Taking their name from a type of bull native to the Philippines, the Thai rock group known as Carabao was formed in 1981 by university students Yuenyong Opakul (Aed) and Kirati Promsaka Na Sakon Nakhon (Keo or Khiao) – who met while studying at the Mapúa Institute of Technology in the Philippines – and achieved notoriety in Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries. Known for their contribution to Phleng phuea chiwit (เพลงเพื่อชีวิต) – the 'songs for life' protest songs movement that began in the '70s – the group championed contemporaneous political issues in their music, giving a voice to the people and demanding social justice. Their first album Lung Khii Maw ("the drunken old man") arrived in 1981, with another 27 LPs following over subsequent decades, including Waniphok in 1983, Made in Thailand in 1984, Welcome to Thailand in 1987, Chang Hai in 1993, 2005's Samakki Thailand, and 2019's Mahatsajan Ganchaa มหัศจรรย์กัญชา ("miracles of cannabis"). In later years they began to expand their remit to include film and TV work, also launching their weekly hour-long TV show Carabao The Series (คาราบาว เดอะซีรี่ส์) in September 2013, with each episode based on the lyrics of a different Carabao song. In 2014, former band member Nong Carabao died at the age of 50. A new Carabao album, 40 Years Khon Carabao, emerged in 2022.
