Krzysztof Krawczyk – “there is a sky like linen somewhere”
He created in a variety of styles and musical genres. In communist Poland he was the idol of the public, but decided to taste the bitter life in America. Despite numerous falls he always got up and came back to the top. His songs have accompanied several generations of Poles, and after his death will long resound in the hearts of the public.
Rebellious child of the opera
Krzysztof Krawczyk was born on September 8, 1946 in Katowice. Music was in his blood, a talent and interest he inherited from his parents, opera singers. He spent his early childhood mainly in Poznań, where his father worked at the Polish Theatre in Poznań. The next stop was Lodz. It was there that Krawczyk finished elementary school with a musical profile. The most traumatic experience of the future singer from this period was the untimely death of his father. Orphanhood contributed to the deterioration of the financial situation of the entire family. Krzysztof had to take responsibility for supporting his mother and brother very early. He took his high school diploma at a night school. The painful experiences caused a long-term spiritual crisis for Krawczyk.
The breakthrough in Krzysztof’s professional life came in 1963, when he and his colleagues: Marian Lichtman, Sławomir Kowalewski and Jerzy Krzemiński, he founded the band Trubadurzy. Soon, the band became famous throughout Poland and promoted successive hits. Popular festivals in Opole, Sopot and Kolobrzeg brought more and more success, and finally opened the door to international career of the group. Troubadours conquered the stages of GDR, Soviet Union, Sweden or Bulgaria.
The ups and downs of Krawczyk’s life and solo career
Soon Krzysztof started thinking about solo career. His first album “Byłaś mi nadzieją” (You Were My Hope) was received very favourably, and soon the first big hits appeared: “Parostatek” and “Rysunek na szkle”. After a brief episode of returning to the Troubadours and recording a joint album, Krawczyk finally decided to perform independently. From the 1970s came such hits of the singer as “Byle było tak”, “Jak minął dzień” or “I remember you from those years”. Almost immediately there was also a flood of prestigious awards: for the Singer of the Year (1975) or the Golden Ring in Kołobrzeg. At the peak of his popularity, he started cooperation with Jarosław Kukulski, who wrote for him the famous hit “To, what the world gave us”. At that time, Krawczyk’s first marriage to Grażyna Adamus broke up. Krzysztof’s second wife was Halina Żytkowiak, a singer who sang among others in a band called Troubadurzy. Soon their son Krzysztof Igor was born.
In 1979 Krzysztof Krawczyk made a crucial decision to emigrate to the United States. He was convinced that the doors of America were wide open to him, but he was sorely disappointed. At first it really seemed that everything was going well – the singer was performing for the American Polonia in Chicago, Las Vegas and Indianapolis. Soon, however, it turned out that America is governed by its own laws, and when the glow of fame begins to dim, you are left on the proverbial ice. Krawczyk had to earn a living by doing various manual labor jobs. He worked among others as a cab driver and construction worker. At the same time this was a hard school of life that revealed both the strengths and weaknesses of his personality. The latter included an addiction to drugs and excessive use of alcohol. In 1982 he met Ewa Trylko, who became his third wife and, as he often emphasized, helped him to get straight.
Krawczyk returned to Poland in 1985 with his wife and son from his second marriage. He recorded several songs in a duet with Bohdan Smoleń, performed on radio and television. His career flourished again and began to grow at a rapid pace. From this period come such hits as “Za tobą pójdę jak na bal” or “Ostatni raz zatańczysz ze mną”.
Tragic accident, stage, emigration
In June 1988 Krzysztof Krawczyk with his wife and son had a serious car accident. The most severe injury was sustained by Krzysztof Junior, who suffered a contusion of the brain stem, which left a permanent loss in his health. The singer returned to the stage a year later, and in 1990 he emigrated again to the USA, where he toured and recorded an album. He returned to Poland after three years. After releasing the album “Gdy nam śpiewał Elvis Presley”, he joined the disco polo trend. In addition, he continued to perform concerts in Poland and abroad, and appeared in numerous television programmes.
The first decade of the 21st century brought another change in Krawczyk’s musical style. In 2001, together with Yugoslavian composer Goran Bregovic, he recorded the album “Daj mi drugie życie”, from which the song “Mój przyjacielu” gained huge popularity, and the album was nominated for a Fryderyk Award. Another album turned out to be a great success – “…Bo marzę i śnię”, which presented beautiful, nostalgic songs led by “Bo jesteś ty”. In turn, from the album “To, co w życiu ważne” (2004) came the famous song performed in duet with Edyta Bartosiewicz “Trudno tak”. The song was awarded Fryderyk in the category “Hit of the Year”, and Krawczyk himself received the statuette as “Singer of the Year”.
The musician often recorded also religious songs, especially dedicated to the memory of John Paul II. He was professionally active until the end of his days. In March 2021 he was awarded the Golden Fryderyk for lifetime achievement. Krzysztof Krawczyk died on April 5, 2021. He left a great void on the Polish stage resounding with his wonderful baritone, which still comfortingly sings “there is a sky like linen somewhere”.
