Kamasami Kong

Kong was born Robert W. Zix on December 21, 1949, in Hamilton, Ohio. He developed an interest in radio at an early age, starting his own amateur radio for his neighborhood as a teenager. During the Vietnam War, he was drafted and became a disc jockey for the American Forces Network in South Korea. During his time in South Korea, he was able to listen to the Japanese radio program All Night Nippon with Katsuya Kobayashi. After the war ended, he moved to Honolulu from Oregon the year after and started his radio career there.

File:Kamasami Kong, 1980.jpg

Kong began his radio career in 1965 with the radio station WMOH before moving to Hawaii in the 1970s. Kong explained that the program director wanted him to have the name Jack Stone, which he disliked and was tasked with coming up with his new name. He wanted a name that was also an onomatopoeia, and after hearing the sound of a gong, he decided to give himself the name Gong. He also explained that one day, a little girl had called and misinterpreted his slogan, "I call myself Gong!" as the name Kamasami Kong, and he chose the name moving forward. In early programs, he used the intro of the song "King Kong" by The Jimmy Castor Bunch as the lyric "Komo Sambe Kong!" was similar to his name.

In 1978, Kong became the first host of the new show Hawaiian Moving Company, being replaced by Michael W. Perry after two seasons.{{cite web|url=https://archives.starbulletin.com/2004/01/23/business/engle.html|title='Hawaiian Moving Co.' winding down after 26 years|author=Engle, Erika|date= January 23, 2004|website=Honolulu Star-Bulletin}}{{cite web|url=https://www.staradvertiser.com/2011/12/09/hawaii-news/rearview-mirror/moving-company-traveled-far-beyond-its-disco-origins/|title='Moving Company' traveled far beyond its disco origins|date=December 9, 2011|author=Sigall, Bob|website=Honolulu Star-Advertiser}}

By the late 1970s, Kong's shows were being recorded by Japanese listeners in Hawaii and brought back to Japan, where they sold bootleg cassette tapes of Kong. The sales of the tapes led Kong to have a cult following in Japan, and in 1979, CBS/Sony approached Kong to create an album based on Kong speaking as if he was hosting his show, but with no music as to allow listeners to create their own shows with Kong's voice. The album, Disc Jockey In Hawaii, helped propel Kong to stardom in Japan. In 1982, he was featured in the album Surf Break from Sea Breeze by Toshiki Kadomatsu, where he talked over the songs from Kadomatsu's album Sea Breeze as if it was his radio show, and would later do the same for multiple other albums.{{cite web|url=https://www.musicvoice.jp/news/23577/|title=バブル期流行のDJカセット30年ぶり復活、カマサミ・コングのDJをフィーチャー|language=ja|date= February 24, 2015 |website=MusicVoice}}

After moving to Japan in 2005, Kong has hosted The Kong Show on Love FM and Kamasami Kong Show on FM Cocolo. In 2015, he was featured on the album Pacific Oasis,{{cite web|url=https://www.cdjournal.com/main/news/-/64740|title=カマサミ・コングのDJをフィーチャーしたコンピ盤『PACIFIC OASIS』発売|language=ja|date=February 24, 2015|website=CDJournal}} and in 2023, he was featured on the album FM STATION 8090, which followed previous DJ albums and compiled various city pop songs.{{cite web|url=https://realsound.jp/2023/04/post-1311908.html|title=『FM STATION 8090』2タイトル同時リリース カマサミコング、小林克也、早見優が80'sシティポップをナビゲート|language=ja|date=April 25, 2023|website=Real Sound}}{{cite web|url=https://natalie.mu/music/news/522162|title=雑誌「FM STATION」の世界観を再現したコンピ盤、今年は2作同時リリース|date= April 25, 2023 |website=Natalie|language=ja}}{{cite web|url=https://www.tokyoweekender.com/entertainment/music/city-pops-endless-summer/|title=City Pop's Endless Summer|website=Tokyo Weekender|author=Hornyak, Tim|date=December 20, 2023}}

In 2005, Kong moved from Hawaii to Osaka due to frustration with the U.S. stations, where he became a DJ for JOFV-FM while being sponsored by Mitsubishi Motors. He wasn't allowed to be streamed except for a KTUH alumni show.{{cite web|url=http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/Sep/16/tc/tc01a.html|title=Former Hawai'i DJ can't get streamed|author=Lum, Burt|date=September 16, 2003|website=The Honolulu Advertiser}}

Before moving to Japan, Kong had lived in Hawaii and traveled from Japan to Hawaii multiple times. Kong was successfully treated for melanoma in 2012 but advised to stay out of the sun.{{cite web|url=https://www.khon2.com/coronavirus/kamasami-kong-sets-the-mood-for-japanese-longing-for-their-hawaiian-vacation/|title=Kamasami Kong sets the mood for Japanese longing for their Hawaiian vacation|date=February 21, 2022|website=KHON-TV|author=Yee, Chelsee}}

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Category:American radio DJs

Category:American radio personalities

Category:1949 births

Category:Living people

Category:American expatriates in Japan

Category:Japanese radio personalities