Pou Vannary

Pou Vannary (Khmer: ពៅ វណ្ណារី) was a Cambodian singer active in the early 1970s. She was one of many Cambodian musicians believed to have perished during the Khmer Rouge regime starting in 1975.

In this Cambodian name, the surname is Pou. In accordance with Cambodian custom, this person should be referred to by the given name.
Pou Vannary
Pou Vannary, c. 1974, from an archival photo used in the film Don't Think I've Forgotten.
Background information
OriginCambodia
GenresCambodian rock
Occupation(s)singer, guitarist
Years active1970s

History

Little is known of Pou Vannary's life and history, and her music career was very short. She was a late entrant in the thriving Cambodian rock and pop music scene of the 1960s and 70s,[1] which initially had been fostered by Head of State Norodom Sihanouk. That scene was first influenced by French and Latin American pop records that had been imported into Cambodia,[2][3] and later by Western rock and roll and soul music via U.S. armed forces radio that had been broadcast to troops stationed nearby during the Vietnam War.[4]

Vannary was profiled in the 2015 documentary film on the history of Cambodian pop music, Don't Think I've Forgotten.[5] According to research conducted for the film, Vannary was somewhat unusual among other female Cambodian pop singers of her time, due to her relaxed vocal style and ability to accompany herself on acoustic guitar in the mode of an American singer-songwriter.[6] She could also speak English and specialized in translated versions of American/British pop songs.[6] Her most widely-known recording today is a cover of James Taylor’s "You've Got a Friend" with Khmer lyrics.[7]

Like many of her contemporaries in Cambodian popular music, Vannary's career ended abruptly when the Khmer Rouge gained control of the country in April 1975 and forced city dwellers to become farm workers to fulfill their visions of agrarian socialism and the eradication of all foreign and western influences (including music) from Cambodian society.[8][9] Vannary disappeared during the ensuing Cambodian genocide and her exact fate is unknown.[6] Few of her recordings have survived due to the chaos of the Khmer Rouge regime.[4] Her rendition of "You’ve Got a Friend" appeared on the soundtrack to Don't Think I've Forgotten in 2015, and a few more of her songs have appeared on compilations like the 2011 CD Cambodia Rock Spectacular! and Cambodia Rock Intensified!, both being made by Lion Productions.[10]

References
  1. Quinones, Dita (4 June 2015). "Before Communism Killed Cambodian Rock 'n' Roll". SoundDiego. NBCUniversal, KNSD San Diego. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  2. Sisario, Ben (9 April 2015). "'Don't Think I've Forgotten,' a Documentary, Revives Cambodia's Silenced Sounds". The New York Times.
  3. Downing, Andy (28 May 2015). "Film preview: Director John Pirozzi Traces the History of Early Cambodian Rock 'n' Roll in "Don't Think I've Forgotten"". Columbus Alive. Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  4. Novak, David (Fall 2011). "The Sublime Frequencies of New Old Media" (PDF). Public Culture. 23 (3): 603–634. doi:10.1215/08992363-1336435. S2CID 147700736. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015.
  5. Pirozzi, John (director, producer), Andrew Pope (producer) (2015). Don't Think I've Forgotten (film) (in English and Khmer). Argot Pictures.
  6. John Pirozzi and LinDa Saphan, liner notes, Don't Think I've Forgotten, soundtrack, 2015.
  7. Scheck, Frank (22 April 2015). "'Don't Think I've Forgotten: Cambodia's Lost Rock and Roll': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  8. Alvarez, Alex (2001). Governments, Citizens, and Genocide: A Comparative and Interdisciplinary Approach. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0253338495.
  9. Frey, Rebecca Joyce (2009). Genocide and International Justice. Infobase Publishing. ISBN 978-0816073108.
  10. "Various – Groove Club Vol. 2: Cambodia Rock Spectacular!". discogs. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
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