Hisato Takenaka (竹中 尚人, born on June 16, 1955 in Togoshi, Shinagawa), known professionally as Char, is a Japanese musician, singer-songwriter and record producer.
[5] Char was named the greatest Japanese guitarist in a 2017 list by Guitar Magazine, as voted on by professional musicians,[6][7] and in a 2019 public poll held by goo.
[13] Although they disbanded the following year, they garnered much attention in the industry, with Guitar Magazine later calling them possibly the "most famous amateur band" in Japan.
Char's 1981 album U.S.J was co-produced by Steve Lukather and also features Jeff Porcaro and David Foster.
[19] Char spent 1999 touring Japan with Carmine Appice and Tim Bogert in a unit called CB&A, with a live album released the following year.
[19] For 2015's Rock+, which celebrated his 60th birthday, Char collaborated with many different musicians, including his son Jesse, Hotei, Hama Okamoto, and Masaharu Fukuyama.
[25] In 2017, Char played guitar on Exile Atsushi's cover of Joe Yamanaka's 1977 hit song "Proof of the Man".
They have one American son; Jesse McFaddin (born 1980), guitarist and vocalist of the Japanese rock band Rize.