Czerwono-Czarni (; literally: "the Red-and-Blacks") was one of the most popular

rock band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...

s in the history of Polish popular music, and one of the pioneers of

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

and

beat music Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a British popular music genre that developed, particularly in and around Liverpool, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The genre melded influences from American rock and roll, rhythm and blues, skiffle ...

in Poland (both styles together known as the "Big Beat" in the

Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc and the Soviet Bloc, was the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the influence of the Soviet Union that existed du ...

at the times). Czerwono-Czarni was the first Polish rock band to last long enough to cut a record. It formed in 1960, and lasted until 1976.

History and influence

The Polish rock scene dates from 1959, when the short-lived

Rhythm and Blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

band debuted. Polska. Muzyka. Muzyka rockowa
Encyklopedia PWN Rhythm and Blues soon disbanded, but most of its members on the same day formed the Czerwono-Czarni group. Czerwono-Czarni was founded by

Franciszek Walicki Franciszek Walicki (20 July 1921 – 3 October 2015) was a Polish journalist. He was considered the father of Polish beat and rock music, calling them big-beat as rock and roll was unacceptable name for the authorities of the Polish People's Repu ...

on 22 June 1960 in

Gdańsk Gdańsk ( , also ; ; csb, Gduńsk;Stefan Ramułt, ''Słownik języka pomorskiego, czyli kaszubskiego'', Kraków 1893, Gdańsk 2003, ISBN 83-87408-64-6. , Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, ''Orbis latinus oder Verzeichniss der lateinischen Benen ...

, first performed on 23 July that year, and operated until 1976.Czerwono Czarni
RMF FM

Encyklopedia WIEM WIEM Encyklopedia (full name in pl, Wielka Interaktywna Encyklopedia Multimedialna - "Great Interactive Multimedia Encyclopedia"; in Polish, ''wiem'' also means 'I know') is a Polish Internet encyclopedia. The first printed edition was released i ...

They were the first band to record a rock-n-roll (at the time called "big beat" in Poland, which was more politically acceptable than the term "rock-n-roll", which was seen as subversive by the communist authorities) record in Poland, in 1961, in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

, in the concert hall of the National Polish Philharmonic, which at night served as a recording studio.Marek Gaszyński, "W Polsce – rok 1961" (Year 1961 in Poland), , last accessed 22 May 2011 The 1961 release was the group's first. Original members included Zbigniew Garsen (Zbigniew Wilk), Marek Tarnowski, Mirosław Wójcik - saksofon tenorowy, Andrzej Jordan and Michaj Burano. This changed shortly afterwards, and notable artists who performed in the group included W. Bernolak (Polanie),

Seweryn Krajewski Seweryn Krajewski (born 3 January 1947, Nowa Sól, Poland) is a Polish singer and songwriter who rose to fame in the 1960s and 70s with the popular Polish band Czerwone Gitary. After leaving the group in 1997, he recorded several solo albums. He ...

(

Czerwone Gitary Czerwone Gitary ( lit. The Red Guitars) is one of the most popular rock bands 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 ...

), Zbigniew Podgajny (

Niebiesko-Czarni Niebiesko-Czarni (Blue-Blacks) were one of the most popular Polish big-beat and rock groups of the 1960s and early 1970s. The band was founded by Franciszek Walicki. Czesław Niemen Czesław Niemen (; February 16, 1939 – January 17, 2004), ...

), Zbigniew Bizoń, Przemysław Gwoździowski, Piotr Puławski (Polanie), Ryszard Poznakowski, Henryk Zomerski, Tadeusz Mróz, Ryszard Gromek, Helena Majdaniec, Katarzyna Sobczyk, Karin Stanek, Wojciech Gąssowski, Toni Keczer, Maciej Kossowski. Over 70 artists worked with the group during its 16-year history. Their notable songs include: ''Trzynastego'' ("The Thirteenth"), ''O mnie się nie martw'' ("Don't Worry About Me"), ''Chłopiec z gitarą'' ("A Boy With A Guitar"), ''Jedziemy autostopem'' ("Hitchhiking") and ''Malowana lala'' ("Painted Doll"). The group received numerous awards in the National Festival of Polish Song in Opole and

Sopot Festival The Sopot International Song Festival or Sopot Festival (later called ''Sopot Music Festival Grand Prix'', ''Sopot Top of the Top Festival'' from 2012–13 and ''Polsat Sopot Festival'' in 2014) is an annual international song contest held in So ...

. On 13 April 1967 they performed as an

opening act A opening act, also known as a warm-up act, support act, or supporting act, is an entertainment act (musical, comedic, or otherwise), that performs at a concert before the featured act, or "headliner". Rarely, an opening act may perform again a ...

for

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

. Andrzej Bogunia-Paczyński
Toni Keczer (1935–2009)
Gazeta.pl Krakow, 08.06.2010 Czerwono-Czarni performed at their 50th anniversary concert in 2010.
Onet, 22 July 2010

Discography

* 1961 – ''Czerwono-Czarni'' (EP,

Pronit Pronit (Zakłady Tworzyw Sztucznych Pronit-Pionki (ZTS Pronit)) is a Polish factory of plastic materials near the town of Pionki, Radom County. Among its specialties, it includes the factory of vinyl record plates, and thus is mostly known as the o ...

N-0169) * 1962 – ''Karin Stanek, Czerwono-Czarni'' (SP, Muza SP-323) * 1962 – ''Czerwono-Czarni: The twist'' (EP, Muza N-0198) * 1963 – ''Helena Majdaniec, Czerwono-Czarni'' (EP, Muza N-0237) * 1963 – ''Michaj Burano, Czerwono-Czarni'' (EP, Pronit N-0238) * 1963 – ''Czerwono-Czarni'' (EP, Muza N-0236) * 1963 – ''Karin Stanek, Czerwono-Czarni'' (EP, Pronit N-0257) * 1963 – ''Karin Stanek, Czerwono-Czarni'' (EP, Pronit N-0289) * 1964 – ''Maciej Kossowski,Czerwono – Czarni'' (EP, Pronit, N 0302) * 1964 – ''Czerwono-Czarni'' (EP, Muza N-0304) * 1965 – ''Katarzyna Sobczyk, Czerwono-Czarni'' (EP, Muza N-0383) * 1966 – ''Czerwono-Czarni'' (SP, Pronit SP-170) * 1966 – ''Katarzyna Sobczyk, Czerwono-Czarni'' (SP, Pronit SP-169) * 1966 – ''Czerwono-Czarni'' (EP, Pronit N-0447) * 1966 – '' Czerwono-Czarni'' (LP, Muza SXL-0352) * 1967 – ''Toni Keczer, Czerwono-Czarni'' (SP, Pronit SP-179) * 1967 – ''Toni Keczer, Czerwono-Czarni'' (EP, Muza N-0469) * 1967 – ''Czerwono-Czarni'' (EP, Muza N-0470) * 1967 – '' 17.000.000'' (LP, Muza SXL-0458) * 1968 – ''Katarzyna Sobczyk, Czerwono-Czarni'' (SP, Pronit SP-234) * 1968 – ''Czerwono-Czarni: Katarzyna Gaertner – Pan przyjacielem moim – msza beatowa'' (LP, Muza SXL-0475) * 1968 – ''Czerwono-Czarni'' (EP, Muza N-0526) * 1968 – ''Czerwono-Czarni: Zakochani są sami na świecie'' (LP, Pronit XL-0491) * 1970 – ''

Jacek Lech Jacek Lech (born Leszek Zerhau; 15 April 1947 in Bielsko-Biała – 25 March 2007 in Katowice) was a popular Polish singer. Biography In 1966, he joined the group Czerwono-Czarni. The song ''Bądź dziewczyną moich marzeń'' ("Be the girl of ...

, Czerwono-Czarni'' (EP, Muza N-0618) * 1984 – ''Czerwono-Czarni: Czerwono-Czarni – Z archiwum polskiego beatu vol. 1'' (LP, Muza SX-2198; reedycja płyty XL0352) * 1984 – ''Czerwono-Czarni: 17.000.000. – Z archiwum polskiego beatu vol. 2'' (LP, Muza SX-2199)

References

External links

A page dedicated to Czerwono-Czarni
{{Authority control Musical groups established in 1967 1976 disestablishments Polish rock music groups 1967 establishments in Poland