THE SLOW, SOULFUL ROOTS

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Tadeusz Nalepa

Photo: Jan Mehlich (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.5)

Blues

Tadeusz Nalepa

This artist is no longer with us.

Born: 1943-08-26 · Died: 2007-03-04• Poland• Active: 1963–2007

BluesBlues Rock

Passed away March 4, 2007, at 63. The godfather of Polish blues — the 1971 album Blues is still treated as a founding document of Polish rock.

Instruments

Electric guitar, Vocals

Labels

Polskie Nagrania "Muza"

from

Zgłobień, near Rzeszów

Born

1943-08-26

Tadeusz Nalepa built the blues in Poland almost from scratch, at a time when the genre had no local vocabulary, no local audience, and — under a communist government wary of anything sounding too American — not much official welcome either. He was born on August 26, 1943, in Zgłobień, a village near Rzeszów in southeastern Poland. He trained formally at the Rzeszów music school, studying violin, clarinet and double bass, a classical grounding unusual among the guitarists who would define Polish rock. In 1963 he won recognition at the Festival of Young Talents in Szczecin performing as a duo with singer Mira Kubasińska, whom he later married; they had a son, Piotr (Kilde: Wikipedia). His first group, Blackout, formed in 1965 with singer Stan Borys and debuted that September in Rzeszów, recording an album and several further tracks before splitting in 1967. The following year, 1968, Nalepa formed Breakout, the band that would carry his reputation for the next decade and beyond — thirteen years and ten albums, with Kubasińska as lead singer. Their 1969 debut, Na drugim brzegu tęczy, brought in saxophonist and flautist Włodzimierz Nahorny; their 1971 album Blues, recorded for the state label Polskie Nagrania "Muza," is widely regarded as the single most important blues record in Polish rock history (Kilde: Wikipedia, Discogs). Breakout disbanded in 1981, reforming only briefly for its twentieth anniversary in 1985. From 1982 Nalepa built a solo career and kept collaborating widely — Numero Uno (1987) paired him with the rock-blues band Dżem, and he released Sen szaleńca (1987) and Jesteś w piekle (1993) among other solo records, continuing to write, tour and record almost until his death (Kilde: Wikipedia). Jazz Forum magazine named him Poland's best musician, composer and guitarist in 1986. In 2003 he received the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta, one of Poland's highest civilian honors, and in 2021 the Polish Film Academy posthumously recognized one of his film scores. He is remembered in Poland as "the godfather of Polish blues" and, for his combination of guitar mastery and bandleading, "the Polish John Mayall" (Kilde: Wikipedia, muzeumjazzu.pl). Nalepa suffered from serious kidney disease in his final years, requiring dialysis. He died in Warsaw on March 4, 2007, at age 63, and was buried on March 12 at Powązki Cemetery (Kilde: Wikipedia, rzeszow-news.pl, interia.pl).

Musical Influence

There was no Polish blues scene before Tadeusz Nalepa — he more or less had to invent one, translating an American form into a language and a political climate that had no ready place for it, and doing it well enough that Breakout's 1971 album Blues is still treated as a founding document of Polish rock rather than a curiosity. Every Polish blues guitarist who came after him worked in a genre he had to build the room for first (Kilde: Wikipedia, muzeumjazzu.pl).

Influences

John MayallB.B. KingMuddy Waters

Family and personal life

Spouse

Mira Kubasińska

Musical partner and lead singer of Breakout; they met as a festival duo in 1963 and had a son, Piotr.

Formative experiences

•1943: Born in Zgłobień, near Rzeszów, Poland. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
•Trains at the Rzeszów music school in violin, clarinet and double bass. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
•1963: Wins recognition at the Festival of Young Talents in Szczecin, performing with Mira Kubasińska. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
•1968: Forms Breakout, the band that defines his career for the next decade. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
•1971: Breakout's album Blues becomes a founding document of Polish rock. (Kilde: Wikipedia, Discogs)
•1986: Named Poland's best musician, composer and guitarist by Jazz Forum magazine. (Kilde: Wikipedia)

Instruments & Equipment

Stories & Anecdotes

"Met his future wife and Breakout co-frontwoman, Mira Kubasińska, as a festival duo partner in 1963. (Kilde: Wikipedia)"

"Breakout's 1971 album Blues is widely regarded as the single most important blues record in Polish rock history. (Kilde: Wikipedia, Discogs)"

"Called "the godfather of Polish blues" and, for combining guitar mastery with bandleading, "the Polish John Mayall." (Kilde: muzeumjazzu.pl)"

"Received Poland's Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta in 2003 and a posthumous film-score honor from the Polish Film Academy in 2021. (Kilde: Wikipedia)"

Collaborators

Mira Kubasińska

Wife and lead singer of Breakout throughout its thirteen-year run.

Collaborative album Numero Uno (1987), plus joint concert tours.

Włodzimierz Nahorny

Saxophonist and flautist on Breakout's 1969 debut, Na drugim brzegu tęczy.

Watch & Listen

Featured

Breakout - Co stało się kwiatom [Official Audio]

Polskie Nagrania

Breakout - Na drugim brzegu tęczy [Official Audio]

Breakout - Na drugim brzegu tęczy [Official Audio]

Tadeusz Nalepa - To mój blues [Official Audio]

Tadeusz Nalepa - To mój blues [Official Audio]

Breakout - Przyszła do mnie bieda [Official Audio]

Breakout - Przyszła do mnie bieda [Official Audio]

Tadeusz Nalepa & Dżem - Modlitwa (1987)

Tadeusz Nalepa & Dżem - Modlitwa (1987)

Watch & Listen

Henter videoer fra YouTube…

Discography

Year	Title	Producer	Studio	Label	Chart	Sales	Musicians	YouTube	Notes
1969	Na drugim brzegu tęczy	—	—	Polskie Nagrania "Muza"	—	—	—		Breakout's debut album, with guest saxophonist and flautist Włodzimierz Nahorny.
1971	Blues	—	—	Polskie Nagrania "Muza"	—	—	—		Widely regarded as the single most important blues album in Polish rock history.
1980	Żagiel Ziemi	—	—	Polskie Nagrania "Muza"	—	—	—		Late-period Breakout album, released a year before the band's initial split.
1987	Sen szaleńca	—	—	—	—	—	—		Solo album from Nalepa's post-Breakout period.
1987	Numero Uno	—	—	—	—	—	—		Collaborative album and tour with rock-blues band Dżem.
1993	Jesteś w piekle	—	—	—	—	—	—		Later solo studio album.

Famous songs

01Co stało się kwiatom

02Na drugim brzegu tęczy

03To mój blues

04Przyszła do mnie bieda

05Modlitwa

Awards & Recognition

1986

Jazz Forum — Best Musician, Composer and Guitarist in Poland

2003

Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta

2021

Polish Film Academy — posthumous recognition for film score

External links

Wikipedia Muzeum Jazzu

Sources