Yaeko) also said, “This kind of song is going to be a hit,” and they had a conversation in the dressing room hallway.

And Norihiko Suemori, the director of the NHK music variety show Let’s Meet in Dreams, also liked the song so much that he immediately decided to feature it on the program.

At this time, Nakamura Hachidai was 30 years old, Naga Rokusuke was 28 years old, and Sakamoto Kyu was 19 years old.

Thus was born the band “Ue o Muite Arukou” (Sukiyaki), which would later be known as the “6-8-9 Trio.”