Preecha Chanapai

Preecha Chanapai (; born April 18, 1955), more widely known by his stage name Lek Carabao , is a Thai musician and singer. He is a member of Carabao, a famous and popular Thai rock band, and a proponent of phleng phuea chiwit, a Thai protest song genre.

Biography and career Chanapai was born in Bangkok on April 18, 1955. He had a deep appreciation for all kinds of musical instruments, even traditional ones like the saw u and the guzheng. But the guitar was his true passion; he loved its sound more than anything else. At the age of 14, he began teaching himself how to play the guitar. With no formal instruction, he looked up to world-class musicians like Carlos Santana and Eric Clapton as his role models.

Chanapai studied at the Uthenthawai School of Mechanics (now Rajamangala University of Technology Tawan-ok: Uthenthawai Campus), where he met Yuenyong Opakul (Aed Carabao), who was one to two years his senior. They have been friends ever since.

Chanapai began playing music as a guitarist while still a university student, performing in various pubs and bars, some of which were off-limits to minors. To get in, he had to wear a wig to disguise himself. He earned a monthly salary of 3,000 baht, which was considered quite high for that time.

After graduating, he became a professional musician. He made his name as the guitarist for The President, a highly popular disco band in the 1970s. Among fellow musicians, he was widely known for his remarkably precise and polished guitar playing.

Chanapai is also the inspirational and favorite musician of another Thai famous musician, Pongsit Kamphee.

Experience during the October 14 Uprising Chanapai recalled that although he wasn't deeply involved in politics like his friend Yuenyong Opakul, he had personally witnessed one of the most significant and violent moments in Thailand's modern history, the October 14, 1973, uprising.

At the time, Chanapai was only 16 years old and a student at Uthenthawai School of Mechanics, participating solely as an observer. During the protest, one of his female classmates threw a rock at the soldiers, escalating the situation. The clashes became violent and were reported live on television. His father, who was already ill and resting at home, saw the news and was so worried about him that he went into shock and lost consciousness.

When he returned home and found out, Chanapai and his brother-in-law tried to rush his father to the Siriraj Hospital, but ut no taxi would accept them. Desperate, he had to block traffic, nearly hijacking a taxi, to finally get one to take them.

Even at the hospital, the violence continued. Soldiers came searching for protesters, most of whom were university students. One doctor helped him avoid arrest by handing him a lab coat to disguise himself.

That same day, his father died shortly after being admitted to the hospital. That night, overwhelmed by grief and exhaustion, he cried for his father's death before falling asleep alongside the other medical students, only to be haunted by dreams of his father's passing throughout the night.

The next day, he walked barefoot back home, passing the ruined streets of Ratchadamnoen Avenue and the Democracy Monument, scars left behind by the protest's violent suppression.

This experience left a profound impact on him, marking his transition into full adulthood and ultimately inspiring his path into phleng phuea chiwit. His character was represented by Arak "Pe Slur" Amornsupasiri.