Few names in Cambodian music are as loved as Sinn Sisamouth. Often called the "King of Khmer Music", he sang and wrote more than a thousand songs, helped shape the sound of Phnom Penh's golden age and is remembered today by listeners of every generation. This is a short introduction to his life and music.
From Stung Treng to Phnom Penh
He was born in Stung Treng Province around 1933 (sources give 1932, 1933 or 1935), the youngest of four children. His father died when he was young, and he grew up partly in Battambang, where he learned guitar and played at school events. As a teenager he moved to Phnom Penh to study medicine and trained as a nurse, working at a hospital while he followed music on the side.
Becoming a singer
Around 1951 he began performing in Phnom Penh, including at a well-known nightclub, and was hired by a record company that worked with the national radio. His breakthrough came in the mid 1950s with a ballad called "Violon Sneha", written by Has Salan. A royal patron helped his rise: Queen Sisowath Kossamak, the mother of King Norodom Sihanouk, took an interest in him and invited him to join a royal orchestra that played at state occasions. King Sihanouk, himself a musician, encouraged popular music in the country.
A sound that mixed Khmer and the world
His repertoire moved from traditional Khmer songs and ballads to Latin rhythms, cha-cha-cha, bossa nova, go-go and psychedelic rock. He spoke several languages, which helped him work across styles. Like other singers of the time, he sometimes took a Western hit and gave it new Khmer words, including versions of songs by Santana, The Beatles and Procol Harum. People often compare his smooth voice to American crooners.
His own songs were about love, separation, the countryside and everyday life. He recorded many duets, above all with Ros Sereysothea, whose career he is credited with helping to launch, and with Pen Ran. A lyricist and composer named Voy Ho wrote much of his output in the early 1970s, when his fame left him little time to write. He also sang for several Cambodian films.
What he was like
Accounts describe him as quiet and shy, with stage fright, but kind and devoted to his work. He was a Theravada Buddhist who studied scripture with monks, and he is said to have avoided alcohol, smoking and spicy food to protect his voice.
Disappearance
After the civil war began in 1970 he recorded patriotic songs and worked with a military orchestra. He disappeared during the Khmer Rouge years, probably around 1976, and his exact fate has never been confirmed. Accounts differ. One former soldier has claimed that he saw him imprisoned and later executed in late 1976, and his family regards this as the most credible account, but it remains unverified. Like countless other Cambodians, he was lost in those years.
Why his music survived
Most of the original master recordings were destroyed or decayed, but copies survived on records and tapes kept by listeners and collectors, and archives such as the Cambodian Vintage Music Archive have preserved large collections. In the late 1990s listeners abroad discovered him through the Cambodian Rocks compilation, and his songs reached film soundtracks. The documentary Don't Think I've Forgotten, whose title comes from one of his songs, tells the story of the era. His granddaughter, the singer Sin Setsochhata, has also drawn attention to his work.
Where to start listening
Search Khmer Beat for Sin Sisamouth, or open the Oldies collection. "Champa Battambang", first recorded in 1962, is one of his best-known songs and is said to have been heard at the launch of Royal Khmer Television in 1966. Listen to a few songs in a row and notice how Khmer melodies sit on top of Latin and rock rhythms.
Based on published profiles including Wikipedia and The Cambodia Daily. Details such as his birth year and his fate are disputed.