Carabao’s first album, Lung Ki Mao, tells the tale of one man’s struggle to survive. It’s a theme the musician pursues to this day – that of the common man struggling to survive in a world blighted by social turmoil, corruption, unfairness and the daily struggle to make ends meet.

Ask Carabao about the motivation behind his songs and he’ll tell you, “It’s everything.”

His songs clearly strike a chord with his legions of fans. Attend an Ad Carabao concert and you will find yourself involved in an event of unique solidarity between musician and fans, who sing along with their hero and display genuine passion and reverence for him.

When the coup toppled Thaksin Shinawatra’s government in September last year, the military leaders allowed the government’s public relations people to play Carabao’s music on the airwaves. His music ushered in the new political reality.

For a Thai icon, Carabao is remarkably down-to-earth. This humility is a trait that is deeply ingrained in Carabao’s character, going back 52 years to when he was born into a farming family in Suphan Buri.

Carabao describes his hometown as being “like Nashville in America” – a place of rural family values and tradition.

For him, hospitality is still one of those values. His home in Bangkapi, just outside Bangkok, has no walls or gates. Anyone in need of a meal or a bed may walk in. That said, he is realistic; there is a sign that reads, “We have a place to sleep, and a meal to eat, but no money to lend.”

Carabao grew up listening to Thai folk music – the style known as look tung. But his love of music led him to explore other styles, especially Western music which, at that time, was revolutionising not only the music industry, but society as a whole.

Carabao cites Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young as early influences in shaping his skills at writing songs about equality and justice. When he is touring, he gets up early and walks around the local community chatting with people. This, he says, allows him to “stay connected” and keep his feet on the ground.

Growing up on a farm, Carabao acquired a passion for cock-fighting. He is currently the President of Thailand’s Cock Fighting Association and keeps a collection of 20 birds at his home.

He feels that, for a farmer or other villager struggling to make a living, breeding fighting cocks for sale to collectors can provide a steady income – far better than pinning one’s hopes on lottery tickets.

Carabao’s success is not limited to the music world. He has also appeared in movies and TV series, and has been the host of the nature show Sumruad Tammachad, which has been on air for six years. He also starred for several years in TV commercials for Chang Beer.

He has a company that markets his own brand of energy drink, Carabao Daeng, to Thailand and other countries including Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Sweden, Canada and even, astonishingly, Afghanistan.

But at the core, it all comes back to the music and that message of personal dignity, equality, freedom and self-expression. He feels that too many people, especially the young, emphasize materialism over finding ways to improve themselves and society. That’s a message many people in Thailand would wholeheartedly agree with.

By John Moral