Ryszard Riedel is an iconic figure of the Polish music scene. Despite the fact that he lived only 38 years, his short, extreme - full of pain and joy, sadness and joy - life entered the pages of Polish history. Every Pole knows immortal songs, such as: "Naive questions", in which he sings "Only moments are beautiful in life ..."; a song about "Whiskey" - calling her his wife, or "Red as a brick", where his vocals warm you up like a stove.
Self-taught with great talent
It is surprising that Rysiek was a self-taught person. It is his charisma and talent that seem to be a gift that made him one of the greatest artists in Poland to this day. The feelings he left in the songs, the emotions that are tangible every second of the sound of his voice make him constantly touch the hearts of Poles, even more than two decades after his death. Even Czesław Niemen, then considered the king of blues music, confessed in one of the interviews that he was abdicating this name in favor of Rzyszard.
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Almost all musical life with Jam
The son of Krystyna and Jan Riedel, he spent almost his entire musical path faithfully with the Dżem band, which he joined when he was only 17 years old. He remained in his ranks for another 20 years, until his temporary removal. It was caused by the inability to further cooperate with the seriously ill Ryszard. Jam's frontman died no longer being its official member.
Personality and music - all Ryszard Riedel
He wrote down mainly in the pages of culture and history with musical works. However, it was the caliber of his personality that meant that for almost a decade the "Tychy Music Festival" named after Rysiek Riedl, "Ku Przestrodze", was held in Paprocany. Six years later, the name was changed to "Music Festival. Rysiek Riedel "Ku Przestrodze" and moved to Chorzów to the Fields of Mars in WPKiW.
"Ku Przestrodze" and Marek Kotański - the founder of Monar
An interesting fact is that from the beginning of the festival it was visited by Marek Kotański - the founder of Monar - one of the largest Polish institutions in the world dealing with counteracting drug addiction, homelessness and social threats.
The music scene of the 2003th Music Festival Rysiek Riedel in XNUMX in Tychy-Paprocany. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Ryszard Riedel in culture
Several documentaries have been made about him: "Jam", "Dream about Victoria" and "You've got people" and has been described in numerous books. Our hero lived in a split between the two extremes of duality: freedom and enslavement, joy and suffering, greatness and weakness, life and death ... Ryszard was characterized by sensitivity, the effect of which we could observe during his live performances. They were a real spectacle, like a gladiator fighting his addiction on a stage that turned out to be the arena of death.
He warned against drugs
One of the main threads in Riedl's life was addiction. Despite his constant high, he didn't glorify him and wasn't his supporter - more of a victim. He warned against drugs and any stimulant. The pain, sadness and suffering that seemed to be the foundation of his work have been and to this day are a warning against the depths of addictions. Same as Ryszard's biography.
The biographical feature film by Jan Kidawa-Błoński - "Skazany na Bluesa" describes the artist's life and shows the problem very well. This is clearly visible in the scene in which Rysiek, who is at the peak of his career, with the world at his feet, falls to his knees in front of a dealer, who is offered a wedding ring for another dose of the drug. It happens when each next one is another nail in his coffin.
Ryszard Riedel - eternally alive in the memory of relatives
He was the father of two children: younger daughter Karolina Małgorzata and son Sebastian, who continues his father's work by singing in the band Cree, whose name was originated by Ryszard himself. The team started working with their father's old associates, which brings us even closer to his immortal heat.
In honor and tribute, many songs and albums devoted to his person were written posthumously by leading representatives of the scene, such as: Oddział closed, Budka Suflera, SBB, TSA, Nocna Zmiana Bluesa, or Gang Olsen. One of the greatest projects commemorating the figure of RR was "Letter to R. for 12 voices." Dżem, where on a 3-disc album, Ryszard's works are performed by such outstanding artists as: Czesław Niemen, Wojciech Waglewski, Tadeusz Nalepa, or Krystyna Prońko.
"The Last Hippie"
Ryszard himself, fascinated by the Far East and the adventures of the 'Last Mohican', was hailed by the prestigious world Rolling Stones magazine as the 'Last Hippie' of our time. He was undoubtedly the voice of his generation, an icon of the culture of rebellion, and a pillar of the current that he set the course for. Responsible for co-creating such important albums for Polish rock as "Cegła", "Detox" or "Zemsta batierzy". The creator of timeless songs such as: "Time Machine", "Letter to M", "Naive questions", "Like a painted bird", "Autsajder", "Skazany na bluesa" or "Dream about Victoria".
"There are only moments in life ... Only me and you"
The soothing thread in Ryszard's story was undoubtedly the marriage. His muse was with him until the end of his days, staying by his side for better and for worse. The inscription "Only moments are beautiful in life ..." on his tombstone, after the death of his beloved wife Małgorzata, when she was buried in her husband's grave, was supplemented with the words "only me and you". It was a beautiful love story, for life and death. If Ryszard was alive, this year, on September 7, we would celebrate his 62nd birthday.
