Son Ca

Son Ca (1953-    ) is a famous Vietnamese singer.

Born as Nguyen Thi Tuyet Nga in 1953 in Saigon, South Vietnam, she was the eldest in a family of six children.  After graduating from high school, she enrolled at University of Saigon, School of Law in 1971.  It was there where she actively involved in performing arts singing for various music programs put together by the university.  In between semesters, she also enrolled in a few classes at Quoc Gia Am Nhac, Saigon Conservatory of Music and befriended a fellow student by the name of Bui Thien who would become her voice coach.  At the beginning of her sophomore year at University of Saigon, School of Law she would meet the legendary songwriter/composer/show promoter, Hoang Thi Tho, who was instantaneously taken by her clear, sweet singing voice.  Through his personal invitation, she became a regular performer in his revue at the prestigious Maxim's Cabaret in Saigon.  She then became known as Son Ca, a name that Hoang Thi Tho highly approved of which was also the name of one of her father's former girlfriends.  In a short period of time, Son Ca gained national prominence through her appearances on Chương Trình Hoàng Thi Thơ , a popular television and program hosted by the musician himself.  She also became a frequent guest on another popular television show, Nghệ Sĩ Với Chiến Sĩ, produced by Nguyen Dinh Toan.  

In 1974, Son Ca recorded her first studio album which was self-titled and produced by Nguyen Van Dong for the Continental record label in South Vietnam.  Among her most well-received songs from the debut album included Mùa Thu Cho Em written by Ngo Thuy Mien, Bây Giờ Tháng Mấy? written by Tu Cong Phung and all three versions of Hòn Vọng Phu written by Le Thuong.  Son Ca also recorded for other major record labels in South Vietnam including Viet Nam and Shotguns.  Her name became linked with a string of hit songs Hoang Thi Tho had written especially for her to record such as Đám Cưới Trên Đường Quê, Rước Tình Về Với Quê Hương, Tình Ca Trên Lúa and Gạo Trắng Trăng Thanh.  Among her other popular songs included Gánh Lúa written by Pham Duy, Duyên Nước Tình Trăng written by Hoang Nguyen, Tàu Về Quê Hương written by Hong Van and what would become known as her signature song, Cô Thắm Về Làng written by Giao Tien which she had recorded for the Shotguns label as a duet with singer Thai Chau.  Right around this time, Son Ca teamed up with her former classmate and close friend, Bui Thien, to become one of the most popular singing duos in South Vietnam.  Their most popular hit song recorded together was Đưa Em Qua Cánh Đồng Vàng written by Hoang Thi Tho.  

After the Fall of Saigon in 1975, Son Ca continued her career as a singer collaborating with theater troupes headed by Kim Cuong and by Tham Thuy Hang.  In 1976, she married and started a family with the birth of a daughter the following year.  In the summer of 1979, she along with her husband, young daughter and a younger sister fled from communist Vietnam by boat landing at a refugee camp in Thailand where they remained for six months before resettling in the United States on January of 1980.  

During their first year in the United States, Son Ca and her family lived in San Jose, California.  In 1981, she along with her husband and their 4-year-old daughter relocated to Houston, Texas for work as they helped run and operate a gas station/convenience store owned by a family friend.  After three years living in Houston, Son Ca decided to resume her singing career and packed up for Orange County, Calfornia, home of the largest concentrated Vietnamese-American population.  With the money she had saved up during the previous years working in Houston, Son Ca took a gamble and produced a studio album in 1984 entitled as Tiếng Hát Sơn Ca Hải Ngoại and distributed by Thanh Lan music production label.  The gamble would pay off as her first album produced overseas would generate a sizable profit for Son Ca as it sold quite well within overseas Vietnamese communities across the United States and abroad.  From 1984 until 1990, Son Ca produced over a dozen studio albums which also featured recordings by various overseas Vietnamese singers such as Bui Thien, Khanh Ly, Thanh Tuyen, Phuong Dung, Giao Linh, Huong Lan, Lilian and Phuong Hoai Tam.  She also toured extensively performing at live shows for overseas Vietnamese audiences all over the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia.  

Son Ca has appeared on music videos for various overseas Vietnamese production labels such as Diem Quynh, Van Nghe Viet Nam, Washington Night, Thuy Nga Paris and Asia Entertainment.  She first appeared on the popular Paris By Night video series produced by Thuy Nga Paris in 1986 for volumes 2 and 3 performing Thương Quá Việt Nam written by Pham The My and Lien Khuc Tinh Ca, respectively.  Eleven years later, she would be invited back on the Paris By Night stage for volumes 41 and 47, both of which were filmed in Toronto, Canada paying tribute to the music of Hoang Thi Tho.  Son Ca's last Paris By Night performance to date was in a duet with Thai Chau, Bài Ngợi Ca Quê Hương for volume 83 released in 2006.  For Asia Entertainment, Son Ca has appeared on volumes 65-68 which were filmed from 2010 until 2011 with performances of songs such as Rước Tình Về Với Quê Hương in a duet with singer Ngoc Huyen, Việt Nam Ơi! Ngày Vui Đã Tới, Ngày Xuân Vui Cưới in a duet with Chi Tam and Saigon, performed as a trio with Phuong Hong Que and Bang Chau.

In 1990, Son Ca's marriage of 14 years ended in divorce.  Five years later, she remarried to an Australian citizen of Vietnamese descent and moved to Brisbane, Australia.  In recent years, Son Ca has been actively involved in Thiền Ca Vo-Vi, a non-profit organization which promotes spiritual enrichment, and performs for many of the organization's benefit live shows around the world.