Iron Cross (; abbreviated as IC) is a rock band in

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

formed by lead guitarist

Saw Bwe Hmu Saw Bwe Hmu (; 19 October 1952 – 24 July 1994) was a co-founder and the band leader of the Burmese band ''Iron Cross'' and a well known songwriter. An ethnic Karen Christian, he served as the lead guitarist of the band. Other band members inclu ...

. , IC's band members included Chit San Maung (lead guitarist), Khin Maung Thant (bass guitarist), Banyar Naing (keyboards player), and Kha Yan (drummer). Iron Cross has been featured in numerous studio albums for Myanmar's singers. Lay Phyu, Myo Gyi, Ah Nge and Y Wine, who have since launched solo careers, remain IC's lead vocalists.

Symbol

The band's symbol depicts an eagle and a metal cross, and is in a way, similar to the

Parteiadler The ' (; "Imperial Eagle") is the heraldic eagle, derived from the Roman eagle standard, used by the Holy Roman Emperors, later by the Emperors of Austria and in modern coat of arms of Austria and Germany. The term is also translated as "Rei ...

used as a Nazi party emblem. As a result, the international community in the past, kept an eye on the band. But lead guitarist Chit San Maung said that the band had not known the symbol was a taboo.

History

Beginnings

The band, initially named 'Holy Cross,' was formed in 1990. The band changed its name to 'Iron Cross' to draw a wider audience. A few months after disbanding the band Symphony, Saw Bwe Hmu formed Iron Cross with his guitar student Chit San Maung, keyboard player Banyar Naing (from the Moe Thout Pan band, he first joined IC as temporary / session player, after a year or two, he joined as permanent player), the former New Waves band players; bassist Khin Maung Thant and drummer Kha Yan. In its early days, Saw Bwe Hmu allows his all members to play as a session player. But his best friend Dr. Ko Ko Lwin who is currently manager of IC, talked all members not to play session anymore at their meeting. In 1992, Lay Phyu came to

Yangon Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...

from

Taunggyi Taunggyi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Shan State, Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast As ...

to record his first album and then he played it with IC. The emergence of Lay Phyu brought success and fame to the band. Later, Lay Phyu's brother Ah Nge joined and then Y Wine. Myo Gyi, the guitar student of Chit San Maung, was the last to join to IC. All the four subsequently began solo careers with IC but continued to perform together at live show performances.

2008 to present

IC has also toured globally, including United States, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and a few European countries to entertain overseas Burmese communities, or to fundraise for charities. In 2008, they participated in a big event held in Japan, performing with different bands of ASEAN countries. In December 2008, in the aftermath of

Cyclone Nargis Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Nargis (; , ) was an extremely destructive and deadly tropical cyclone that caused the worst natural disaster in the recorded history of Myanmar during early May 2008. The cyclone made landfall in Myanmar on Friday ...

, IC staged a concert fundraiser that entertained 50,000 fans, becoming Myanmar's largest concert audience at that point. $100,000 were fundraised for the victims of the storm-hit areas. In 2010, IC held a live concert at

Thuwunna National Indoor Stadium National Indoor Stadium (1), Thuwunna is an indoor stadium located in Yangon, Myanmar. It is the largest indoor sports stadium in Myanmar, with a capacity of 10,825 people and located near Thuwunna Stadium. History The Thuwanna National Indoor ...

to celebrate their 20th anniversary. In 2015, they raised funds for

Aung San Suu Kyi Aung San Suu Kyi (born 19 June 1945) is a Burmese politician, diplomat, author, and political activist. She was awarded the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize. She served as State Counsellor of Myanmar and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Myanmar), Ministe ...

's Education Foundation, staging a music performance.

Band members

Current members

* Lead guitar – Chit San Maung (1989–present) * Bass guitar – Khin Maung Thant (1989–present) * Keyboard – Banyar Naing (1989–present), started as session player helped to play for IC. * Drums – Kha Yan (1989–present)

Additional members

* Lead vocals, backup vocals, percussion – Lay Phyu, Ah Nge, Myo Gyi, Y Wine * Manager – Dr. Ko Ko Lwin (Former Manager and now he is no longer part of the band)

Former members

– lead guitar (1989–1994) * Zaw Paing * Marriza (singer) * R Zarni * Htun Htun IC

References

{{Authority control Burmese musical groups Musical groups established in 1989 City FM Award winners