Itti Balangura (; born Ekachaiwat Balangura; 30 January 1955 – 11 November 2004) was a Thai singer, musician and record producer. Known as "Guitar Ballad".

Career

Balangura began his career with The Bless, a band with many future famed musicians as members, such as , , Yuranunt Pamornmontri. His favorite artists include

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this proces ...

, and

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

. At that time he was still an architecture student at

King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL or KMIT Ladkrabang for short) is a research and educational institution in Thailand. It is situated in Lat Krabang District, Bangkok, approximately east of the city center. The universit ...

. After 8 years with the band, he became a partner and

sound engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a sound recording, recording or a Concert, live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization (audio), equalization, Dynamic range ...

of Jam Studios

recording studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for Sound recording and reproduction, recording and Audio mixing, mixing of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home proje ...

with his brother Ukrit Balangura. He was persuaded to release a studio album as a solo artist by Surachai Chetchotisak

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

and chairman of

RS Promotion RS Group () is a Thai entertainment and media company formed in 1982. History Businesses RS Music There are eight recording labels under RS Music, covering Thai pop (string) and Thai country music (luk thung) as well as rock, hip hop, rhythm ...

. In 1988, he debuted with a song ''Keb Tawan'' (เก็บตะวัน, "collect the sun") that contains content that encourages living, with lyrics by

Thanapol Intharit Thanapol Intharit (or spelt Thanapon Intharit; ; ; nickname: Suea (เสือ)) is a Thai singer, musician, producer and songwriter. Life and career He was born in Kalasin province and graduated from Rajamangala Institute of Technology Isan ...

. It became his

signature song A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...

. Apart from ''Keb Tawan'', his hit songs include ''Guy Cham'' (กายช้ำ, "bruised body"), ''Hai Man Laew Laew Pai'' (ให้มันแล้วแล้วไป, "let it be"), ''Pai Tor Pai'' (ไปต่อไป, "keep going"), ''Young Cham Wai'' (ยังจำไว้, "still remember"), ''Rao Sam Kon'' (เราสามคน, "three of us"), ''Din Sai'' (ดินทราย, "soil and sand"), ''Jeb Krao Nee'' (เจ็บคราวนี้, "hurt this time"), ''Rai Sara'' (ไร้สาระ, "nonsense"), ''Kan Vela'' (กาลเวลา, "time"), ''Roy Rao'' (รอยร้าว, "hiatus"), ''Nam Nai Ta'' (น้ำในตา, "water in the eyes"), ''Ru Na'' (รู้นะ, "I know"), ''Mue Dai Chan Rai Rak'' (เมื่อใดฉันไร้รัก, "when I'm out of love"). He was also an advocate for those who later became famous singers, including Suraphan Jamlongkul of the duo

Two 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and the only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many ...

and Arisman Pongruangrong. On 26 August 1994, Balangura performed ''Keb Tawan'' with Thanapol Intharit at the ''Short Charge Shock Rock Concert'', and also solo in the next two songs were ''Ru Na'' and ''Jeb Krao Nee''. He left RS Promotion in 1997 and set up his own label called Music On Earth. He released a special album with Thierry Mekwattana from

Carabao Carabaos () are a genetically distinct population of swamp-type water buffaloes ('' Bubalus bubalis kerabau'') from the Philippines.FAO 2013''Philippine Carabao/Philippines''In: Domestic Animal Diversity Information System. Food and Agriculture ...

. However, his label was not very successful.

Illness and death

Around 2002, Balangura was rumored to be terminally ill. He was taken to hospital after neighbours found him unconscious in front of his room. The doctor examined him and found that he was suffering from

colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...

. He returned to work with his former label RS Promotion and performed in his own tribute concert on 30 October 2004. In the show, he sang and played the piano with his wife and 3 daughters. Balangura died 13 days later, on 11 November 2004, at the age of 49.

Discography

Studio albums

*''Hai Man Laew Laew Pai'' (1988) *''Pai Tor Pai'' (1989) *''Itti 3 Vela'' (1990) *''Itti 4 Pai Daeng'' (1992) *''Itti 5 Kamlang D'' (1993) *''Itti 6 Pok Kao'' (1996) *''Unplugged Shades Of Love'' (1998) *''Itti & Guitar Mai'' (1999) *''Vela Ti Lue'' (2004)

Special albums

*''Heart & Soul'' feat with Thierry Mekwattana (1997)

Compilation albums

*''Ongsa Fai'' (1991) *''Ruam Hit Keb Tawan'' (1994) *''The Best of Itti'' (1996)

References

{{reflist 1955 births 2004 deaths 20th-century Thai male singers 21st-century Thai male singers Musicians from Bangkok Thai guitarists Thai rock musicians Progressive rock musicians Deaths from colorectal cancer Thai singer-songwriters Thai record producers