Paul Wong (musician)

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Paul Wong
黃 貫中
Wong performing in 2006
Born
Wong Koon-chung[1]

(1964-03-31) 31 March 1964 (age 60)
NationalityHong Kong
Other names
  • Godfather of bands
  • Godfather of rock
EducationHigher Diploma in Design, Hong Kong Polytechnic College
Occupations
  • Musician
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
  • designer
Years active1985–present
Spouse
(m. 2012)
Children1 daughter
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese黃貫中
Simplified Chinese黄贯中
Musical career
Genres
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Labels

Paul Wong Koon-chung (born 黃貫中; 31 March 1964), known professionally as Paul Wong, is a Hong Kong musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He achieved fame in Asia as the lead guitarist of the rock band Beyond until the band disbanded in 2005. After lead vocalist Wong Ka Kui's death, Wong became the lead vocalist and main songwriter for Beyond. He also earned the award "The Best Rock Singer" of the Hit Awards in 2012.

Biography[edit]

1964–2005: Early life and Beyond[edit]

Paul Wong was born on 31 March 1964, growing up with father, mother and two younger brothers in Kowloon City. Still, his mother later lived separately from her husband and children as his parents divorced.

As a juvenile, he was the champion at a couple of art contests. Until he majored in design at Hong Kong Polytechnic College, he was invited by drummer Yip Sai Wing to handle a design project for Beyond's first concert. Later he became friends with them as well as a member replacing the former lead guitarist Chan Sze On. While he worked as a designer at an advertising company, he was meantime in progress of several pieces of design work, such as the envelope design of the cassette Goodbye Ideals (1986) and the clothing design for Contact of Life Concert (1991).

Regarding his vocal contribution to Beyond, he started off as the lead vocalist singing the lead on "Midnight Stray" (1988). In the same year, he later provided lead vocals on "The Ground", one of the band's big hits. Besides, he began to play roles in different television series, including Two of a Kind featuring Hacken Lee and Wong in the leading roles.

On 30 June 1993, the mainstay of Beyond Wong Ka Kui was deceased. Thereafter the remaining three members switched to Rock Records making the band's next album The 2nd Floor Flat (1994). After Wong Ka Kui's death, Paul Wong and Wong Ka Keung became the band's primary songwriters. In circa 1999, the media told that Paul Wong and Wong Ka Keung had discorded due to the difference between their musical ideas. Beyond in 2003 resumed conducting the concerts Beyond Beyond Beyond Live. Still, they held the band's final and break-up concert Beyond The Story Live in 2005.

1999–present: Solo career[edit]

In late 1999, Wong launched his work as a solo singer while Beyond was taking a break. He formed the band Hann consisting of Jun Kung, Mak Man Wai (member of LMF) and Dino Acconci from the band Soler. Later on Wong established his own studio Polar Bear Studio. Afterward he signed a contract with Universal Records and then released Yellow Paul Wong (2001) and Black White (2001) in order. By these two albums, he won "The Gold Award as a Singer-songwriter" in Ultimate Song Chart Awards Presentation (2001 & 2002).

Wong showed his interest in musicals. In 2000 he played the protagonist Tony in the musical The Dream Broken in Victoria Harbour by troupe Theatre Space.[2] The story was adapted from a broadway musical West Side Story, which was localised and whose background was moved to Hong Kong. At the performances, local conductor Henry Shek took the lead and played with Hong Kong New Philharmonic Symphonic Orchestra as all performers at the seashore of Hong Kong Cultural Centre.

In November 2002 Wong held his debut concert Play It Loud in Hong Kong Coliseum. After the contract with Universal had ended, he issued an album Existence (2004), where he invested in by himself.

In 2005 by the dissolution of Beyond, they ran eight sessions of Beyond The Story Live 2005 at Hong Kong Coliseum, which is the band's last world tour. Consequently, he worked as the musical supervisor for the musical Akapi Shooting Incident by Commercial Radio Hong Kong, in which Sammy Leung and Kitty Yuen engaged and Wong also wrote a few soundtracks.

In April 2006, Wong signed a contract with Chinese Warner Records to explore the market of the Mainland China. In October he conducted solo concerts at Hong Kong Coliseum, namely Paul Wong Hong Kong Concert 2006: The Music of Madman's Study.

Discography[edit]

Solo albums and EPs[edit]

Release date Title Language Label
January 2001 Yellow Paul Wong Cantonese Universal
December 2001 Black White (黑白) Universal
April 2002 Identical Root (同根) Universal
November 2002 Play It Loud Universal
July 2004 I Now Exists (我在存在) Pathe Records
July 2007 I Now Exists Mandarin WOW Music
October 2011 Concerto in A minor (A小調協奏曲) Cantonese / Mandarin WOW Music
January 2013 Paul Wong Collection Mandarin WOW Music

Songs for artists[edit]

Year Single Artist Role
1997 "Distressed By Myself" (自尋煩惱) Andy Hui
  • Songwriter
  • Lyricist
  • Arranger
  • Producer
1998 "Just Say Gooy-Bye" Karen Mok Songwriter
1999 "Nuts" (神經病) Jordan Chan
1999 "Don't Let Me Drink Too Much" (別讓我喝太多) Andy Hui
1999 "I Can't" Andy Hui
1999 "On My God" (我的天) Karen Mok
  • Songwriter
  • Arranger
  • Producer
1999 "Awesome" (了不起) Lawrence Chou Songwriter, Lyricist
2000 "A Black Tie" (黑色領帶) Daniel Chan Songwriter, Arranger
2000 "Drive" Kang Jingchun (康淨淳) Songwriter
2000 "Everyone Is Mad" (所有人是傻) Nicholas Tse
  • Songwriter
  • Arranger
  • Producer
2001 "Good Dog" (好狗) Jan Lamb
  • Songwriter
  • Arranger
  • Producer
2002 "Elegance Wins the Heaven" (美麗勝天國) Wong He Songwriter
2002 "Rainy Days" Athena Chu Songwriter, Producer
2002 "Jump Up" (跳起來) Athena Chu
  • Songwriter
  • Arranger
  • Producer
2002 "New Colourful World" (彩色新天地) Johnny Tseng (曾國銘) Songwriter
2002 "We Can Change" Wong Ka Ming (王嘉明) Songwriter, Arranger
2003 "Overnight Feud" (隔夜仇) Hacken Lee Songwriter, Producer
2003 "Understand, okay" (明白了吧) Hacken Lee
2004 "How Much Can You Love" (可以幾愛) Ella Koon
2004 "Awesome (了不起)" Andy Hui Songwriter
2004 "Marlon Brando" (馬龍白蘭度) Andy Lau
  • Songwriter
  • Arranger
  • Producer
2004 "Your Majesty" (萬歲) Jordan Chan Songwriter
2004 "Saturday Night" Andy Hui Songwriter, Producer
2004 "Don't Provoke Me" (不要惹我) Athena Chu
2004 "Ah-oh"
2004 "Spell" (法術)
2004 "I Win" (我贏了)
2004 "A Queen in Trouble" (落難皇后) Gigi Leung
  • Songwriter
  • Arranger
  • Producer
2005 "Where Are You" (你在哪裡) Fiona Sit Producer
2006 "Good Brothers" (好兄弟) Softhard
  • Songwriter
  • Arranger
  • Producer
2008 "A Representative Wife" (標準太太) Josie Ho
2008 "A Poisoned Scorpion" (中毒蠍子) Songwriter, Arranger
2008 "Not a Doll" (不是娃娃) Elanne Kwong Songwriter, Producer
2008 "Starting Off" (出發) Liu Xuan
  • Songwriter
  • Lyricist
  • Arranger
  • Producer
2008 "An Inflatable Doll" (充氣娃娃) Shino Lin Songwriter
2008 "Go Go Dragon" (GO GO 飛龍) Jan Lamb Songwriter, Producer
2009 "Authentic" (不加塑) Keeva Mak (麥家瑜) Songwriter, Arranger
2009 "Hong Kong Hong Kong" (香港香港) Alan Tam
  • Songwriter
  • Arranger
  • Producer
2009 "Last Time the Last Time" (上次無下次)
2009 "Poors" (窮鬼) Jan Lamb
2009 "Never Said Goodbye" Juno Mak Arranger, guitar
2011 "Ignorant During Youthhood" (年少無知) Bowie Lam, Moses Chan, Kenny Wong (黃德斌) Songwriter, Producer
2015 "A Virtuous Robber" (盜亦有道) Alex Chia (謝中傑)
  • Songwriter
  • Arranger
  • Producer

Filmography[edit]

Film Year Role
Sworn Brothers 1987
No Regret
The Black Wall 1989
The Fun, the Luck & the Tycoon
Happy Ghost IV 1990
Beyond's Diary 1991
Daddy, Father and Papa
Love and Let Love! 1998
The Boss Up There 1999
Sleeping with the Dead 2002
Escape from Hong Kong Island 2004
The Heavenly Kings 2006
Wonderful Times
Rebellion 2009
Young and Dangerous: Reloaded 2013
The Way We Dance
Doomsday Party

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Madman's Work by Paul Wong Koon-chung". Madman's Work by Paul Wong Koon-chung. South China Morning Post. 6 December 2006. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  2. ^ "West Side Story". Theatre Space. 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2021.

External links[edit]