Marek Michał Grechuta (10 December 1945 – 9 October 2006) was a Polish singer, songwriter, composer, and lyricist.

Early life

Grechuta was born on 10 December 1945 in

Zamość Zamość (; yi, זאמאשטש, Zamoshtsh; la, Zamoscia) is a historical city in southeastern Poland. It is situated in the southern part of Lublin Voivodeship, about from Lublin, from Warsaw. In 2021, the population of Zamość was 62,021. ...

, Poland. He studied architecture at

Tadeusz Kościuszko University of Technology Cracow University of Technology ( pl, Politechnika Krakowska im. Tadeusza Kościuszki) is a public university located in central Kraków, Poland, established in 1946 and, as an institution of higher learning granted full autonomy in 1954. Over 37 ...

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

Career

While studying at university, he met the composer Jan Kanty Pawluśkiewicz. Together, they founded the student cabaret Anawa, in 1967. In the same year, Grechuta was placed second in the VI National Contest of Student Musicians (''VI Ogólnopolski Konkurs Piosenkarzy Studenckich'') and received an award for the album "Tango Anawa", with lyrics by him and music by Jan Kanty Pawluśkiewicz. In 1968, he won several awards at the Festival of Polish Music in Opole. In 1969, Grechuta played a minor role in

Andrzej Wajda Andrzej Witold Wajda (; 6 March 1926 – 9 October 2016) was a Polish film and theatre director. Recipient of an Honorary Oscar, the Palme d'Or, as well as Honorary Golden Lion and Honorary Golden Bear Awards, he was a prominent member of the ...

's film '' Hunting Flies''. In 1971, he left Anawa and founded the band WIEM (W Innej Epoce Muzycznej, In a Different Musical Epoch; note that ''wiem'' means ''I know'' in Polish). Grechuta had a large number of popular hits, with his songs often characterized by the use of poetic and literary elements. He co-authored, along with P. Birula and K. Szwajgier, the music for ''Exodus'' (written by L. A. Moczulski) at the STU Theatre in Kraków (1974), and co-wrote the musical adaptation of

Stanisław Witkiewicz Stanisław Witkiewicz ( lt, Stanislovas Vitkevičius) (8 May 1851 – 5 September 1915) was a Polish painter, art theoretician, and amateur architect, known for his creation of "Zakopane Style". Life Witkiewicz was born in Poszawsze in S ...

's ''Szalona lokomotywa'' (''The Crazy Locomotive'') with K. Jasiński and J. K. Pawluśkiewicz in 1977. In 2003, Grechuta collaborated with the group

Myslovitz Myslovitz is a Polish rock band. The band take their name from their industrial hometown of Mysłowice in the Upper Silesia region of southern Poland. Band history Guitarist and vocalist Artur Rojek started the band in 1992 as "The Freshmen", ...

and re-recorded their older song "Kraków". His song " Dni, których nie znamy" is commonly regarded the unofficial anthem of the football club

Korona Kielce Korona Kielce, , (Korona – ''Crown'' – symbol of club and city, Kielce – name of city where club is based) is a Polish football club, which will compete in Ekstraklasa in the 2022–23 Ekstraklasa, 2022–23 season. In the year ...

Personal life

In 1970, Grechuta married his wife, Danuta. His son was named Łukasz. He died on 9 October 2006 in

and was buried in the

Rakowicki Cemetery Rakowicki Cemetery (English: ; pl, Cmentarz Rakowicki) is a historic necropolis and a cultural heritage monument located on 26 Rakowicka Street in the centre of Kraków, Poland. It lies within the Administrative District No. 1 ''Stare Miasto'' ...

Discography

References

External links