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손인호 - Shon In-Ho (Son In-Ho)


손인호 - 히트앨범 / Son In-ho-hit album 1955-1961 (Remastered) (Digipack)

01. 한만은 대동강 / The wide Taedong River

02. 남행열차 / Southern train

03. 향수의 탱고 / Perfume Tango

04. 동백꽃일기 / Camellia diary

05. 이별의 부산항 / Busan Port of Goodbye

06. 남원땅에 잠들었네 / I fell asleep in Namwon country

07. 청춘등대 / Lighthouse of Youth

08. 짝사랑 / Unrequited love

09. 갈매기 사랑 / Seagull love

10. 물새야 왜 우느냐 / Why does the water bird weep?

11. 향수의 부르스 / Perfume Blues

12. 백제야화 / Baekje Wild Flower

13. 애정의 눈물 / Tears of affection

14. 북방 하늘 / Northern sky

15. 그대는 사라지고 / You are gone

16. 마음의 순정 / Purity of heart


It is difficult to figure out and find information in English about the early days of Korean music. I assume that some songs (also included here) must have been influenced by and have the purpose of being supportive for the people at war, but I cannot be sure. What I can make of a rough Google translation of some biographic notes is that he was born in 1927 and that his real name was Son Hyo-Chan. At young age he had to grow up in a concentration camp. He was not only the singer but also the composer of many songs. As a singer, since 1954, he published about 150 songs, while there had been more than 2,000 pieces of movie compositions too. He had been in charge of the various film festivals. Over the 10 years of his career as a singer, he knew countless hits.


The musical singing I am not sure of, but it sounds close to the (slow fox-trot-alike) Trot style formula that was a standard common a certain stage in time.


Shin In-Ho had a very special gentle warm voice with a certain vibration in the long notes. The compositions of the songs are all very similar, but it is a very attractive beautiful formula of a small orchestra with two-step bass rhythm, an eastern mandolin for melodic accents, and with an accordion for the motion in the lead melodies.


The quality of the recordings is really well restored for its age.


Only here and there slightly different arrangements are tried, like electric guitars as a solo instrument, like on the third track (Hawaiian and electric picking solo’s) or on the 13th & 14th track (with an Hawaiian electric guitar solo).

Here and there the orchestra shows that it not only has strings but also features flutes or clarinet, elements that mostly melt away with the orchestra, hardly showing themselves as leading elements, except just here and there (via a clarinet solo, a small flute theme, etc.). A small violin solo can be heard in the last track.

The orchestra has of course this old-time feeling, different from the 80s Trot, here we still have the feeling that everything that happens here still feels inspired and sounds balanced without exaggerations of certain effects, being rich in harmony. I guess that the last three tracks seem to have been taken directly from a record (some small crispy fry up sounds included).


Personally I like this sound era very much, but despite the very nice and attractive formula, it must be said that the songs from Shon In Ho at the same time still show little in variation.


Taken from 10" records.


손인호 - 가요 히트앨범 / Son In-ho-pop hits album CD

This is a more complete compilation of perfectly restored and remastered tracks, making the music sound more clear as people heard it on record the first time. The musical accompaniment and arrangement therefore are full clarity show best production, Son In Ho’s voice more clear and in fact enjoyable than ever. It is the best that is offered of the already traditional new pop-folk style trot music could offer in those days. While the melodies and songs most of the time sound somewhat similar and repetitive in its core, its at times brilliant and fresh arrangements try to make the differences so that it results into something that keeps on convincing. Personally I pretty much enjoy this very much.


Recommended CD collection, and a historical document of the 50s/60s.

22 songs were included.

01청춘등대 / Lighthouse of Youth

02짝사랑 / Love crush

03갈매기 사랑 / Seagull love

04물새야 왜 우느냐 / Why does the water bird weep?

05향수의 부르스 / Perfume Blues

06백제야화 / Baekje Wild Flower

07남행열차 / Southern train

08한 많은 대동강 / The wide Daedong River

09향수의 탱고 / Perfume Tango

10동백꽃일기 / Camellia flower diary

11이별의 부산항 / Farewell Busan Port

12남원땅에 잠들었네 / I feel asleep in Namwon country

13마음의 부산항 / Busan Port of Mind

14정들자 이별 / 정들자 이별 / ? farewell

15흙냄새 고향 / Smells like home

16진주는 천리길 / Jinju girl (?)

17내사랑 천국에 가고 / Go to Heaven

18이별은 슬프드라 / Sad Parting

19호남선 밤열차 / Honam Line night train

20추억의 일기장 / Diary Memories

21서울행 밤열차 / Seoul night train

22무너진 짝사랑 / Crush

Other tracks that can be found compilations are:

Domido Best Collection 100 Vol.1

CD3 1 한만은 대동강 / The large Taedong River

CD3-10 물새야 왜우느냐 / Why does a water bird weep?


The first track is Trot in an up tempo rhythm (with some electric rhythm guitar) and a certain 60s pop groove influence to it, as a modernization in sound of what even comes from before the 50s with the melody remaining intact, but with the arrangements receiving a certain update. Also for the second track the new instruments were added without basically add much extra meaning of context. It's not the best example of what becomes possible now. It still has a nice result and Son In-Ho's voice of course sound nice as always.

CD4-4 이별의 부산항 / Busan Port of Goodbye

Also this track has light entertainment pop arrangements, this way it becomes a song of hum along joy. The trot style makes it purely nostalgic music.

Domido Best Collection 100 Vol.2

CD4-11 남원땅에 잠들었네 / Sleeping in Namwon Country (1960)

Another calm trot song with soft voice, accordion, clarinet and such...

유성기로 듣던 가요사 두번째 / The second generation of Meteor singers (1945~1960) [Disc 6]

1 사랑 찾아 칠백 리 / Seven hundred li in search of love

2 동백꽃 일기 / Camellia diary (listed before)

3 한(恨)많은 대동강(大同江) / Many Daedong Rivers

4 하룻밤 풋사랑 / Nightgreen (?) love

5 미련(未練)의 항구(港口) / Port towards Untruthness

6 마음의 순정(純情) / Purity of mind

7 나는 울었네 / I cried

8 짝사랑 / Crush

9 울어라 기타줄아 / Guitar Cry (1955)

10 물새야 왜 우느냐 / Why are you a bird?

11 비 내리는 호남선 / Hunan Line in the rain

12 인생극장(人生劇場) / Life Theater

13 눈물의 목포항(木浦港) / Mokpo Port of Tears

14 백제 야화(百濟夜話) / Baekje Wild Flower

These recordings were directly taken from records. I will just pick out the highlights or highlighting characteristics. The CD is not the best source to start from to get acquainted with the singer for the first time for reason of not getting the best conditions of sound, for it is recorded in a style where each detail matters to succeed in a successful listen. “Nightgreen Love" is trot music with accordion and acoustic guitar. For this sparse arrangement, this way it creates a slightly different bubble atmosphere. "Purity of Mind" distincts itself by its short violin solo in the beginning, only to fall back after that on a slowly walking trot, and even when violin and accordion still returns as if they could have led to a passionate tango it is never doing so, keeping it slow trot styled instead. "I cried" as a kind of more intimate singing. I prefer not say much about the other songs. Again, its sonic quality does not give me the right conditions to fully enjoy with all my heart and attention. The last track for instance is a performance even without giving anything different, I notice that in the end the record scratching still starts to annoy me.

가요(歌謠) 박물관 / Music Museum Best 220 [Disc 1]

13 울어라 기타줄아 / Guitar Cry (1955)

Only one track is listed on this 10CD box. It luckily is restored into is original condition. It is a slowly waltzing trot song with nice orchestrations, accordion and piano and violin and is performed by voice and combo in a just classy but not necessarily creative way.


열창 박재홍/손인호 / Chang Jae Park / Son Inho -split 2CD

(nostalgic trot re-recordings !)

CD2 1 해운대 엘레지 / Haeundae Elegy

2 왜 우느냐 / Why are you crying

3 나는 울었네 / I cried

4 빼앗긴 사랑 / Stolen love

5 타향 타향 / Incense

6 울어라 기타줄 / Crying Guitar Strings

7 옛 이야기 / Old story

8 번지 없는 내 고향 / My hometown

9 가거라 삼팔선 / Go to the Sampalm

10 국경선 / At the border

11 깨어진 사랑 / Broken love

12 청춘고백 / Confession of youth

13 탄식의 기타 / Guitar of sighs

14 아무 말 없이 / Without words

I first assumed these were later re-recordings but frankly, I cannot really tell from which date these recordings were although most of them I assume should be from a rather late day. There clearly is shown elements of the kind of continuation of the tradition in the times where creativity in general in the trot songs was also no longer an ambition that could be part of the expressions. The style of trot more and more was further commercialized and turned simply more into a nostalgic form of song. This of course gradually changed the music form into a mere repetition backed by a commercial entertainment scene. “Stolen love” with violin, organ and violin only still proves it still is not always a gone-by area of trying different things now and then. This track makes this different setting already worth checking it out. Arrangements should matter even when musicians are simply asked to join in or at times certainly formulas became already standardized. All in all, I prefer the older recordings most of the time.

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BIOGRAPHIES:

1950년도 발행된 SP 음반에 수록된 음원을 오리지널 마스터로부터 발췌한 진귀한 명반. 손인호의 초창기 녹음으로 유성기 또는 10인치 LP로만 들을 수 있었던 희귀 음원들을 도미도레코드에서 보관하고 있었던 마스터 테이프로 디지털 복원한 귀중한 자료입니다. 원곡의 훼손 및 왜곡을 최소화하는 엠알씨뮤직(전 뮤직리서치)만의 디지털 복원 기술인 디지털 편집 및 리마스터 과정을 지양하였습니다.

미남(美男), 미성(美聲)의 가수 손인호씨는 '얼굴 없는 가수'였다. '한 많은 대동강', '해운대 엘레지', '하룻밤 풋사랑', '비 내리는 호남선', '울어라 기타줄', ‘나는 울었네’ 같은 50~60년대를 대표하는 숱한 노래들을 히트시키며 10여 년 간 정상에 서있는 동안에도 방송무대에 전혀 서지 않았다. 심지어 일반무대에서 조차 사실상 볼 수 없었다.

당시 일반 대중들에겐 잘 알려지지 않은 사실이지만 그의 본 직업은 영화 녹음기사였다. 그는 가수로써 약 150여곡의 노래들을 발표했지만 영화 녹음기사로써는 무려 2천여 편 이상의 영화 녹음작업을 했다.

'돌아오지 않는 해병', '로맨스 빠빠', '빨간 마후라', '미워도 다시 한 번' 등이 모두 그가 녹음작업한 영화들로 '한양스튜디오'의 책임자였던 그는 대종상을 비롯한 각종 영화제의 녹음상을 무려 여덟 차례나 수상했을 만큼 영화녹음작업에 있어 독보적 위치에 있었다.

그러나 아이러니하게도 한 시대를 대표하는 가수 손인호씨가 가수로써 받은 상은 단 한 차례도 없다. 월남에서 현재까지, 그의 활동기록을 함께 들어본다.

보릿고개 시절, 라디오와 영화가 국민들에게 최고의 오락수단이었던 때, 그 두 무대를 동시에 장악한 인물로 '소리의 마술사'라고 까지 불리던 손인호씨. 본명 손효찬(孫孝燦).

1927년 평북 창성에 출생해서 창성보통학교 6학년 때, 수풍댐 건설로 인해 마을 일대가 수몰될 위기에 처하자 가족 모두 만주 창춘(長春)으로 이주해 생활했다.

해방 후 신의주로 옮긴 손인호씨는 평양에서 열렸던 이북 도민 전체 노래자랑대회인 '관서콩쿠르대회'에 참가 '집 없는 천사'를 불러 1등을 차지한다. 이 때 심사위원장으로부터 '가수가 되려면 이남으로 가야 소질을 살릴 수 있다'는 권유를 받고 이남 행을 결심, 해방 이듬해인 46년 12월 여섯 살 터울의 형과 단둘이 서울로 내려온다.

'환영합니다!' 라는 플래카드가 시내 곳곳에 걸려 있는 서울에 도착하자마자 그들 몸에 뿌려진 것은 DDT, 즉 살충제였다. 나이가 어려 곧바로 수용소에서 생활을 시작해야했던 그는 당시 서울생활이 얼마나 힘들었던지 '사람은 1주일 동안 굶어도 물만 먹으면 살 수 있다.'는 사실을 처음 깨달았다고 회고할 정도다.

그는 당시 작곡가 김해송씨가 이끌던 KPK악단에서 실시한 가수모집에 응모, 참가자 3백 명 중 1등을 차지해 악극단생활을 시작했고 이어 윤부길씨가 이끌던 부길부길쇼단에서 가수로 활동하기도 했다. 곧이어 한국전쟁이 터지자 그는 군예대에 들어가 '군번 없는 용사'로 전쟁터를 누볐다. 당시 증언을 들어본다.

“동해안 후포에서 6.25 소식을 들었어요. 이북에서 탱크가 서울까지 몰고 들어왔다는 소식을 들으면서 대구로 향해 대구방송국에서 근 한 달간 있었죠. 그땐 무명시절이었어요. 이때 대구에서 활동하던 가수 신세영씨를 만난 뒤 함께 일선 공작대, 즉 7사단 군예대에 들어간 뒤 북진하는 군인들과 함께 평양 지나 덕천까지 진격했지요. 내 고향 신의주까지 거의 다 갔었어요. 이제 내일이면 고향에 도착하겠구나, 했는데 갑자기 중공군이 몰려와 모두 후퇴하면서 각자 뿔뿔이 흩어졌지.”

말 그대로 공작대원으로의 참전은 곧 목숨을 건 것이었다. 고비도 많았다.

“공작대원 삼십 여명과 함께 군용트럭으로 문경세재를 지나는데 정상 부근에서 차가 벼랑으로 굴렀어요. 그런데 신기한 것은 모두 살 사람들만 탄 것인지 벼랑 중간 큰 나무에 트럭이 걸쳐지는 바람에 대원들 모두가 2-30m 씩 나가떨어졌죠. 바닥이 전부 돌이라 다들 죽는 줄로만 알았어. 그런데 대원 모두 부상 없이 전부 일어났어요.“

그뿐인가, 예기치 못한 포탄 속 공연을 수시로 해야 했고 진격하는 곳마다 치열한 전투가 벌어져 한치 앞을 장담할 수 없었다.

“우리 7사단 공작대 대원도 대원이지만 당시에는 보국대라고 뽑지 않았어요? 일선에 가니까 포탄 나를 사람이 없어서 공작대원들도 보국대를 도와 함께 포탄을 나르는데 불과 50m도 안 되는 거리에서 쏜 총알이 옆으로 팽팽, 하고 스치는데 이상하게도 총알이 다 피해 가드라고. 아마도 우리 7사단 공작대원들은 천명을 갖고 타고난 사람들이라는 생각이 들 정도였다니까...”

휴전 후 그는 공보처 녹음실에 입사한다. 그는 이때부터 ‘대한뉴스’ 녹음을 담당하며 아울러 영화 녹음기사로도 활동하게 되면서 많은 음악인들을 만날 수 있었는데 그 중 한 사람이 바로 작곡가 박시춘씨. 이 인연으로 그는 노래 두 곡을 받아 취입하게 되는데 그 노래가 바로 '나는 울었네'와 '숨쉬는 거리'다. 휴전 이듬해인 54년도의 일이다.

그의 노래 중 56년에 발표한 '비 나리는 호남선'에 관련, 유명한 일화가 있다. 자유당 시절 '못 살겠다 갈아보자'라는 슬로건을 내걸고 야당 대통령후보로 출마한 해공(海公) 신익희 선생이 유세 도중 호남선 열차 내에서 심장마비로 급서하는 사건이 발생했다.

선거를 불과 열흘 앞두고 발생했기에 충격에 빠진 국민들은 마치 추도곡처럼 '비 나리는 호남선'을 애창했다. 때를 같이 해 온갖 유언비어가 꼬리를 물었는데 그 중 하나가 바로 신익희 선생의 미망인이 직접 이 노래를 작사해 만든 노래라는 것. 삽시간에 전국으로 퍼진 이 소문으로 인해 노래를 부른 주인공 손인호씨를 비롯해 작사가 손로원, 작곡가 박춘석씨도 줄줄이 당국에 의해 조사를 받아야하는 수모를 겪어야 했다.

사실 이 노래 ‘비 나리는 호남선’은 곡을 받은 뒤 바빠서 일 년 이상 차일피일 취입을 미뤄왔던 곡으로 취입 도중 반주가 틀렸음에도 별로 히트되지 않을 곡이라고 판단, 대수롭지 않게 여기고 넘긴 곡이었다. 노래도 단 한 번 만에 OK사인이 났다.

실향민의 아픔을 그린 노래, ‘한 많은 대동강’도 그의 대표곡 중 하나다.

“이 노래는 한복남씨가 이 노래를 작곡해놓고 이건 손인호 아니면 부를 사람이 없다, 해서 3년을 기다렸다가 오아시스 전속을 끝내고 도미도로 간 뒤 첫 취입한 곡으로 특히 이북 출신의 한복남씨가 만년에 무대에서 즐겨 불렀던 노래이기도 하지요. 또한 지난 번 평양공연에 참가한 송해씨가 ‘한 많은 대동강’을 무대에서 부르겠다고 했지만 북한당국으로부터 제재를 당한 곡이기도 해요. 북한에는 우리노래 중 부르지 못하게 금지시킨 곡 리스트가 있죠. 그래서 송해 그 양반이 호텔에서 혼자 이 ‘한 많은 대동강’을 부르는 장면이 KBS에서 방영됐는데 그걸 보자니 가슴이 찡하더라고...”

'얼굴 없는 가수' 손인호씨는 대중들 앞에 일절 나서지 않았던 것은 물론 이미 톱 가수 반열에 오른 55년, 결혼 당시 부인조차 그가 가수였다는 사실을 전혀 알지 못했다 한다. 심지어 그 후 몇 년이 더 지나기까지도.

현재 손인호씨의 가족은 부인 이선자 여사를 비롯해 3남1녀, 그의 음악적 인자를 고스란히 물려받은 장남 손동준씨가 뒤늦게 대를 이어 ‘사랑은 OX'라는 곡으로 데뷔, 가수로 활동하고 있다.

취입된 노래만으로도 전성기를 구가하던 가수 손인호씨는 정작 그 시각에 피 말리는 영화녹음현장에 매달려 있었다. 손인호씨는 우리나라 영화녹음 발전사의 산증인인 처남 이경순씨가 설립한 '한양녹음실' 책임자로 이곳에서 녹음된 영화는 무려 3천5백편 정도. 50년대에서 90년대까지, 40년간 제작된 한국영화의 70~80%를 도맡았다.

물자 부족과 낙후시설로 인해 녹음 환경이 매우 열악했던 시기, 특히 필름은 '핏방울'이나 다름없이 귀했다.

당시는 '후시녹음' 시절이라 이미 촬영된 생필름에 직접 녹음을 해야 하는 이 '피 말리는 작업'에 따르는 긴장감과 압박감은 엄청났다. 한 '씬'마다 음악과 음향효과, 그리고 연기자와 성우의 호흡과 감정을 맞추는데 몰입해야 했고 게다가 이미 개봉날짜가 정해진 영화를 마무리하는 작업이기에 밤샘작업하기 일쑤였기 때문에 노래 취입 자체가 사실상 버거웠다.

결과적으로는 레코드사 전속가수로 한 달에 몇 곡 이상은 반드시 녹음해야 하는 계약조건 때문에 그나마 여러 곡들을 취입, 남길 수 있었던 셈이다.

워낙 철두철미한 성격에 '보통사람과 다른 귀'를 가지고 있어 작곡가 이봉조씨가 그에게 지어준 별명이 '손형사'.

'소리의 달인' 손인호씨가 가수로서 노래를 취입할 때마다 마이크 앞에서 갖는 중압감 역시 크게 다르지 않았다. '짜깁기'가 불가능했던 시절 '마그네틱 녹음테이프' 또한 혈관만큼이나 중요하게 여기던 때인지라 취입 도중 반주나 노래가 틀리기라도 하면 아예 처음부터 다시 시작해야 한다. 이미 오랫동안 '긴장감'에 숙련된 그였지만 그 역시도 녹음에 들어가기 전 아예 독한 술을 미리 마시고 노래를 취입하기도 했던 일화까지 있을 정도다.

그가 브라운관에 처음 모습을 드러낸 건 2001년, 75세 때 가요무대 특집방송 '얼굴 없는 가수 손인호 편'에서다. 2003년, 뒤늦게 가수분과에 입회, 77세 되어서야 비로소 가수에 적을 둔 셈이고 40여년만의 신곡 '휴전선아 말해다오'를 발표했다. 이 노래가 결국 우리나라 최고령 가수의 취입곡이 되는 셈이다.

지난 2006년 4월12일, 손인호 선생은 필자와 함께 부산 해운대를 찾았다. 그의 대표곡이자 동시에 해운대를 대표하는 노래 '해운대 엘레지'의 주인공이 노래 발표 50년 만에 첫 방문한 것으로 지난 2000년에 세워진 '해운대 엘레지 노래비' 앞에서 그는 사뭇 감격스런 표정이었다.

글/박성서(대중음악평론가)

사진/최광호 비디오/조수연

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Roughly translated:


" Here we have the handsome singer Son In-ho. Over a decade, he has hit a number of songs representative of the 50's and 60's, such as 'A lot of Daedong River', 'Haeundae Elegee', 'One Night Foot Love', 'Raining Honam Line', 'Cry Guitar String', and 'I Cry'. While standing at the top, he never sang on stage. It was not well known to the general public at the time, but his real job was a film recorder. He has published about 150 songs as a singer, but as a film recorder he has recorded over 2,000 films. 'Marine not returning', 'Romance Papa', 'Red Mafura' and 'Hate Again' are all the films he recorded, and he was in charge of 'Hanyang Studio'. He was in a unique position in film recording as he won eight awards for it. Ironically, however, the singer Son In-ho, who still represents an era, has never received an award as a singer.


Sohn In-ho, who was known as 'The Magician of Sound' as a person who seized both stages at the same time when radio and film were the best means of entertainment for the people. His real name was Son Hyo Chan (孫孝燦). He was born in Changseong, Pyeongbuk in 1927. When he was in the 6th grade of Changsung General School, his family moved to Changchun, Manchuria. Son In-ho, who moved to Sinuiju after the liberation, participated in the 'Kwanseo Competition', which is held in Pyongyang. At this time, he was invited by the chairman of the jury to decide that he had to go south to make use of his talents, which he did.


'Welcome!' placards were seen hanging around the city of Seoul, while newcomers were sprayed DDT on their bodies. He had to start living in a camp as a young man, and he recalls for the first time how difficult Seoul was at that time seeing how people could survive by drinking only water for a week.


He applied for a singer's job conducted by the composer Kim Hae-song, and won the first place out of 300 participants. He also worked as a singer at the Bugilbu Gilshodan led by Yoon Bu-gil. Soon after the Korean War broke out, he entered the military college and went to the battlefield as an army soldier. Listen to his testimony at that time.


“I had been in Daegu broadcasting station for about a month while listening to the news that the tanks drove from Seoul to North Korea. That was obscured back then. At this time, I met singer Shin Se-young, who was active in Daegu, and then joined the front line, or the 7th Division, to advance to Pyongyang and Deokcheon with the soldiers advancing. I almost went to my hometown Shinuiju. I'll be back in my hometown tomorrow, but suddenly the Chinese troops flocked and everyone retreated…. I passed the Mungyeongsejae by military truck with about thirty people, and the car rolled off the cliff near the summit. The trucks hung on the tall trees in the middle of the cliff. The floor was all stone, so I thought everyone died. But everyone got up without any injuries. … I had to perform in unexpected shells from time to time, and fierce battles took place wherever I went... ”


After the ceasefire, he joins the public affairs recording studio. From this time, he was in charge of recording “Daehan News,” and as a film recorder, where he met many musicians. One of them was composer Park Si-chun. With such ties he took two songs of them and transfered them into the songs 'I cried' and 'breathing distance'.


There is a famous anecdote related to 'Bi Na-ri Honam-sun' released in ‘56. During the Liberal Party's slogan 'Let's not live', Hae-gong Shin Ik-hee, who ran for opposition presidential candidate, died of a heart attack on the Honam Line train during his campaign.

The people who were shocked because they took place just ten days before the election, 'Raining Honam Line' becomes like a memorial song. In the same time, all kinds of rumors bite the tail, and one of them is the song written by Shin Ik-hee's widow. The rumor that spread all over the country in a hurry which caused the protagonist Son In-ho, the songwriter, Son-won, and composer Park Chun-seok to suffer a lot of scrutiny from the authorities. In fact, the song 'Ra Na Ho-sun' was a song that had been postponed for more than a year because of busy times. The song also signed by OK Records once.


Song of the displaced people, “A lot of Daedonggang,” is another of his representative songs. “This song was written by Han Bok-Nam, and it was made for Son In-ho to sing. He waited three years and finished the Oasis Records connection and went to Domido Records. The song was first enjoyed on stage by Lee Bok-Nam from North Korea. In addition, Song Hae, who participated in the Pyongyang concert last time, said he would sing “A lot of Daedonggang” on stage, but it was sanctioned by North Korean authorities. In North Korea, there is a list of songs that were banned from singing. So, there’s a scene where the singer sings this “a lot of Daedonggang” alone at the hotel that was aired on KBS. Son In-ho, the singer without appearance, did not stand in front of the public at all, and even in his fifty-fifty years, even his wife did not know that he was a singer.


Son's family is currently debuting as a singer with his wife, Lee Sun-ja, his three sons and one daughter, and his eldest son, Son Dong-jun, who inherited his musical abilities. Singer Sohn In-ho, who was at the height of his singing, was hanging on the film-recording scene. Son In-ho is the director of 'Hanyang Recording Room' founded by his brother-in-law Lee Kyung-sun, a witness of Korean film-recording development company. There are about 3,500 films recorded here. From the 50's to the 90's, he took charge of 70-80% of Korean films produced for 40 years. In the period when the recording environment was very poor due to lack of materials and poor facilities, film was especially valuable like 'drops of blood'.

At the time, it was a period of pressure so that everything had to be recorded directly on film. Every 'scene' had to be immersed in aligning music and sound effects, breathing and emotions of actors and voice actors, and because they were already working all night because they were already finishing the movie with the release date set, the song recording itself was virtually exhausting. As a result, to record a singer, not more than a few songs a month were required to record and they had to leave out several songs because of the contractual conditions how it had to be recorded.


Son In-Ho’s nickname, Son Bong-jo, was given to him by his compelling personality.

Every time Son In-ho, as a master of sound, sings as a singer, the pressure in front of the microphone is not much different. Magnetic recording tapes were also as important as blood vessels when we couldn't knit them, so if the accompaniment or song wa wrong during the session, they had to start all over again. An anecdote is that Son In-Ho drank strong alcohol before entering the recording.


His first appearance on CRT was in 2001, when he was already 75 years old, in the special drama "Singer without Faces". In 2003, he joined the singer's division, and he wasn't able to write a song until he was 77 years old. This song eventually becomes the blown song of Korea's oldest singer."


Written by Park Sung-seo (popular music critic)


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On 16-6-2016, Son In-ho passed away at 89 years old after suffering from liver cirrhosis. He was known as the 'Singer without face' in the 1950s and '60s. He is also a movie writer. (real name Son Hyo-chan). He sang 'Ra Na-ri Honam-sun.' ‘Born in Changseong, North Pyongan Province in 1927. He has been loved as a representative singer of the 1950s and 1960s, with songs like 'Hanari Honamsun', 'Haeundae Elegee', 'Crying Guitar Strings', and 'One Daedonggang'.


He won the first prize at the "Kwansai Concours," a singing contest in Pyongyang. He came to Seoul in 1946 to become a singer and began his life as a singer of the KPK Orchestra, led by composer Kim Hae Song. Subsequently, he acted as a singer at 'Boogilbu Gilshodan' led by Yoon Boo-gil, but the Korean War broke out and entered the military. After the war, Son joined the composer Park Si-chun in 1954 and wrote "I Cry" and "A Breathing Street." In 1956, he released the song "Rae Na-ri Honam-sun."


There is a famous anecdote related to 'Rainari Honam Line'. In 1956, Hae-gong Shin Ik-hee, who ran for presidential election against the Liberal Party's candidate Rhee Syngman, died as a commemorative song after his death on May 5 of the same year. did. At the time, the song was used as a Democratic party and rumours said that the song was written by Mr. Shin Ik-hee's wife so that Son, Park Choon-seok, and the songwriter were sought by the police. At that time, the police steadily pursued the background of the song, but it was reported that the song was released three months before Shin's death.

Interestingly, Mr. Son was called a 'faceless singer' because of his aesthetic voice for 10 years, without standing on broadcast stage. It was not well known to the public at the time, but his original job was film recording. He had published 150 songs as a singer, but as a film recorder, has recorded over 2,000 films. 'The Marines that don't come back', 'Romance Papa', 'Red Mafura' and 'Hateful Again' were some of the films he recorded. He never received a raward as a singer. "Son was not seen on the public stage or on the public stage while he was known" commented Park Sung-seo. At the same time, he was called a magician of sound. "The first appearance on TV was 'faceless singer Son In-ho' of KBS 'Koyo Stage' in a special broadcasting in 2001." In the same year, he released a new song 'Take the Armistice,' the first in 40 years.


He left his wife Lee Sun-ja and three sons and one daughter.


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