Czerwone Gitary
Encyclopedia
Czerwone Gitary is one of the most popular rock band
s in the history of Polish popular music
. The band formed in 1965 and achieved its greatest success
from 1965 to 1970. Often considered the Polish equivalent of the Beatles, many of their hits are now classics in Poland. The group toured extensively outside Poland (in Czechoslovakia
, Hungary
, USA, Germany
and Soviet Union
) but had mostly disappeared from the Polish scene by the 1980s. The band reformed in the 1990s.
. Initial members included Bernard Dornowski (guitar/vocals), Krzysztof Klenczon (lead guitar /vocals ) and Jerzy Skrzypczyk (drums/vocals ); four members (Dornowski, Klenczon, Kossela and Zomerski) had played previously in another notable Polish band, the Niebiesko-Czarni
(The Blue-Blacks). Note: Radio disc jockey Neil Kempfer-Stocker was the first person to air the Blue-Blacks 45 rpms in America while at WRMC Radio Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1968. In Autumn 1965 Zomerski was replaced by Seweryn Krajewski (bass/vocals) ; around that time the band also launched their first tour in Poland under the slogan "We play and sing the loudest in Poland".
Their 1966 debut album To właśnie my (It's us) sold 160,000 copies, and their May 1967 follow up, Czerwone Gitary 2, sold a then-record (for Poland) 240,000. In the same year Krajewski received a special award at the National Festival of Polish Song in Opole
(Krajowy Festiwal Piosenki Polskiej w Opolu). In 1967 Kossela left the band. The band's 1968 third album sold 220,000 copies, and the group received an award in Opole for their song Takie ładne oczy (Such Pretty Eyes). In 1969 the band received a MIDEM
award in Cannes
for the largest number of discs sold in Poland up to that date; this was the same year that the Beatles received this award. Thereafter the Czerwone Gitary would be known as the Polish Beatles (see also Beatlesque). The same year the group received a special award from Billboard magazine
, and in Poland, another award from Opole festival for Biały krzyż (White cross).
Klenczon left in 1970, the year of the band's acclaimed LP
Na fujarce (On the flute). Krajewski then took lead as the group turned to mainstream folk-tinged pop in the 1970s.
After a hiatus the Czerwone Gitary returned in the early 1990s with Kossela, Dornowski and Skrzypczyk resurrecting the group. Krajeski refused to participate and even released a solo album credited to Czerwone Gitary by Seweryn Krajewski called Koniec (The End). Initially the new lineup played the old hits; its first new album since the 1970s was the ...jeszcze gra muzyka (...still the music plays) in 1998. In a 2000 poll for the Polish magazine Polityka
, Czerwone Gitary were selected as "One of the Best Polish Bands of the 20th Century". In 2005 a new song Senny szept (Sleepy whisper) took fourth place in the Sopot International Song Festival
.
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
s in the history of Polish popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
. The band formed in 1965 and achieved its greatest success
Golden Age (metaphor)
A golden age is a period in a field of endeavour when great tasks were accomplished. The term originated from early Greek and Roman poets who used to refer to a time when mankind lived in a better time and was pure .-Golden Age in society:...
from 1965 to 1970. Often considered the Polish equivalent of the Beatles, many of their hits are now classics in Poland. The group toured extensively outside Poland (in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, USA, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
) but had mostly disappeared from the Polish scene by the 1980s. The band reformed in the 1990s.
History
The Czerwone Gitary were founded by guitarist/vocalist Jerzy Kossela and bassist Henryk Zomerski on 3 January 1965 in GdańskGdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
. Initial members included Bernard Dornowski (guitar/vocals), Krzysztof Klenczon (lead guitar /vocals ) and Jerzy Skrzypczyk (drums/vocals ); four members (Dornowski, Klenczon, Kossela and Zomerski) had played previously in another notable Polish band, the Niebiesko-Czarni
Niebiesko-Czarni
Niebiesko-Czarni were one of most popular Polish rock groups of the 1960s and early 1970s. Founded by Franciszek Walicki.Czesław Niemen played in the band for several years....
(The Blue-Blacks). Note: Radio disc jockey Neil Kempfer-Stocker was the first person to air the Blue-Blacks 45 rpms in America while at WRMC Radio Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1968. In Autumn 1965 Zomerski was replaced by Seweryn Krajewski (bass/vocals) ; around that time the band also launched their first tour in Poland under the slogan "We play and sing the loudest in Poland".
Their 1966 debut album To właśnie my (It's us) sold 160,000 copies, and their May 1967 follow up, Czerwone Gitary 2, sold a then-record (for Poland) 240,000. In the same year Krajewski received a special award at the National Festival of Polish Song in Opole
National Festival of Polish Song in Opole
National Festival of Polish Song in Opole is a yearly music festival in Opole, Poland. Together with Sopot Festival it is the most important music festival in Poland. Opole Festival is meant as a summary of yearly season of achievements of Polish song writers and performers...
(Krajowy Festiwal Piosenki Polskiej w Opolu). In 1967 Kossela left the band. The band's 1968 third album sold 220,000 copies, and the group received an award in Opole for their song Takie ładne oczy (Such Pretty Eyes). In 1969 the band received a MIDEM
Midem
-MIDEM:Short for Marché International du Disque et de l'Edition Musicale, MIDEM is the world's largest music industry trade fair, which has been held annually at and around the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, since 1967...
award in Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
for the largest number of discs sold in Poland up to that date; this was the same year that the Beatles received this award. Thereafter the Czerwone Gitary would be known as the Polish Beatles (see also Beatlesque). The same year the group received a special award from Billboard magazine
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
, and in Poland, another award from Opole festival for Biały krzyż (White cross).
Klenczon left in 1970, the year of the band's acclaimed LP
Longplay
A longplay is a play-through of a computer or video game, created with the intent of completing it as fully as possible, mainly for the purposes of nostalgia, preservation, and possibly as a walkthrough. Also, for people unable or unwilling to play a certain game, yet wish to know and experience...
Na fujarce (On the flute). Krajewski then took lead as the group turned to mainstream folk-tinged pop in the 1970s.
After a hiatus the Czerwone Gitary returned in the early 1990s with Kossela, Dornowski and Skrzypczyk resurrecting the group. Krajeski refused to participate and even released a solo album credited to Czerwone Gitary by Seweryn Krajewski called Koniec (The End). Initially the new lineup played the old hits; its first new album since the 1970s was the ...jeszcze gra muzyka (...still the music plays) in 1998. In a 2000 poll for the Polish magazine Polityka
Polityka
Polityka is a centre-left weekly newsmagazine in Poland. With a circulation of 170,000 it is the country's biggest selling weekly, ahead of Newsweek's Polish edition and Wprost. Today, the magazine has a slightly intellectual, social liberal profile, setting it apart from the more conservative...
, Czerwone Gitary were selected as "One of the Best Polish Bands of the 20th Century". In 2005 a new song Senny szept (Sleepy whisper) took fourth place in the Sopot International Song Festival
Sopot International Song Festival
The Sopot International Song Festival is an international song contest held in Sopot, Poland. It was the biggest Polish music festival altogether with the National Festival of Polish Song in Opole, and one of the biggest annual song contest in Europe...
.
Members
- Jerzy Kossela (guitar, vocal, founder, leader, left in 1967, returned in 1991, still in the band as of 2010)
- Henryk Zomerski (bass, founder, left the band soon after it was founded, in late 1965; in the band since 1999 till his death in 2011)
- Bernard Dornowski (guitar, bass, one of the original members, left in 1999)
- Jerzy Skrzypczyk (drums, one of the original members, still in the band as of 2010)
- Krzysztof KlenczonKrzysztof KlenczonKrzysztof Klenczon was a Polish singer and songwriter, member of Czerwone Gitary, later Trzy Korony....
(guitar, one of the original members; left in 1970) - Seweryn KrajewskiSeweryn KrajewskiSeweryn Krajewski is a Polish singer and songwriter who rose to fame in the 1960s and 70s with the popular Polish band Czerwone Gitary...
(bass, guitar, replaced Zomerski in December 1965; left in 1997) - Dominik Kuta (briefly in 1970)
- Ryszard Kaczmarek (1971–1975)
- Jan Pospieszalski (guitar, 1976–1980)
- Wojciech Hoffman (guitar, 1997–2000)
- Arkadiusz Malinowski (guitar, bass, 1999–2002)
- Dariusz OlszewskiDariusz OlszewskiDariusz Olszewski is a Polish politician. He was elected to Sejm on September 25, 2005 getting 5797 votes in 20 Warsaw district, candidating from Prawo i Sprawiedliwość list.-External links:...
(2000–2003) - Mieczysław Wądołowski (guitar, vocal, joined 1997, still in the band as of 2010)
- Marek Kisieliński (guitar, joined 2003, still in the band as of 2010)
- Arkadiusz Wiśniewski (guitar, bass, vocal, joined in 2002, still in the band as of 2010)
Hits
- Nie mów nic (Say Nothing)
- Nie zadzieraj nosa (Don’t Be Stuck Up)
- Historia jednej znajomosci (A Story Of A Relationship)
- Matura (A-Levels)
- Co za dziewczyna (What A Girl)
- Stracić kogoś (Losing Someone)
- Takie ładne oczy (What Pretty Eyes)
- Dozwolone do lat 18-tu (Permitted Until Eighteen)
- Kwiaty we włosach (Flowers In The Hair)
- Anna Maria (Anne Marie)
- Biały krzyż (The White Cross)
- Płoną góry, płoną lasy (Mountains Burn, Forests Burn)
- Niebo z moich stron (The Sky Where I'm From)
- Ciągle pada (It Keeps Raining)
- Dzień jeden w roku (The One Day In A Year)
- Nie spoczniemy (We Won't Rest)
- Remedium (The Remedy)
- Polska To My (Poland, That's Us)
Albums
Czerwone Gitary have released 82 albums. Among them are:- To właśnie my (1966)
- Czerwone Gitary 2 (1967)
- Czerwone Gitary 3 (1968)
- Na fujarce (1970)
- Spokój serca (1971)
- Consuela (in German, 1971)
- Rytm Ziemi (1974)
- Dzień jeden w roku (1976)
- Port piratów (1976)
- Rote Gitarren (in German, 1978)
- ...jeszcze gra muzyka (1998)
- OK (2005)
- Historia jednej znajomości... (2007)
Further reading
- Marek Gaszyński "Czerwone Gitary. Nie spoczniemy...", Prószyński i S-ka, Warszawa
External links
- Homepage
- Series of photos of members throughout history (official page)
- Covers of the discs
- Short history
- Full discography
- Czerwone Gitary on Myspace; listen to or download one of the band classic hits: "Dozwolone od lat 18u"
- East European Bands (discussing mostly the Czerwone Gitary)
- Czerwone Gitary - Full discography