[JAPAN] "Golden Half" Tribute - 70s J-pop Stars

This video introduces you to one of the 1970s popular J-pop groups, "Golden Half." (In Japan, the word, "half," means half-Japanese and half-something else; it is NOT a bad word at all, just as it is.)
"Golden Half" was formed in the late 1960s; they were originally five (5) members: Maria Mori, Eva Vásquez, Luna Takamura, Eri Ishiyama, and Yumi Kobayashi. Eri had to quit shortly after the group was formed for a personal reason; thus, the group became four (4) members.
"Golden Half" was promoted by Watanabe Productions, one of the major entertainment production companies then. The group sang and go-go danced on the Fuji TV show BEAT POP. They were often assigned to sing Western pop songs in Japanese mainly because of how they looked. Mind you, they are all brought up as "Japanese" and their native tough is Japanese.
"Golden Half" only lasted for four years, splitting in 1974, but during those years, they sold many hit songs and did well. One of the difficulties of forming a group like this is to keep them together because people naturally grow apart.
After the split, Maria Mori was offered an acting role in a TV series of suspense action-drama. She did well playing the role, proving that she can act. In this way, she smoothly transitioned into acting; meanwhile, she got married to a Japanese salaryman and her family expanded. She enjoyed acting but knew where her priority lies, so she quit her career in the entertainment business in 1990 to focus on her children.
Eva Marie Vásquez was born to a Japanese mother and a Spanish father, a Japanese citizen.
Eva grew up in Nagano where her family still lives. When Eva was 16-22 years old, her family had to move to Kerala, India, a southern part of India, due to her father's job. Eva graduated from St. Teresus College there. So, Eva can speak English. After "Golden Half," Eva remained as a solo singer but didn't do so well. She wanted to become like Diana Ross, a famous African American singer. Eva then worked as a TV caster, covering different TV shows until she got married to a Japanese man and had a family.
Luna Takamura was born and grew up in Kobe; her mother is Japanese and her father is German, a Japanese citizen. After "Golden Half," Luna become a film actress; she also made some music albums, but soon she met and married a British American in Japan and moved to Honolulu, Hawaii. She was happily married there. In March 2004, Luna passed on due to cancer; she was only 52.
Yumi Kobayashi, only a pure Japanese member, was the leader of the group. In the beginning, she was introduced as "half Italian" but later, she admitted that both her parents are pure Japanese. Her talent agent told her to lie about her identity because the group's name is "Golden Half." After the split, Yumi quit her entertainment career and became a housewife.


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