Editing Sam Hui (section)

==Career==

===Singer===
In the 1960s, Hui began his singing career. In 1967, Hui joined record label [[Diamond Records (Hong Kong)|Diamond Records]].{{Sfn|Yip|1994|p=12}}

Hui started his television career as a host on a youth music TV show on the [[Television Broadcasts Limited|TVB]] network. Hui and his brother Michael Hui became hosts in the ''[[Hui Brothers Show]]'', which premiered on April 23, 1971.{{Sfn|Chu|2017|p=201}}

Hui became the lead musician of a band [[Lotus (Hong Kong band)|The Lotus]].

In the 1970s, Hui performed English songs that were popular in Britain and the United States. He wrote the theme songs for the comedies produced by his brother, [[Michael Hui]], and started performing [[Cantonese]] songs. Sam Hui's first Cantonese hit, "Eiffel Tower Above the Clouds" ({{lang|zh|鐵塔凌雲}}) – originally titled "Here and Now" ({{lang|zh|就此模樣}}) – was first played on the ''Hui Brothers Show'' in April 1972.{{Sfn|Chu|2017|p=48}}

Hui signed a contract with [[Polydor Records|Polydor]] and produced his first single in English, "April Lady".{{Sfn|Man|1998|p=86}}

Hui's first Cantonese album, ''[[Games Gamblers Play]]'' ({{Lang-zh|c=鬼馬雙星|s=|t=|p=|cy=gwái máh sēung sīng|j=gwai2 maa5 soeng1 sing1|l=Ghost Horse (Cantonese slang for "Goofy") Twin Stars}}), was the partial soundtrack to the Michael Hui-directed film of the same name.{{Sfn|Man|1998|p=86}} This album became popular, selling 200,000 copies, and was one of the major musical works that helped to start the popularity of Cantopop.{{Sfn|Chik|2010|p=512}}

Hui's music gained popular appeal, particularly with the working class, for its simplicity and the relevance of the lyrics. A prolific songwriter, a noted recurring theme in his music is that it often describes or humorously satirises Hong Kong society and events.

In 1976, Hui's singing and acting career took off after the release of the breakout album The Private Eyes, the soundtrack to the 1976 film [[The Private Eyes (1976 film)|The Private Eyes]].<ref name="scmp_hui2016"/>

In the album [[The Private Eyes (1976 film)#Album|The Private Eyes]], it humorously reflected on the harsh realities of middle and lower-income Hong Kongers. Others such as "Song of Water Use" ({{lang|zh|制水歌}}), which referenced the days of [[Water supply and sanitation in Hong Kong#Water rationing|water rationing during the 1960s]], and "Could Not Care Less About 1997" (話知你97), which encouraged Hong Kong people to adopt a ''[[carpe diem]]'' attitude instead of worrying about the imminent [[Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong|handover to the People's Republic of China]] on 1 July 1997, were more topical in nature and referenced local events. While some of his songs are lighthearted, others carried philosophical messages brought out through artful use of Chinese words that have multiple symbolism. Examples can be seen in his farewell song in 1992 and "From the Heart of a Loafer" ({{lang|zh-hk|浪子心聲}}), where for Cantopop, the sophisticated language and messages were rare in the lyrics of contemporary artists.

On June 17, 1979, Hui became the first singer from Hong Kong to perform at the [[Tokyo Music Festival]].{{Sfn|Chu|2017|p=204}}

===Film===
Hui signed a contract with [[Orange Sky Golden Harvest|Golden Harvest]] in 1971.{{Sfn|Yip|1994|p=12}} On a personal note, Hui is closer to his middle brother Ricky (deceased 8 November 2011) than to their oldest brother Michael. Sam and Michael reportedly fell out with each other after their pre-1985 successes.{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}} However, in Michael's ''[[Chicken and Duck Talk]]'' (1988), Hui appeared in a short 1-minute cameo, playing the role of himself as [[master of ceremonies]] at the grand opening of Danny's Chicken, and contributed to its theme song for its end credits entitled "You Have Your Say" ({{lang|zh|你有你講}}). Then in 1990, the three brothers reunited in ''[[Front Page (film)|Front Page]]'', a lampoon on Hong Kong's sometimes over-zealous entertainment news industry. Hui also collaborated with several popular singers such as [[Leslie Cheung]] both musically and on-screen culminating in the hit single written by Hui and composed by Cheung entitled ''Silence is Golden'' ({{lang|zh-hk|沉默是金}}), which Cheung also sung as a solo track on his 1987 album, ''[[Hot Summer (album)|Hot Summer]]'', as well as the catchy tune, ''I've Never Been Afraid'' ({{lang|zh|我未驚過}}) in 1989 as the end theme for ''[[Aces Go Places 5: The Terracotta Hit]]''.

Hui also starred in the ''[[Aces Go Places]]'', a series of Hong Kong action–comedies in the 1980s, with [[Karl Maka]]. The theme song for his 1986 action movie ''[[Aces Go Places IV]]'' a.k.a. Mad Mission 4: You Never Die Twice, was "[[A Little TLC]]" with Cantonese lyrics by Lin Zhenqiang (title: "Xin Si Si") and it was  one of RTHK's Top 10 Gold Songs in 1986<ref>1986 RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards</ref> as well as the winner of the 9th Chinese Golden Melody Awards<ref>https://ent.sina.com.cn/y/2007-01-19/17511418520.html</ref> and "Best Original Film Song" at the second Hong Kong Film Awards.<ref>https://www.hkfaa.com</ref>

He was once seriously injured while filming ''[[The Legend of Wisely]]'' in [[Tibet]] due to lack of oxygen, thereafter falling very ill and many of his fans pointed out that this near fatal accident may have been pivotal on his decision to retire as they superstitiously believed that he was haunted by a spirit.{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}}

===Retirement===
During the late 1980s, Hui's father advised him to retire to avoid the stresses he endured from hosting concerts. Hui's "lack of oxygen" suffered on a previous film, was actually carbon monoxide poisoning. His mother purportedly also had reservations about his performing, including that he might injure himself on stage.{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}}

A Hong Kong concert in 1990 supposedly marked his early retirement, however Hui then agreed to host a 42-show concert series. Around the time of the 30th show, Hui's father died but despite his grief, he continued to host.{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}}

=== Farewell concerts ===
In 1991 to 1992, Hui held many farewell concerts. Hui hosted a total of 14 shows in Hong Kong preempting his actual retirement.<ref name="scmp_hui2016">{{cite web |url=https://www.scmp.com/culture/music/article/2038717/pictures-canto-pop-superstar-sam-huis-40-years-limelight |title=In pictures: Canto-pop superstar Sam Hui turns 70 |website=scmp.com |first=Adam |last=Wright |date=October 21, 2016 |access-date=October 5, 2020}}</ref>

Hui is known as the Canto-pop godfather and the Elvis Presley of Hong Kong.<ref name="scmp_hui2016"/>

Hui also hosted shows in Canada, in [[Vancouver]], at the [[Pacific Coliseum]], and [[Toronto|Toronto, Ontario]], which he dedicated to his late father. Despite reiterating his plans for retirement, Hui came back for a short stint in the movie ''[[Winner Takes All (2000 film)|Winner Takes All]]'' co-starring [[Nicholas Tse]] and [[Ruby Lin]]. This he maintained, was a result of being unable to ignore his heart's desire.
[[File:Sam Hui's handprint.JPG|thumb|The handprint and autograph of Sam Hui at the [[Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong]]]]
Widely acclaimed as the "God of Song" in Hong Kong (the first singer to be so acknowledged), he decided to come out of retirement in 2004 and held multiple comeback concerts in which he was welcomed by a Hong Kong public at sell-out shows. In these concerts, he paid tribute to his recent passed close colleagues, [[Leslie Cheung]] and [[Anita Mui]] in 2003 and claimed that their deaths had influenced his decision to return to performing, culminating in his 2004 comeback song '''04 Bless You'' ('04 祝福你). Hui performed in a concert in [[Kuala Lumpur]] on 19 and 20 February 2005 with his brother, Ricky Hui, and sons but has not made active plans for any follow-ups. He also performed in Vancouver on 15 December 2005 and in Singapore on 29 March 2008.{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}}

{{anchor|EC Music}} In 2007, Hui signed with EC Music and released his first album in 17 years, named "Life is Good" ({{lang|zh-hk|人生多麼好}}).<ref name="Seto2008-01-24">{{cite news |last=Seto |first=Kit Yan |date=2008-01-24 |title=Life is good for Samuel Hui |url=http://star-ecentral.com/news/story.asp?file=/2008/1/24/music/20078804&sec=music |newspaper=[[The Star (Malaysia)|The Star]] |accessdate=2024-02-13 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080127100748/http://star-ecentral.com/news/story.asp?file=/2008/1/24/music/20078804&sec=music |archivedate=2008-01-27 }}</ref>