Pan Ron was a Cambodian singer and songwriter who was at the height of popularity in the 1960s and early 1970s. She had some success in the early 60s after her hit “Pka Kabass” in 1963, but her career really took off when she began recording with Sinn Sisamouth in 1966. Pan Ron is considerably one of the most versatile singers in the history of music having a record consisting of traditional, rock, twist, cha cha cha, agogo, mambo, madizon, jazz, and folk songs, leaving a legacy of Cambodian 60s and 70s music behind. What is known of her comes from hundreds of songs, many of which she both wrote and performed. One of her popular songs was “(Rom) Ah Go Go” with Sinn Sisamouth.

Not much is known about Ron’s personal life, as she was noted to keep as much of her private life out of the public’s eye. Her younger sister Pan Rom, said her sister survived up until the Vietnamese invasions when the Khmer Rouge launched their final series of mass executions. (wiki)

The sound of Pan Ron lives on.

Ros Sereysothea (រស់ សេរីសុទ្ធា) (1948–1977)

A famous Cambodian singer during the nation’s thriving cultural renaissance. She sang from a variety of genres such as psychedelic rock, romvong, and the blues, but romantic ballads emerged as her most popular works. Her first hit, Stung Khieu (Blue River) debuted the same year and she quickly attracted fans with her clear and high pitch voice. Eventually she became a regular partner with Sinn Sisamouth another famous singer of the era and they were a smashing success. She was also starred in a couple of films.

With the cultural upheaval by the Khmer Rouge, details of her life and fate during the Khmer Rouge is relatively unknown but it is generally accepted she did not survive. Her master recordings were either destroyed by the regime or deteriorated rapidly to the tropical environment due to lack of preservation. However, many vinyl recordings have survived and have gained reissues initially on tape cassettes and later on compact discs. Unfortunately many of these reissues are also remixed with extra beats usually overriding the original score.

Nonetheless, Sothea remained extremely popular even after her death in Cambodian communities scattered throughout the United States, France, Australia and Canada. (wiki)

Just like Sisamouth, she too and her music, will also live on forever.