Danny Chan Pak-Keung (; 7 September 1958 – 25 October 1993) was a Hong Kong singer, songwriter and actor. He is widely recognised as the first modern day pop idol in Hong Kong, gaining fame alongside performers Alan Tam, Anita Mui, and Leslie Cheung, who were collectively known as "Three Kings and a Queen" (三王一后) or "Tam Cheung Mui Chan" (譚張梅陳) in the 1980s. He actively engaged in various charity shows and activities. His innate fashion sense was renowned in Hong Kong show business. Chan is best remembered for his Cantopop romance ballads and soul touching music compositions. His most renowned works include "Waiting" (等), "Life Expectation" (一生何求), "Ripples" (漣漪), "Loving You Alone" (偏偏喜歡你) and "Cherish Tonight" (今宵多珍重). Chan died on October 25, 1993, after being in a coma for 17 months.
Career
Chan was born on 7 September 1958 at Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam (薄扶林). His father is Chan Pang-Fee (; 1923 – 5 April 2019), a businessman in the watch industry, who was fond of Cantonese opera and became one of his son's musical influences.
During childhood period Chan has developed a passion for music and has mostly learnt to play organ keyboard and piano by himself. He was an alumnus of St. Paul's Co-educational College and also a fellow classmate of lyricist Andrew Lam Man Chung (林敏驄).
Chan won third prize at the TVB "Hong Kong Pop Song Writing Invitation" in 1977 with his self-written english song "The Rocky Road". In 1978, he won first prize at the "Hong Kong Yamaha Electone Festival" by playing the theme music of the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". This has earned him a singer contract with Hong Kong Television Broadcasts (TVB) and has officially launched his entertainment career. In that same year, he made his acting debut with HK TVB through a TV drama called "Sweet Babe" (甜姐兒).
Chan's musical talent has attracted the attention of artist manager Tam Kwok-Gei (譚國基). Tam signed Chan under his artist management agency Hollywood Casting Agency (HCA) and subsequently made Chan to sign a records contract with EMI. Chan's first music album "First Love" was released in 1979. His self-composed song from the album, "Tears for You" (眼淚為你流), was an instant hit.
Chan subsequently signed music contracts with Hong Kong EMI (1979), WEA (1980), DMI (1986), and finally moved back to WEA (1989). His Cantopop romance ballads have achieved high level of public success and critical acclaim, some of which are still popular nowaday such as "Waiting" (等), "Life Expectation" (一生何求), "Ripples" (漣漪), "Loving You Alone" (偏偏喜歡你), "Cherish Tonight" (今宵多珍重), "Deeply in Love with You" (深愛著你), "Having You" (有了你), "Misty Rain" (煙雨悽迷), "Applause" (喝采), "Minutes’ Date" (幾分鐘的約會), etc. The song, "Remembrance on Parents' Love" (念親恩), is often played on radio stations and frequently chosen for karaoke.
Chan's first five albums were produced by Tam Kwok-Gei, and the song concepts were mostly targeted towards youth. Chan composed a large quantity of songs during this period. From the sixth album, "Pouring Out My Heart"(傾訴), onward, Chan started to produce his albums himself. He reached his first peak in his musical career with this album and the next one, "Loving You Alone"(偏偏喜歡你), where the album sales achieved 5-platinum certifications (250,000 copies) in Hong Kong.
In 1984, he sang an English duet "Tell Me What Can I Do" with American country music singer Crystal Gayle. It was produced in US and released in US/Japan but was largely unknown due to lack of promotional budget. Meanwhile, he has also covered Jim Capaldi's ballad "Warm" with an improved music arrangement.
In the early 1980s, Chan was a host in the TV show "Bang Bang Sound" (Bang Bang咁嘅聲). His co-operation with Leslie Cheung and Paul Chung in the films "Encore" (1980) (喝采) and "On Trial" (1981) (失業生), received positive reception from the public and media. He is the main character in HK TVB TV series "Breakthrough" (1982) (突破) together with his favourite female partner Mary Jean Reimer (翁靜晶). His only comedy film "Merry Christmas" (1984) (聖誕快樂) was a huge box office success. He is also one of the main character in the most famous romantic film in the 1980s, "An Autumn's Tale" (1987) (秋天的童話), as Vincent (Jennifer's ex-boyfriend), with Chow Yun-fat (as Samuel Pang) and Cherie Chung (as Jennifer).