Suraphon Sombatcharoen (สุรพล สมบัติเจริญ)

Thai. Name of an iconic look thung singer-songwriter from Suphanburi and a pioneer in the genre. At his birth, on 25 September 1930, he was given the name Lamduan (ลำดวน) but took Suraphon as his stage name, which is often transliterated Suraphol, as the Thai letter for L (ล) is at the end of a syllable or word pronounced as N. He was also a Flight Sergeant 3rd Class in the Royal Thai Air Force and a member of the Royal Thai Air Force Music Division. He was the most popular and best-known singer of his time and has composed more a hundred 100 songs. In the first hour of 16 August 1968, Suraphon was stealthily shot dead by an unknown assailant after a live performance at the ‘Moonlight Wig’ in Nakhon Pathom, after he walked down from the stage to get into the car with his manager. At the time of his death he was only 37 years old and his murder has never been solved nor the reason or motive unraveled. Shortly before his murder, he released his last and most memorable song, i.e. Siphok Pih Haeng Kwaam Lang (สิบหกปีแห่งความหลัง), which translates ‘Sixteen Years of Memories’, after breaking up with his spouse of 16 years. Many of his songs are still covered to this day, by both look thung singers, e.g. Got Chakraphan (ก๊อท จักรพันธ์), and rock bands alike, e.g. Rock Amphan (ร็อกอำพัน). He is nicknamed the King of Look Thung and sometimes referred to as the Thai Elvis. See also RANKS THAI MILITARY and THAI ALPHABETH. 回