Chatchai Sukhawadee (; 29 August 1956 –), nicknamed Rang (), more widely known by his

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

Rang Rockestra (), is a Thai

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

singer-songwriter and a former lead vocalist of the Thai rock bands M7 and Rockestra. His voice is known for its high-pitched and powerful tone. He gained recognition after his first studio album ''Technology'' was released in 1984 by Nititad Promotion. His popularity increased after his solo studio album ''Wai Kwa Saeng'' was released in 1991 by

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 ...

, with its third single, "''Miss You (คิดถึง/Kid Teung)"''.

Early life

He was born in Surat Thani Province. He became interested in music as a youth. In 1968, he attended Royal Thai Navy School of Music, playing

drum set A drum kit or drum set (also known as a trap set, or simply drums in popular music and jazz contexts) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and sometimes other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The drummer ty ...

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

and

synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

. He was commissioned as a military officer and became a lead vocal of Royal Thai Navy Military band, He resigned from Royal Thai Navy in 2013.

Career

He started on stage during

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. He joined with musical band M7 as a trumpet player. His band played for American military officers who were stationed in Thailand. After that, he resigned from M7, and joined Rockestra in 1982. His popular songs as a membership of Rockestra include "Technology" (เทคโนโลยี) and "Shadow (Run)" (เงา (วิ่ง)). Rockestra was marketed by Nititad Promotion for four years. He moved to

Rod Fai Don Tri Rod Fai Don Tri or Music Train () is a record label in Thailand. It was formed in 1979 by former DJ Prasert Pongthananikorn. Pongthananikorn worked for EMI before founding his own label. The most famous artists of Rod Fai Don Tri are Sao Sao Sa ...

(Music Train) in 1986. After that, he resigned from Rockestra. In 1991, he moved to

as a solo singer. He recorded four albums with RS Promotion: ''Rock Tem Rak'' (ร็อกเต็มรัก/1991), ''Wai Kwa Saeng'' (ไวกว่าแสง/1991), ''Rak Tang Miti'' (รักต่างมิติ/1993) and ''Untitled'' (1995). His most popular single from ''Wai Kwa Saeng'', "Miss You" in 1991. He returned to popularity with his first single, "Totally Used" (หลอกใช้/Lok Chai), from ''Rak Tang Miti.'' He played in Short Charge Shock Rock Concert in the same year alongside

Hi-Rock Hi-Rock () is a Thai rock band famous and popular especially in the 1990s. History The band was formed in 1984 by Anoorak "Tui" Yingnakorn (ตุ้ย: อนุรักษ์ ยิ่งนคร) and Seree "Max" Vihokhern (แม็ก: � ...

and SMF.

Personal life

He married and the couple have a daughther, Metal Sukkhao, Thai singer and actress. He supported

People's Alliance for Democracy The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD; ; commonly known as "Yellow Shirts") was a Thai reactionary, monarchist political movement and pressure group. It was originally a coalition of protesters against Thaksin Shinawatra, the former Prime M ...

against

Thaksin Shinawatra Thaksin Shinawatra (, ; born 26 July 1949) is a Thai businessman and politician who was the 23rd prime minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006. Since 2009 he has also been a citizen of Montenegro. Thaksin founded the mobile phone operator A ...

. He protested on many occasions, and he sang "Love You Thailand" (รักเธอประเทศไทย) for PAD, until he was no longer allowed to sing it in 2020.

Discography

As solo singer

Music Train * ''Dao See Muang'' (1988) * ''Mod Khan Fai'' (1989) RS Promotion * ''Rock Tem Rak'' (1991) * ''Wai Kwa Saeng'' (1991) * ''Rak Tang Miti'' (1993) * ''Untitled'' (1995)

References