Biography
Questioning the very existence of Thong Linh stems from possible inaccuracies or outright inventions by the UNESCO-backed producers who documented this vocalist with other Laotian musicians during the 1960s. The material first appeared as A Musical Anthology of the Orient: Laos, a collection prized by world music collectors for its scarcity among documents of regional traditions. Even among Asian nations, the compact country of Laos has consistently struck Western observers as enigmatic, a perception intensified when political developments of the 1960s and 1970s severely upended everyday existence there. The recording expedition mounted by producer Alain Daniélou and his team, intended to dispel some of that obscurity, reveals clear shortcomings in execution. Both this singer and fellow vocalist Miss Sai Thong receive song identifications limited simply to "Love Song," an identification that would surely have displeased the producer had French singer Edith Piaf suffered similar treatment on a purchased release. Every artist presented on the set enjoyed prominence within the traditional Laotian music world and appeared frequently on Radio Vientiane. Thong Linh's selections drew upon a Laotian folk repertoire described in the original notes as closely resembling ancient Indian compositional forms from Himalayan territories, yet this particular scholarly claim has fueled vigorous debate in the decades after the discs first circulated. The vocal performances relied on improvisation and were typically supported only by the khene, an intricate mouth organ recognized as a hallmark of Southeast Asian music. Still, the accuracy of this singer's name and those of additional participants on the volume may ultimately prove unreliable. Rounder exacerbated the situation by retaining the original liner notes for the mid-1990s compact disc reissue. "The dramatic political and social changes which have taken place in Laos since the original album was produced make this particular volume especially out-of-date," one reviewer observed of the resulting problem. Enthusiasts drawn to the performer's contributions can therefore reflect on the possibility that this artist suffered persecution or assassination under the neighboring Pol Pot regime, which pursued the total elimination of traditional folk culture and often began with those active in performance.