Eugen Šváb (26 November 1934 – 29 February 2024) was a Slovak swing singer and percussionist.

Biography

Eugen Šváb was born 26 November 1934 in

Gelnica Gelnica (, ) is a town in the Košice Region of Eastern Slovakia. It has a population of 6,076. Names The name comes from the name of the river Hnilec derived from Slavic word ''hnilý'' (rotten). The initial ''g'' in the German form ''Göllnit ...

. He family was of German ancestry. After the

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the family moved to

Košice Košice is the largest city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary. With a population of approximately 230,000, Košice is the second-largest cit ...

, where his father worked as a court clerk and young Eugen apprenticed in industrial design. Already as a teenager, Šváb played at weddings and celebrations with a band consisting of his fellow apprentices. Over the course of the 1950s and 1960s Šváb, better known under the pseudonym Šaci, became established among the most visible swing artists in Slovakia, performing both solo and with other musicians. During the

Prague Spring The Prague Spring (; ) was a period of liberalization, political liberalization and mass protest in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected Secretary (title), First Secre ...

, Šváb received an offer to perform in Finland, however his flight was cancelled after the closing of borders following the

Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia On 20–21 August 1968, the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was jointly invaded by four fellow Warsaw Pact countries: the Soviet Union, the Polish People's Republic, the People's Republic of Bulgaria, and the Hungarian People's Republic. The ...

. Šváb managed to leave the country via train to Vienna and travel to Finland, where he was joined by his wife and younger daughter. His older daughter, however, had to stay behind with his parents and following the family's emigration to

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

, she became separated from her sibling and parents for decades. Šváb was sentenced in absence to five years in jail for emigrating without a permit. In Germany, Šváb worked as a designer for the

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational corporation, multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. T ...

and put his music career on hold. Following the

Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution () or Gentle Revolution () was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations against the one-party government of the Communist Pa ...

, Šváb divided his time between Germany and Slovakia, where he recorded several albums and performed nearly until his death. In 2016 he co-authored his autobiography ''Nič nie je náhodou'' (Nothing happens by accident). Šváb died in

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

on 29 February 2024, at the age of 87.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Svab, Eugen Slovak jazz singers 1936 births 2024 deaths 20th-century Slovak male singers Slovak drummers Slovak percussionists Slovak people of German descent Slovak emigrants to Germany People from Gelnica