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According to Hong Kong media reports, along with Zhou Xuan, Li Xianglan, Bai Hong, Bai Guang, Wu Yingyin, Gong Qiuxia, one of the seven major singers of Shanghai Beach, the original singer of the song "Rose Rose I Love You" Yao Li died in the early morning of this (July 19) at the age of 96, and her friend Shao Yinyin posted on social networks to confirm the death.
Yao Li, formerly known as Yao Xiuyun, was one of the well-known female singers of the Shanghai Beach period, along with Zhou Xuan, Bai Hong, Bai Guang, Gong Qiuxia, Li Xianglan, Wu Yingyin, etc., and was known as the seven major singers of the Shanghai music scene in the 1940s. Yao Li was the most popular song in Hong Kong in the 1950s, and Teresa Teng and Xu Xiaofeng regarded her as an idol.
Yao Li, who enjoys the reputation of "silver voice", debuted in the 30s until she quit the music scene in the 60s, and after more than 30 years of singing career, she recorded hundreds of records. In the text introducing her on the album cover of EMI Records in the 50s, it is not an exaggeration to say that she has experienced nearly 20 years of the process and has always been alone in the music world.
Yao Li debuted only 13 years old, at first only because of interest to occasionally follow her uncle to the radio broadcast performance, who knows that singing can be appreciated by Zhou Xuan and Yan Hua, introduced her to join EMI Records, Yao Li's first record "Selling Lovesickness" song "Qingliu Ying Mingyue" was popular, making Yao Li instantly become a red singer. In the 30s, Shanghai broadcasting career developed, yao li joined the EMI records company, recommended her brother Yao Min also joined at the same time, the two people formed a brother and sister group to sing, Yao Min has a talent for composition, and later engaged in composition work, wrote a lot of songs for Yao Li.
Yao Li's representative songs include "Rose Rose I Love You", "Unobtainable Love", "Spring Wind Kisses My Face", "Suzhou Riverside", "Congratulations and Congratulations" and so on.
Yao Li's songs such as "Unobtainable Love", "Roses and Roses I Love You", "Symphony of Wind and Rain", "Autumn Nostalgia" and "Which Is Not Sentimental" recorded in Shanghai in her early years are still favored by people. "Rose Rose I Love You" is an even more internationally popular song, which was changed to English and recorded by American male singer Frankie Laine.
In the records recorded by Yao Li in Hong Kong in the 1950s, "Spring Wind Kisses My Face", "The Snowman Is Gone", "The Opposite Under the Moon", "The Beginning of Love", and the Chinese song "The Great River Goes East", "Dance Partner Tear Shadow", etc., have been selected and sung by later singers many times. Yao Li has also tried to create songs, such as "You Give Me Echo" is her self-composed and self-singing work.
After the Seven Songs, Yao Li is slightly less famous, because she is indifferent by nature and very filial, close to her brothers and sisters, and often serves her mother. Yao Li sang at the Yangtze Ballroom in Shanghai for five years, fell in love with Paul Huang, the son of huang Zhijian, deputy manager of the hotel, and had two sons with her husband.
After marriage, Yao Li stopped performing publicly, concentrated on her husband and children, because she loved music, she continued to record records, and in more than 10 years, she developed from the initial imitation of Zhou Xuan's singing voice, lively girl's voice to a stable and mature voice in the later stage. After Yao Li moved to Hong Kong in 1950, she was still at EMI Records, and she was exposed to American pop music, and her singing style changed again.
In the 1950s, Yao Li began to act as a behind-the-scenes singer of the film, and since 1956, she sang the interlude of the movie "Peach Blossom River" on behalf of the movie star Zhong Qing, and became the best partner behind the scenes with Zhong Qing. Yao Li's name on the opening subtitle is often bigger than the starring star. In 1967, Yao Li's brother Yao Min resolutely quit the music scene after Yao Li lost his brother.
Yao Li is a talented singer, although she has passed away, but the song she left us will never fade, thank you for your singing, all the way.