Karel Kryl
| Karel Kryl | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Born |
April 12, 1944 Kroměříž, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia |
| Died | March 3, 1994 (aged 49) Munich, Germany |
| Genres | folk, Protest song |
| Occupation(s) | poet, Singer-songwriter, musician, graphic artist |
| Instruments | guitar, |
| Years active | 1968–1994 |
| Labels | Supraphon, Primaphon, Caston, Bonton, And the End Records |
| Website | [1] |
Karel Kryl (April 12, 1944 Kroměříž – March 3, 1994 Munich) was an iconic Moravian singer-songwriter and performer of many protest songs in which he identified and attacked the stupidity and inhumanity of the Communist and later also post-communist regimes in his home country.
The lyrics of Karel Kryl's songs are highly poetic and sophisticated, with a frequent use of metaphors and historical allusions. The sparse sounds of an accompanying acoustic guitar served to underscore the natural flow of the lyrics themselves. In certain respects—especially the complexity of his lyrics and his accompaniment by a single acoustic guitar—Kryl was similar to a young Bob Dylan. However, unlike Dylan, the Czech singer had a smooth and pure voice, which gave a hauntingly sad quality to his mournful lyrics. He was bitterly critical of the new regime established after the collapse of communism in his country, including of Václav Havel, and those who were responsible for the destruction of Czechoslovakia in 1992.
Kryl was born on April 12, 1944, in Kroměříž, in German-occupied Czechoslovakia, . He was the son of Karel Kryl and Marie Šebestová. His father owned a printing business, which was confiscated from the family in 1948 after the communist takeover. Kryl wanted to be a potter and studied at an industrial secondary school where he specialized in ceramics. He graduated in 1962.
Kryl moved to Prague in 1968 as an assistant at Czechoslovak Television. In his spare time he performed his songs in numerous small clubs. When the Warsaw Pact armies occupied Czechoslovakia on August 21, 1968, to suppress the Prague Spring reform movement, Kryl released his first album. The title song Bratříčku zavírej vrátka (Keep the Gate Closed, Little Brother) was composed spontaneously on 22.8. 1968 as an immediate reaction to the occupation. The album described his perception of the inhumanity of the regime and his views on life under communist rule. The album was released in early 1969 and was banned and removed from shelves shortly after.
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