| Suraphol Sombatcharoen | |
|---|---|
Thailand's "King of Luk thung". |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Lamduan Sombatcharoen |
| Born | 1930 Suphan Buri, Thailand |
| Died | August 16, 1968 (Aged 38) Nakhon Pathom, Thailand |
| Genres | Luk thung |
| Instruments | Singer |
Suraphol Sombatcharoen (1930 - August 16, 1968) (Thai: สุรพล สมบัติเจริญ, also Surapon Sombatjalern) was a Thai luk thung singer. Dubbed the "King of Luk Thung", he was one of the first major stars of Thailand's own country music genre. He was fatally shot after a live performance in Nakhon Pathom.
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Born Lamduan Sombatcharoen in Suphan Buri Province, he took the name Suraphol as a stage name. His first hit was in 1952 with "Nam Da Sow Vienne" ("Tears of a Lao Girl"). It marked the emergence of luk thung, a Thai counterpart to such crooning styles as Japanese enka and Indonesian kroncong, and embodied such influences as Hollywood film music, American country music, Malay pop and Afro-Cuban rhythms.
Enjoying popularity at the same time when Elvis Presley and The Beatles were popular in Western world, Suraphol was sometimes referred to as the "Thai Elvis".
Suraphol composed more than 100 songs. Among his most well-known numbers are "Sao Suan Taeng" ("The Girl from the Cucumber Orchard"), "Mong" ("Look"), "Nam Ta Ja Tho" ("The Tears of a Corporal"), "Khong Plom" ("Fake Stuff") and "Muai Cham" ("Broken-Hearted Chinese Girl").
Shortly before he was killed, he released his last and most memorable song, "Siphok Pi Haeng Khuam Lang" ("สิบหกปีแห่งความหลัง" or "16 Years of Our Past"), in which he wrote sadly about the end of his 16-year marriage, reflecting on the happiness and bitterness of the union.
Another one of his songs, the mournful "Mai Luem" ("Forget Not"), was featured as a poignant refrain in Pen-Ek Ratanaruang's 2001 film, Monrak Transistor.
Suraphol's recordings are widely available in Thailand, from shopping malls such as MBK Center in Bangkok to rural markets.
Whenever Suraphol is commemorated on radio, the song that's inevitably played is his "16 Years of Our Past", and the 16-year period has become symbolic for numerologically minded Thai people.
The 1983 documentary "Two Faces of Thailand: A Musical Portrait" (part of the Beats of the Heart series) included a segment on luk thung, following Surachai Sombacharoen (son of Suraphol) on tour with a show that included a tribute to Suraphol, and interviews with family members. [1] [2]
And so it came to pass that on the 33rd anniversary of Suraphol's death in 2001, the third generation of the Sombatcharoen family luk thung singers made his debut. The son of Surachai Sombacharoen (and grandson of Suraphol), Surabodin sang in front of a packed hall at the Thailand Cultural Centre on August 16, 2001. He was 16 years old, and of course sang "16 Years of Our Past".