Krzysztof Klenczon went down in history as one of the most outstanding composers in the times of the People’s Republic of Poland. He was the author of the biggest hits of Czerwony Gitar, and the songs he composed are still popular today. Unfortunately, his career was cut short by a tragic car accident.
Klenczon composed the greatest hits of Czerwony Gitar. He focused on unusual sounds
His adventure with the Red Gitary band began in the mid-1960s, when he joined the Pieciolinie group. That was the name of the musicians of the bigbit group at that time. Klenczon not only played and sang, but also composed. When in 1969 he performed with the band at the 7th Festival of Polish Song in Opole, the melodic line he created for the song “Biały Krzyż” was an incredible success.
Klenczon was a rather rebellious musician. He was not afraid of risk and bold sounds, and introduced psychedelic sounds in his compositions. He focused on originality and uniqueness. He wanted the group’s songs to stand out from those already known to listeners. The members of Red Guitars said that he was explosive and rebellious, knew what he wanted and felt no fear reaching out for it. – This rebellion could be seen in his character and the sound of some songs, such as “10 on the Beaufort scale”, and the angelic disposition in sentimental, very emotional songs, such as “Autumn is walking through the park”, “When I call you again someday” – he recalled violinist.
Behind the scenes, the “Polish Beatles” had disputes. Klenczon left the band and moved to the USA
The band quickly made a dizzying career and quickly began to be called “The Beatles of the East”. For some time, Klenczon was one of the most important members of the group and was responsible for the composition of such hits as “White Cross”, “Flowers in Hair” or “The Story of One Acquaintance”. Although the musicians on stage were harmonious, there were constantly growing conflicts behind the scenes.
In January 1970, there was an escalation of the dispute between Klencz and Seweryn Krajewski, which ended with a vote. — I think that colleagues Dornowski and Skrzypczyk did the right thing (…) by betting on Krajewski. There was more creative potential in him. He was a more talented composer than Krzysztof. It seems to me that at some point Krzysztof burned out when it comes to composing. He was not such a melodist as Krajewski. He started writing less, Marek Gaszczyński claimed during a conversation with .
Klenczon left the group, and two years later he moved with his family to the United States, where his in-laws lived. He continued to compose and record songs, and continued to tour. In the meantime, the musician’s second daughter was born. He supported his wife and often relieved her of household chores. — Krzysztof helped a lot, changed diapers and probably jumped more in front of the children than I did. He was a great father, recalled the composer’s moved wife, Alicja Klenczon-Corona. Unfortunately, the family idyll was interrupted by a tragic accident.
He played a concert and died a few hours later. He did not regain consciousness after the accident
On February 25, 1981, Krzysztof Klenczon went to one of the clubs in Chicago, where he played a charity concert, which turned out to be the last in his career. Initially, he planned to refuse the performance, as he was not feeling well and had been struggling with a cold for several days. However, due to the nature of the event, he decided to sing for the audience. He took his wife to the concert. On the way back, it was Alicja who was driving the car, and Krzysztof was sleeping. Suddenly he woke up and asked them to switch places. Moments later, an accident happened. Krzysztof woke up, yelling at me that we are changing and he will lead on. Maybe 2-3 minutes later I saw the headlights of a car speeding towards us. I heard a bang and I don’t remember anything else,” the woman recalled.
The musician’s wife was not seriously injured, but Klenczon’s condition was assessed as critical. The musician had broken ribs, a punctured left lung and a torn aorta. He was immediately taken to the operating table, where a complicated life-saving procedure was performed. Unfortunately, 40 days after the accident, he did not regain consciousness and the doctors pronounced him dead. Krzysztof Klenczon died on April 7, 1981. At the time of his death, he was only 39 years old. Our marriage lasted only 15 years. I didn’t want to live anymore, but I had someone to live for, there were two daughters, said the composer’s widow.
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Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
