The Ray Charles of Cambodia

This morning I attended Master Kong Nay's chapei dong veng class as part of my CLA assignment to document classes and masters.The chapei dong veng is like a large lute with two strings and a long neck.
Smallpox blinded Kong Nay when he was four years old. Despite his disability, he learned to play the chapei dong veng when he was thirteen, and played professionally by age fifteen. By the time the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia, Kong Nay was recognized all over Cambodia for his music. The Khmer Rouge obliterated most of the musicians in Cambodia, but Kong Nay was spared and allowed to keep his instrument, but only if he played music praising Pol Pot and the KR.
Now in his early 60s, Kong Nay has achieved international recognition and has played all over the world. I actually heard an NPR piece about him several months ago. It was incredible to see him in person. I even got a chapei dong veng lesson from one of his students.





You can also find Kong Nay's music on iTunes--one of his albums is aptly titled "Mekong Delta Blues."

For 3 years we suffered unforgettable hardship; everything was destroyed.
Blood was spilled and children orphaned.
Cambodia became a place of killing.
They forced the people to dig and plow the fields.
Exhausted they fell down to the ground; bodies swollen, tired, hopeless.
Husbands and Wives, brothers and sisters, were separated.
We were forced to forget each other.
Until January 7th, when the Cambodian people were freed of the sorrow.