Global Hit – Toshio Hirano
Country music is the most popular format on commercial radio stations in the United States. Actually, most country stations play something that’s closer to pop than country. The subject of today’s Global Hit sings the real stuff. But you’d never mistake him for Hank Williams or Merle Haggard. Julie Caine reports from San Francisco.
In the late 1960’s a Tokyo high school student heard a sound unlike anything he’d ever heard before.
The World is an independent newsroom. We’re not funded by billionaires; instead, we rely on readers and listeners like you. As a listener, you’re a crucial part of our team and our global community. Your support is vital to running our nonprofit newsroom, and we can’t do this work without you. Will you support The World with a gift today? Donations made between now and Dec. 31 will be matched 1:1. Thanks for investing in our work!