Musician Bao Chan: A descendant of royalty but living a simple life and a close relationship with Trinh Cong Son

Bao Chan is one of the great trees in music left in the middle of the millennium, after many changes of history and time.

Bao Chan's full name is Nguyen Phuc Bao Chan, a descendant of the royal family in Hue. Although he came from an honorable background, he humbly said that he had not been "starved" but lived a simple life, not rich compared to the common ground at that time. His father is a music teacher who travels by private car, but his 6 brothers only have motorbikes to go.

In 1970, graduating from a music school in Saigon, he joined the tea room of singer Khanh Ly when he was a 20-year-old young man. Although he was a musician living in the pre-liberation period, the remuneration that Khanh Ly tea room paid to the conductor Bao Chan was quite generous at that time: 150,000 VND/month. He received his salary twice a month, on the 1st and 14th of every calendar month.

Talking about the fate of "having legs" in Khanh Ly tea room, musician Bao Chan said: "In 1972, a senior musician, Mr. Hoang, the chef of KL band, invited me to join the band because there was a lack of players at that time. piano".

The first time practicing music, the singers were very pleasant and close, making young Bao Chan very confident. The senior singers "taught" brother Bao Chan a lot of useful things about how to accompaniment, so that the audience is easy to hear, the singer is easy to sing.

Musician Bao Chan grew up gradually thanks to this guidance, to whom he is grateful for this teaching is Ms. Thai Thanh (the female singer died 2 years ago - of course there are many other aunts and uncles.)

He said, when playing for Khanh Ly tea room, there are always one or two other tea house owners who come to offer to "pick him up" and are willing to pay a higher salary. But at that time people lived very sincere, not pragmatic and ran after better opportunities just for the sake of money. So Bao Chan stuck with Khanh Ly tea room until 1975 when he stopped - when Khanh Ly went to America.

Cigarette smuggling... suffered heavy losses

After liberation, Bao Chan went to the ward to work. He was one of the first people in Saigon to work for a state agency with a salary of 36 dong, receiving 14 kg of rice every month.

Musician Bao Chan recalled: "At that time, everyone ate rice mixed with bo bo, cassava, cockroach noodles - noodles with a lot of cockroach droppings, so the smell was terrible. Each person got a piece of meat, a piece of meat as thin as a tongue. razor blade, threaded through the bicycle rope.

When we worked at Bong Sen troupe, also known as Doan Van Cong in the South, we used to go to the province to perform. Taking advantage of such trips, brothers often buy rice and salted fish sauce to bring home.

In order to improve her life, Ms. Hoa, who works like a security guard in the group, buys a whole live pig, slaughters it, and divides it for everyone. I specialize in registering to get fat for frying.

Once, Quoc Dung and I went to smuggle cigarettes. The group performed in Tay Ninh close to the Cambodian border, so Quoc Dung and I invited each other to buy Samit cigarettes - expensive Thai cigarettes to sell for extra money.

The two guys made the liver, wrapped two tobacco sticks in newspaper, hung loosely on the roof of the car. When the police came to check, thought the sugar was jagged, so we didn't open it, so we went through the door.

As soon as they came down, the two boys were extremely happy, took their bicycles to sell cigarettes. At the time of purchase, 1 cigarette is 70 dong, ie 7 dong per pack, hoping to get 10 dong for retail. Unexpectedly, when selling, people said 60 dong a tree. The two guys bitterly swallowed their losses and lost 10 dong. From now on, we will stop selling smuggled cigarettes."

Little known story about Musicians Trinh Cong Son and Bao Chan

Another thing not many people know, is that Bao Chan and Trinh Cong Son are "sons and daughters of his children", their blood relatives are very close.

Musician Bao Chan said that Trinh Cong Son's royal family in Hue was very secretive and dignified. At that time, his family had a car and belonged to a wealthy family in Hue.

"I just look forward to Tet when my father takes me to my aunt's house (Son's mother) to receive her lucky money. Son and I knew each other when we were young, but Son played with his friend Hoang Phu Ngoc's age. Wall, Buu Y".

The first intimacy that marked the closeness of two brothers Trinh Cong Son and Bao Chan was music. Bao Chan was very honored to be the arranger of Trinh Cong Son's songs for overseas singers to sing - at that time it was Khanh Ha, then Y Lan.

When the relationship was closer, musician Bao Chan asked Trinh Cong Son to name his twin daughters: "Brother Son, my two daughters are going to be named Thuan Nhi - Thuan Nhu. Is there a better name for you two for me?"

Trinh Cong Son said: "Cho moi (moa is a French personal pronoun meaning I) think tomorrow will give you a name". The next day, Mr. Son rode a motorbike to Bao Chan's house in Tan Binh district, Ho Chi Minh City, excitedly: "If I think of your name as Thuan Nhien - Thuan Nha, go to the ward to give birth to the two children."

Talking about women, Mr. Trinh Cong Son is very lovely, he commented like this: "Children up to the age of 3 are very cute. But from 7 to 10 years old, they are very unlikable because of their stubbornness, and from 16 It's so cute after that."

Sticking with Trinh Cong Son both in music and everyday life, musician Bao Chan said: "You have to understand Trinh Cong Son's music to see how deep Trinh Cong Son's heart is for anyone. love but love, Bao Chan clearly feels his love for Dao Anh and Ton Nu Bich Khe.

For a long time, people tend to focus on the relationship with singer Khanh Ly. But after a few years of working for Khanh tea room, I see that there is only a relationship between them about a singer who successfully sings a musician's song. In love, Mr. Son is both lovable and affectionate towards women, but deeply ingrained in his heart.

Simple life at 72 years old

When he was a young man, how much salary Bao Chan received, he gave it to his mother. When he got married, he transferred all the money he earned to his wife to keep, Bao Chan himself, during his youth, did not know how to spend money, only devoted to composing.

Currently, musician Bao Chan lives with his wife and son's family. His five daughters have all married foreign husbands. Each of them has a nationality: Indonesia, America, England... with Bao Chan, the future is happy as it is now, a life just enough with the glorious and beautiful imprints of a rich and brilliant youth. brilliant!

Therefore, when you meet Bao Chan, don't look at the slow, old, mossy appearance but find it normal. Because he never drove a car because he was afraid to take the license exam, but he rode on a luxurious Vespa from the 70s to become the conductor of Khanh Ly tea room with a salary of 1/8 of a beautiful house in the inner city. Saigon!

As for music, it's okay, because over the past 50 years, he has devoted himself to music with his talent and humble simplicity. He is one of the great trees in music left in the middle of the millennium, after many changes of history and time.

Diva Hong Nhung remembers musician Trinh Cong Son: "Missing you, my great love" Thư Kỳ20:54:57 02/04/2022As a close junior and also a female singer specializing in Trinh music, on the 21st anniversary of the death of the late musician, Diva Hong Nhung has sent her feelings to her close brother. Composer Trinh Cong Son is one of the biggest musicians of lyrical music with many...