Peter Chen: The legendary life of the godfather of Taiwanese pop music

Early life and musical enlightenment

Peter Chen, formerly known as Chen Xiaoyin, was born on August 12, 1943 in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. His ancestral home is Chaoyang, Guangdong. In 1947, at the age of 3, he moved to Taiwan with his parents and grew up in a military dependents' village in Taipei. In his youth, Peter Chen was deeply influenced by Western music and was obsessed with rock stars such as Elvis, the Beatles and Bob Dylan. He studied mechanical engineering at National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan, but his love for music prompted him to make his own electric guitar, and to form a band with David Tao, the father of David Tao, to perform in cabarets and become one of the earliest pop singers in Taiwan. Because cabarets often receive foreign audiences, he took the stage name "Peter Chen", a name that combines Chinese and Western elements and is still used today.

The peak of music career

In 1971, Peter Chen released his first solo album "Rose Anna" under the guidance of musician Weng Qingxi, officially entering the music scene. His music style was bold and innovative, integrating Western elements such as rock, R&B and rap into Mandarin pop music, breaking the pattern of sweet love songs in the Taiwanese music scene at that time. In 1972, his song "Smile with Tears" became a classic of Yu Tian and was widely sung. In 1979, his album "Also a Love Song" included "Alibaba", which made him famous, although the song was later clarified as a cover of a work created by a German musician, not Peter Chen's original work.

The 1980s was Peter Chen's golden age. He composed popular songs for many singers, including Fei Yuqing's "One Cut Plum", Liu Wenzheng's "Late", Feng Feifei's "Tenderness", etc. One song could make a singer famous, and he was hailed as the "Godfather of Taiwanese Pop Music". The number of songs he composed was astonishing, reportedly as many as hundreds, and he even produced 40 songs in a month. The top three radio charts were often occupied by his works. However, there is controversy about the composition of "One Cut Plum". Peter Chen once claimed that it was his own creation on the show, but the actual composer was Chen Xinyi (pen name Chen Yi).

In addition, Peter Chen also founded the Taiwan Performing Arts Union in the late 1980s to improve the treatment of artists, increasing the performance fees of male artists from NT$1,000 to NT$10,000, setting new standards for the industry.

Returning to the Homeland and Music Transformation

In 1987, Taiwan opened up the policy of visiting relatives in the mainland. Peter Chen could not wait to return to his hometown Chengdu via Japan after 40 years of absence, and reunited with his long-lost brother. He described this return as "homesickness is more timid", eating the dandan noodles in his memory, as if he had found the taste of his mother again. In 1988, he led a group to hold 20 "visiting relatives concerts" in the mainland, becoming one of the earliest Taiwanese musicians to perform in the mainland. In 1991, he chose to settle in Beijing, and gradually shifted the focus of his career to composing music for ancient Chinese poetry, trying to give traditional poetry new life with modern music.

Despite the limited response to the ancient poetry music market, Peter Chen never gave up. In 2018, he performed Xin Qiji's "Qingyu'an·Yuan Xi" in a rock style on CCTV's "Classics Chanting", colliding the bold lyrics of 800 years ago with modern music, stunning the audience and rekindling the attention of young audiences. In the same year, he participated in "The Voice of China 2018" and sang "Remember Me". Although he did not get the mentor to turn around, his musical enthusiasm infected countless people. In 2019, he sang "My Motherland and I" in CCTV's flash mob event, with sincere emotions, and became a candidate for "Moving China".

Later life and persistence in music

In his later years, Peter Chen returned to Chengdu and settled in his hometown. He created songs such as "Water from Tianfu Comes from the Sky" to express his deep affection for his hometown. In 2023, he participated in the CCTV Network Spring Festival Gala and continued to convey emotions through music. He also opened a private kitchen "77 Grams" in Guangzhou, which he co-operated with his wife Badu. He occasionally played and sang for guests, showing the perfect fusion of music and life. Peter Chen once admitted that music and cooking are his way of "living twice", making him as happy as the protagonist in "Alibaba".

Remembrance and Influence

Peter Chen's music career spans more than half a century. He has subverted the traditional pattern of Taiwanese pop music with rock and innovation, and injected new vitality into the Chinese music scene. His works such as "One Cut Plum", "Late" and "Alibaba" are not only classics of the times, but also carry the collective memory of music fans on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Although he suffered from anxiety in his later years, he chose to heal himself in nature and music. After returning to his homeland, he used his singing to express his love for his motherland. His story is not only a musical legend, but also a moving chapter of a wanderer searching for his roots.

Peter Chen wrote his own answer with guitar and singing: "Remember me, I am a singer. Life goes on, and music never stops."