"Yoon Do Hyun Band"
Yoon Do Hyun Band, also called Yoonband or YB, is one of the most famous rock bands in South Korea. It consists of Yoon Do Hyun (vocals and guitar), Huh Joon (guitar), Kim Jin won(drums), and Park Tae Hee (bass guitar). The band is named after the main vocalist and main producer, Yoon Do Hyun, who had originally performed solo and then later joined the group.
Yoon Do Hyun Band (aka YB) released its debut album In Front of the Postal Office in Autumn in 1994. Since then, it has released 12 music records including two live albums and 3 singles. Also, the lead singer, Yoon Do Hyun, created two solo albums, which contains the hit single "I Did Love". It has also appeared in the movie The Jungle Story in which each member played a role. The group has been acclaimed for its powerful vocals and unique music style that presents Korean sensibilities. Yoon Do Hyun Band often intertwines its powerful rock style with traditional Korean musical instruments such as gayageum and daegeum and has produced various songs based on Korean sensibilities.
A big turning point for Yoon Do Hyun Band came in 2002, when Korea-Japan World Cup was held. During the World Cup, the media gave the name of 'the representative of Korean music band' to the group because its powerful and encouraging song Oh Pilseung Korea which means "Go Korea!" became hugely popular among all generations. It also adapted the most famous Korean folksong, Arirang, for a rooter's song. It changed the tune into a much more energetic rock style so that even youngsters could easily adopt the melody. Consequently, the band played a great role in the street cheering that made the 2002 World Cup well known throughout the world. Due to the popularity the band had achieved during the World Cup, it was later invited to 'The Performance of South and North Korean Artists' in September in 2002, which was very rare for a rock band. However, some critics say that since the World Cup, the band has put more weight on songs that might appeal to the public rather than keeping their own musical style.
Yoon Do Hyun Band is also well known for its contribution to the improvement of human rights, performing a number of concerts for underprivileged people. The group was chosen as the first awardee of the WPMA (World Peace Music Award) in 2003.
Yoon Do Hyun Band has been acknowledged as the most popular rock musicians in Korea, selling more than 2 million albums and doing more than 100 live concerts around Korea. In 2005, the band also did a tour around Europe with the British rock band Steranko, mainly performing in underground clubs but showing their potential as world musicians. It was also invited to the *SXSW(South by SouthWest) Festival in Austin, Texas this year and was honored to perform at "the stage", the official showcase of the festival, as the first Asian rock band. Very few bands are chosen to perform at "the stage", but it was on the stage because it was selected as the best group among approximately 800 teams of musicians that attended the festival last year.
The band is actively performing throughout the year. The main vocalist, Yoon Do Hyun, is also getting attention for his live music show on KBS2 'Yoon Do Hyun's love letter' aired every Friday.