Artur Gadowski
Encyclopedia
Artur Gadowski ' is Polish
rock music
ian, vocalist of a hard rock band IRA
.
whereas his mother was a vocal instructor. His life's turning point happened in 1979 when he first heard The Beatles
' album titled Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
, which formed his musical style for a long time afterwards.
but he later replaced the vocalist of the group who had been called up. The band gave many concerts at that time stirring up an interest, but they did not manage to qualify for the Jarocin Festival
. During the band's performance in a club in Radom
, Gadowski along with his group were spotted by Kuba Płucisz who was seeking a vocalist for his new music project. Artur Gadowski met Płucisz a few days later and received a proposal from him, accepting it. Meanwhile he continued his education attending a night secondary school. When the members of the group which was being founded were selected, the new band began their first rehearsals in an amphitheatre
in Radom.
IRA
was officially launched in November 1987. They gave successful performances during various festivals and contests, gaining interest and awards. After one of those concerts, IRA were invited to take part in National Festival of Polish Song in Opole
, in which they presented themselves to the public in 1988. Gadowski was granted an award as a vocalist during that festival. The band debuted with their first album in December 1989 and toured all over Poland
as well as in former USSR. IRA became the most marvellous rock band in Poland in the first half of the 1990s. Band's albums Mój dom, 1993 rok and IRA Live assured their rapid success. They performed about 150 concerts all around the country each year as well as opening act
s for well-known rock and hard rock
bands from abroad, e.g. Aerosmith
in 1994. However in the second half of the decade, the band fell into crisis which led to its suspension in 1996.
Gadowski participated in Opole Festival in the same year, i.e. 1998. Then he performed three songs: Na kredyt, Szczęśliwego Nowego Jorku and a song by Czerwone Gitary
titled Biały krzyż. At that time, he also collaborated with other artists, including Zbigniew Hołdys. On September 30, he performed before the concert of Queen's
guitarist, Brian May
in Warsaw
. He sang a duet
with Anna Maria Jopek
at another occasion. In February 2000, Gadowski took up composing soundtrack
s for TVP2 programs. The following month brought his second album G.A.D.. All of the lyrics were written by Krzysztof Jaryczewski, whereas the very songs were composed by a Swedish
producer Mark Tysper. In the same month, Gadowski appeared on stage before Joe Cocker
at concerts in Warsaw
and Poznań
.
He also sang (with Ryszard Rynkowski and Grzegorz Markowski) a song titled Najlepszy z najlepszych (The best of the best) which was the official hymn of the Polish Olympic team in 2000
.
with Piotr Sujka and Wojciech Owczarek of IRA, in order to work on a building site. There they played their old repertoire on days off. They employed a guitarist, Tomasz Ciastko, and started to perform in clubs. After their return to Poland, they reactivated the band, at first as Artur Gadowski & IRA. Gadowski has recorded albums with the band as well as given plenty of concerts all over Poland since then. In addition, he has appeared as guest performer on the albums of other artists, including Ewelina Flinta
and Krzysztof Jaryczewski. The year 2003 brought the 15th anniversary of IRA
's existence. On that occasion the whole group gave a jubilee concert in Radom
.
was removed, but suddenly some serious and unexpected complications appeared, leaving him unconscious for two days. Eventually he recovered and soon regained his voice as well as his physical strength. He was able to play with his band again in 2006.
on the Main Market Square in Cracow
. On October 15 he was guest on a TV show Weekend z Gwiazdą (Weekend with the Star) which was, by way of an exception, broadcast from the Stansted
airport near London
, UK
. On December 15 he appeared on a special concert in Toruń
dedicated to a Polish musician, Grzegorz Ciechowski
. At the beginning of 2008 Gadowski sang a duet with a vocalist of a debuting band, Nefer. They recorded a song titled Samotni w sieci (The lonely on the net). Gadowski was the author of lyrics for the song.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
ian, vocalist of a hard rock band IRA
IRA (Polish heavy metal band)
IRA - Polish rock band formed in 1987 in Radom by Jakub Płucisz , Wojciech Owczarek , Artur Gadowski , Dariusz Grudzień and Grzegorz Wawrzeńczuk...
.
Biography
Gadowski comes from a musical family. His father played saxophoneSaxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
whereas his mother was a vocal instructor. His life's turning point happened in 1979 when he first heard The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' album titled Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the eighth studio album by the English rock band The Beatles, released on 1 June 1967 on the Parlophone label and produced by George Martin...
, which formed his musical style for a long time afterwards.
Beginnings and career with IRA
In 1985, he established his first amateur music band together with his schoolmates, Kurcze blade, dissolved after merely a year. Then in 1986 he co-founded another band, Landrynki dla dziewczynki, in which Gadowski initially played guitarGuitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
but he later replaced the vocalist of the group who had been called up. The band gave many concerts at that time stirring up an interest, but they did not manage to qualify for the Jarocin Festival
Jarocin Festival
Jarocin Festival was one of the biggest and most important rock music festivals in the 1980s Europe, by far the biggest festival of alternative music in the Warsaw Pact countries....
. During the band's performance in a club in Radom
Radom
Radom is a city in central Poland with 223,397 inhabitants . It is located on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship , having previously been the capital of Radom Voivodeship ; 100 km south of Poland's capital, Warsaw.It is home to the biennial Radom Air Show, the largest and...
, Gadowski along with his group were spotted by Kuba Płucisz who was seeking a vocalist for his new music project. Artur Gadowski met Płucisz a few days later and received a proposal from him, accepting it. Meanwhile he continued his education attending a night secondary school. When the members of the group which was being founded were selected, the new band began their first rehearsals in an amphitheatre
Amphitheatre
An amphitheatre is an open-air venue used for entertainment and performances.There are two similar, but distinct, types of structure for which the word "amphitheatre" is used: Ancient Roman amphitheatres were large central performance spaces surrounded by ascending seating, and were commonly used...
in Radom.
IRA
IRA (Polish heavy metal band)
IRA - Polish rock band formed in 1987 in Radom by Jakub Płucisz , Wojciech Owczarek , Artur Gadowski , Dariusz Grudzień and Grzegorz Wawrzeńczuk...
was officially launched in November 1987. They gave successful performances during various festivals and contests, gaining interest and awards. After one of those concerts, IRA were invited to take part in National Festival of Polish Song in Opole
National Festival of Polish Song in Opole
National Festival of Polish Song in Opole is a yearly music festival in Opole, Poland. Together with Sopot Festival it is the most important music festival in Poland. Opole Festival is meant as a summary of yearly season of achievements of Polish song writers and performers...
, in which they presented themselves to the public in 1988. Gadowski was granted an award as a vocalist during that festival. The band debuted with their first album in December 1989 and toured all over Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
as well as in former USSR. IRA became the most marvellous rock band in Poland in the first half of the 1990s. Band's albums Mój dom, 1993 rok and IRA Live assured their rapid success. They performed about 150 concerts all around the country each year as well as opening act
Opening act
An opening act or warm-up act is an entertainer or entertainment act that performs at a concert before the featured entertainer...
s for well-known rock and hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
bands from abroad, e.g. Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
in 1994. However in the second half of the decade, the band fell into crisis which led to its suspension in 1996.
Solo career
From this moment on, Gadowski started his solo career. He signed a contract with Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG). The first album was intended to be released in October 1996, but the recorded material did not satisfy the vocalist. In 1997, Gadowski recorded a song Szczęśliwego Nowego Jorku (Happy New York) together with Marek Kościkiewicz of the De Mono. The song promoted a film of the same title and it turned out to be a hit that reached leading places in music charts. Works on Gadowski's first solo album were resumed in 1998 but only one of the records which were found in the album's first version appeared on the CD published on April 20.Gadowski participated in Opole Festival in the same year, i.e. 1998. Then he performed three songs: Na kredyt, Szczęśliwego Nowego Jorku and a song by Czerwone Gitary
Czerwone Gitary
Czerwone Gitary is one of the most popular rock bands in the history of Polish popular music. The band formed in 1965 and achieved its greatest success from 1965 to 1970. Often considered the Polish equivalent of the Beatles, many of their hits are now classics in Poland...
titled Biały krzyż. At that time, he also collaborated with other artists, including Zbigniew Hołdys. On September 30, he performed before the concert of Queen's
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
guitarist, Brian May
Brian May
Brian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. He sang a duet
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
with Anna Maria Jopek
Anna Maria Jopek
Anna Maria Jopek is a Polish musician and singer. She represented her country in the 1997 Eurovision Song Contest, with the song "Ale jestem" and finished 11th out of 25 participating acts; and in 2002, she collaborated on an album with jazz guitarist Pat Metheny...
at another occasion. In February 2000, Gadowski took up composing soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
s for TVP2 programs. The following month brought his second album G.A.D.. All of the lyrics were written by Krzysztof Jaryczewski, whereas the very songs were composed by a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
producer Mark Tysper. In the same month, Gadowski appeared on stage before Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
at concerts in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
and Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
.
He also sang (with Ryszard Rynkowski and Grzegorz Markowski) a song titled Najlepszy z najlepszych (The best of the best) which was the official hymn of the Polish Olympic team in 2000
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
.
Reactivation of the band
A deteriorating financial situation, however, forced him to go to AmericaUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with Piotr Sujka and Wojciech Owczarek of IRA, in order to work on a building site. There they played their old repertoire on days off. They employed a guitarist, Tomasz Ciastko, and started to perform in clubs. After their return to Poland, they reactivated the band, at first as Artur Gadowski & IRA. Gadowski has recorded albums with the band as well as given plenty of concerts all over Poland since then. In addition, he has appeared as guest performer on the albums of other artists, including Ewelina Flinta
Ewelina Flinta
Ewelina Flinta is a Polish singer. She has performed at Przystanek Woodstock and Teatr Buffo. She rose to fame by coming second in the first season of the television show Idol.-Awards:...
and Krzysztof Jaryczewski. The year 2003 brought the 15th anniversary of IRA
IRA (Polish heavy metal band)
IRA - Polish rock band formed in 1987 in Radom by Jakub Płucisz , Wojciech Owczarek , Artur Gadowski , Dariusz Grudzień and Grzegorz Wawrzeńczuk...
's existence. On that occasion the whole group gave a jubilee concert in Radom
Radom
Radom is a city in central Poland with 223,397 inhabitants . It is located on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship , having previously been the capital of Radom Voivodeship ; 100 km south of Poland's capital, Warsaw.It is home to the biennial Radom Air Show, the largest and...
.
Health problems in 2004
At the end of 2004, Artur Gadowski started to have problems with his voice and was operated on on October 18 because of ineffectiveness of the treatment he had undergone with use of medicines. His goitreGoitre
A goitre or goiter , is a swelling in the thyroid gland, which can lead to a swelling of the neck or larynx...
was removed, but suddenly some serious and unexpected complications appeared, leaving him unconscious for two days. Eventually he recovered and soon regained his voice as well as his physical strength. He was able to play with his band again in 2006.
After recovery
Apart from other appearances, he took part in an annual charity concert organized by Anna DymnaAnna Dymna
Anna Dymna is a Polish TV, film and theatre actress. Foundress of a charity foundation Mimo Wszystko...
on the Main Market Square in Cracow
Main Market Square, Kraków
The Main Market Square in Kraków is the most important market square of the Old Town in Kraków, Poland and a principal urban space located at the center of the city...
. On October 15 he was guest on a TV show Weekend z Gwiazdą (Weekend with the Star) which was, by way of an exception, broadcast from the Stansted
London Stansted Airport
-Cargo:-Statistics:-Infrastructure:-Terminal and satellite buildings:Stansted is the newest passenger airport of all the main London airports. The terminal is an oblong glass building, and is separated in to three areas: Check-in concourse, arrivals and departures...
airport near London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. On December 15 he appeared on a special concert in Toruń
Torun
Toruń is an ancient city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River. Its population is more than 205,934 as of June 2009. Toruń is one of the oldest cities in Poland. The medieval old town of Toruń is the birthplace of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus....
dedicated to a Polish musician, Grzegorz Ciechowski
Grzegorz Ciechowski
Grzegorz Ciechowski was a Polish rock musician and film music composer.Ciechowski was the founder and frontman of the band Republika, which was one of Poland's most popular rock groups...
. At the beginning of 2008 Gadowski sang a duet with a vocalist of a debuting band, Nefer. They recorded a song titled Samotni w sieci (The lonely on the net). Gadowski was the author of lyrics for the song.
Albums with the band IRA
- IRA (1989)
- Mój dom (1991) (PL Gold, Platinum)
- 1993 rok (1993) (Gold)
- IRA Live (1993) (Gold)
- Znamię (1994) (Gold)
- Ogrody (1995)
- Tu i Teraz (2002)
- Ogień (2004)
- IRA Live 15-lecie (2004)
- Londyn 08:15 (2007)
- 9 (2009)