Son of mid-twentieth century film star Ken Uehara,[1][2] and actress Yoko Kozakura, (ja) Kayama graduated from Keio University.

[2] He showed his ability for drama when Akira Kurosawa cast him for his films Sanjuro and Red Beard.

[1] As a guitarist, he took inspiration from the American instrumental group The Ventures, and performed a form of psychedelic surf music in the 1960s with his Mosrite guitar.

"Kimi to Itsumademo" ("Love Forever"), another of his compositions, sold over two million copies, and was awarded a gold disc in 1965.

[4] In 2017, he sang the 2020 Summer Olympic Games theme "Tokyo Gorin Ondo 2020", a modern adaptation of the 1964 Summer Olympic Games song "Tokyo Gorin Ondo" along enka singer Sayuri Ishikawa and rock singer Takehara Pistol (ja).