Original member of Korean folk band C'est Si Bon makes a comeback in 48 years

Its an era where people can live for 100 years. Lots of days are ahead of me. I decided to perform again on the stage for the dream that I had to sacrifice to support my family, said Lee Ik-gyun, 68, one of the original members of Koreas legendary folk music band C'est Si Bon Trio. When Lee appeared in a local talk show program, he was complimented for his low-register voice. His voice over the phone sounded low but cheerful.

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Lee, Jo Young-nam, Yoon Hyung-ju and Kim Se-hwan will perform 2015 C'est Si Bon and Friends Concert Season 2 at the Sejong Center of Performing Arts on Sep. 26 and 27. As the concert enters the season 2 after 4 years since the C'est Si Bon concert started in 2011, Lee decided to join on the stage after a 48-year-long break. In the movie C'est Si Bon, which opened in local theaters earlier this year, the main character Oh Geun-tae (played by Korean actor Jung Woo) is based on Lees real story.

Different from the movie story, I am not the person who betrays friends for love, Lee said. He joined the folk band when he studied civil engineering at Yonsei University. Lee took a break from school to become a singer but he had to join the army in 1968 after receiving a notice of enlistment. Afterwards, he gave up on his dream and had been working for a construction company for 40 years. I decided to live the second life thanks to C'est Si Bon band members, said Lee, who recently came back to Korea after finishing a bridge construction project in Nepal.

During the 2-hour-long concert, C'est Si Bon and friends will present old pop songs including When the Saint Go Marching In, which was played in the movie. Audiences will also enjoy their own songs such as Lets Go on a Trip, Hwagae Market, Closed Clam Shells, and Thorn Tree Bird. Trot singer Jo Jeong-min, the concerts guest, will sing Bumble Bee, Sad Movies, and A Long Hair Girl with C'est Si Bon members. Jo Young-nam said, Thanks to Lee Ik-gyun with low-register voice and female singer Jo Jeong-min, vocal sounds of the concert have become enriched, more than ever.

At a local radio show in 2009, Jo Young-nam, Lee Jang-hee, Song Chang-sik, Yoon Hyung-ju and Kim Se-hwan, who were the C'est Si Bon members, gathered all together for the first time in 40 years. Kim said, While were practicing for the concert, we have a great teamwork as if we separated just yesterday. As now Lee, the original member of the band, joined the concert, I wish six of us all could perform on the stage someday in the future.

Im not a professional singer like other members. However, whenever C'est Si Bon members need me, I will stay with them as we did at that time, said Lee. The concert will be staged at 3 PM and 7 PM on Sep. 26 and at 2 PM and 6 PM on Sep. 27. The ticket prices range from 88,000 to 165,000 (approx. USD 141.9). For more information, contact 1544-1555.