ONCE UPON A TIME IN JAPAN....
Two teenage girls entered a television talent contest and won it hands down. In no time flat, these childhood friends became one of the most famous, if not legendary recording acts in the history of Japanese pop music. Although their time in the spotlight was painfully brief, they were universally loved and cherished by young and old alike. Even after forty years, their fame has not diminished in the slightest as they're just as popular and beloved as ever. I'm talking of course about the immortal Mie and Kei, better known to their legions of fans around the world as....
Konnichiwa! My name is Jeff Branch of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and I just happen to be one of those folks who, over two decades ago fell in love with Mie ("me") and Kei ("kay"), and it's been a love affair that has yet to wane. This website is my official shrine to these lovely ladies.
For me, it all began in September of 1977 when, during my career in the Navy, I was stationed onboard a ship in Yokosuka, Japan. While strolling through a local shopping district one day, I first laid eyes on a poster of the girls, dressed in beaded white mini-dresses and striking a saucy pose. To say the least, I was instantly spellbound. To this day, I still can't explain just what attracted me to them. All at once, I was mesmerized by them and, before I knew it, I bought that poster which I taped above my bunk on the ship. Thus was born my obsession with Pink Lady.
Whenever I could, I would buy photos, picture books, even music tapes, even though I couldn't speak, write or understand a bit of Japanese. It didn't matter in the slightest, I was hooked on Mie and Kei and couldn't get enough of them. I would see the girls performing on TV, doing incredibly energetic song and dance routines that would put Janet Jackson and Paula Abdul to shame and was enthralled. After all these years, my only regret was that I didn't buy nearly enough Pink Lady stuff as, during the time I was in Japan, they probably rivaled Godzilla in terms of pop culture recognition.
The purpose of this website is to introduce you to Mie and Kei, tell you all that I know about them (If I were fluent in Japanese, I could tell you tons!), display the photos I have of them, and even delve into their short lived invasion of the American pop culture scene in 1979 and 1980. I'll be the first to admit I don't know everything or have everything about Pink Lady, so, if there are any folks who'd like to contribute information, photos of memorabilia that I could post to this site, or even (and this is one hell of a reach) hear from people who actually saw the Ladies in concert, please get in touch with me.
Pink Lady: The Website is a true labor of love that has grown by leaps and bounds since its launch in December of 1998. Thanks to the site, I've had the opportunity to correspond with many terrific people who are loyal fans of the Ladies but had no outlet to express their feelings about Japan's legendary pop goddesses until I came along. It's been nothing short of amazing how popular my site has become, both here and in Japan itself where it's part of a massive Pink Lady website network. But the best part of the the experience for me has been the people, the fans of Mie and Kei.
If you wish to comment on what I've done, or contribute something to my Pink Lady shrine, you can reach me at treetop.jeff@verizon.net. And now, on with the show!
P.S.: I'm hardly an expert at creating web pages, so if you happen to find any broken or missing links along the way, please don't hesitate to contact me! Domo arigato! P.S. Many thanks to John Vawter from California for the way cool PL logo above!
