Roman Tam Pak-sin (; 12 February 1945 – 18 October 2002), known professionally by his stage name Law Man (), was a Hong Kong singer. He is regarded as the "Grand Godfather of Cantopop".

Early life

Born in Baise, Guangxi, China, with family roots in Guiping, Guangxi, he moved to Guangzhou (Canton) in 1947 at the age of two. He later emigrated to Hong Kong in 1962 at the age of 17 because his mother fell ill and was only able to get better medical treatment in Hong Kong. He was poor and was only able to sleep with a sleeping bag and a radio on the floor of a banking building. His musical interests started from listening to the radio.

Career

Tam worked odd jobs to survive as his parents died early. He had worked at a tailor’s, an amusement park and a bank and performed at bars with a band called TNT. Tam would performed using the stage name Law Man (), a transliteration of his English name, Roman. Inspired by The Beatles, the band performed American and British songs but disbanded in 1971. but formally formed the duet as Couple Chorus (情侣合唱团) in 1971. While performing, both wore matching outfits but denied they were a couple. The duet travelled to the United States and Southeast Asia for performances, mainly singing Chinese and English popular songs. They also launched an album, Lydia Sum Roman Tam NO.1 (沈殿霞 羅文 NO.1), with eight duets and two individual songs each.

In 1974, Tam moved to Japan after signing a two-year contract with a top Japanese recording manager. While in Japan, Tam improved his music production skills and showmanship. After his contract was over, Tam returned to Hong Kong, citing unhappiness and the strict control as a Japanese artiste. He had sung many well-known solos and duets for various TV series including the song Below the Lion Rock for the show Below the Lion Rock,

Tam officially retired in 1996 with 56 albums to his name. He never married and maintained a high degree of privacy in his personal life.

References

  • Applauding Hong Kong Pop Legend: Roman Tam – About the collection, Hong Kong Memory