Meas Samon () was a Cambodian singer and comedian, active in that country's

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s. As a young adult, Samon was in an army band and became known for singing humorous songs. According to

LinDa Saphan LinDa Saphan (born 1975) is a Cambodian artist and social anthropologist. Born in Phnom Penh, she grew up in Canada and graduated in France. She has supported women artists from Cambodia, co-organizing the first Visual Arts Open festival celebrati ...

, Samon and Yol Aularong "were the only singers and songwriters who were making social commentary through their songs." Samon in particular "used humor to draw attention to social conventions around relationships." Samon collaborated with several contemporary artists, such as

Pan Ron Pen Ran (, ), (c. 1944 – c. 1979) also commonly known as Pan Ron in some Romanized sources intended for English-speaking audiences, was a Cambodian singer and songwriter who was at the height of her popularity in the 1960s and early 1970s. K ...

Sinn Sisamouth Sinn Sisamouth (c. 1932 – c. 1976) was a Cambodian singer-songwriter active from the 1950s to the 1970s. Widely considered the "King of Khmer Music", Sisamouth, along with Ros Serey Sothea, Pen Ran, Mao Sareth, and other Cambodian artists ...

, Huoy Meas, and several duets with So Savoeun. According to the 2015 documentary ''

Don't Think I've Forgotten ''Don't Think I've Forgotten: Cambodia's Lost Rock and Roll'' is a 2014 documentary film directed by John Pirozzi about Cambodian rock music in the 1960s and 1970s, and the impact of the Khmer Rouge regime and Cambodian genocide on the local mus ...

'', he was caught playing music at a work camp during the

Khmer Rouge The Khmer Rouge is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), and by extension to Democratic Kampuchea, which ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. The name was coined in the 1960s by Norodom Sihano ...

regime. He was told to stop, and when caught a second time, he was taken away and imprisoned or executed. Decades later, he became better known to Western audiences after appearing on compilations of Cambodian psychedelic and garage rock music, such as the influential '' Cambodian Rocks'' (1996), ''Cambodian Cassette Archives: Khmer Folk & Pop Music'' (2004), and ''Groove Club Vol. 2: Cambodia Rock Spectacular!'' (2010).

Filmography

Was uncredited as a performer in the film,

The Joy of Living Joy of life may refer to: * Joie de vivre, a French expression Art * '' Le bonheur de vivre'', a 1906 painting by Henri Matisse * ''Joy of Life'' (Valadon), a 1911 painting by Suzanne Valadon Film and television * ''Joy of Living ''Joy of Liv ...

. Was featured in the horror film, Crocodile Man.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Meas, Samon 20th-century Cambodian male singers People executed by the Khmer Rouge