Ryszard Riedel is an iconic figure of the Polish music scene. Although he lived only 38 years, his short, extreme biography - filled with pain and joy, sadness and joy - was indelibly written on the pages of Polish history. Every Pole knows immortal songs such as: "Naive Questions", in which he sings "There are only beautiful moments in life..."; the song about "Whiskey" - calling her his wife, or "Red as a brick", where his vocals heat up like a furnace.
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 is remembered in the pages of culture and history mainly for his musical works. However, it was the caliber of his personality that made the "Tyski Music Festival" named after Rysiek Riedel "Ku Przestrodze" take place in Paprocany for almost a decade. 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 Strodze” and Marek Kotański – 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 were made about him: "Dżem", "Dream about Victoria" and "You're welcome, people", and he was described in numerous books. Our hero lived torn between two ends of dualism: freedom and slavery, 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 a life of addiction on a stage that turned out to be an 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.
Jan Kidawa-Błoński's biographical feature film "Skazany na Bluesa" describes the artist's life and shows the problem perfectly. This is especially clear in the scene where Rysiek, who is at the peak of his career and has the world at his feet, falls on his knees in front of a dealer to whom he offers a wedding ring in exchange for another dose of drugs. This happens when each subsequent 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 his honor and as a tribute, many songs and albums dedicated to him were created posthumously by leading representatives of the scene, such as: Branch Closed, Budka Suflera, SBB, TSA, Nocna Zmiana Bluesa, and Gang Olsena. One of the greatest projects commemorating RR was "Letter to R. for 12 voices." Dżu, where Ryszard's songs are performed on a 3-CD album by such outstanding artists as: Czesław Niemen, Wojciech Waglewski, Tadeusz Nalepa, and Krystyna Prońko.
“The Last Hippie”
Ryszard himself, fascinated by the Far East and the adventures of the 'Last of the Mohicans', was hailed by the world's prestigious Rolling Stones magazine as 'The Last Hippie' of our times. He was undoubtedly the voice of his generation, an icon of the culture of rebellion and a pillar of the trend he led. Responsible for co-creating such important albums for Polish rock as "Cegła", "Detox" and "Zemsta nietoperzy". The creator of timeless songs such as: "Time Machine", "Letter to M", "Naive Questions", "Jak Painted Ptak", "Autsajder", "Skazany na Bluesa", and "Sen o Victoria".
“There are only beautiful moments in life… Just me and you”
The soothing thread in Richard's story was undoubtedly marriage. His muse was with him until the end of his days, remaining by his side through thick and thin. To the inscription "There are only beautiful moments in life..." on his tombstone, after the death of his beloved wife Małgorzata, when she was buried in her husband's grave, the inscription "only me and you" was added. It was a story of a beautiful love, life and death. If Ryszard were alive, this year, on September 7, we would celebrate his 62nd birthday.
