Czesław Niemen (1966) -- Sen o Warszawie & Old photographs of Warsaw

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Tak wyglądała Warszawa przedwojenna -- cudeńko europejskie.
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~ CZESŁAW NIEMEN (ur. 16 lutego 1939 w Starych Wasiliszkach, zm. 17 stycznia 2004 w Warszawie)
-- Sen o Warszawie. Muzyka Czesław Niemen, słowa Marek Gaszyński.
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Legendary actress and singer Marlene Dietrich was so astonished by Niemen's performance while visiting Warsaw in 1964 that she asked him for permission to sing his song "Czy mnie jeszcze pamietasz" ("Do You Still Remember Me"). It was later re-titled as "Mutter, hast du mir vergeben".
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Czesław Niemen belongs to the legends of polish music scene. He was a singer, instrumentalist, composer, poet, painter. He has been famous for over 30 years.
He was born on February 16, 1939 in Stare Wasiliszki, Nowogródzkie, Poland [now Staryya Vasilishki, Belarus]. His real name was Czesław Juliusz Wydrzycki but he decided to use his stage name - Niemen. He came to Poland in early 50' with all his family. They moved to Gdańsk. It is a beautiful city near the seaside. He and his family were very poor and it was not easy for them to send him to school. After all, he finished his school and studies there. Czesław Niemen was singing from early years. His unusual voice was very specific and unforgettable. First he was singing songs for children. Later he was singing in a group called Blue - Black. He left this band in 1967 after "The Opole Festival" when he decided for solo career. Later he sang in few more bands but usually he worked as a soloist. After the festival where he sang his biggest hit "Dziwny jest ten Świat" he became an idol for teenagers. This man who was not handsome at all, wearing strange, colorful clothes became an idol of the masses. He was known all over the Poland. His voice was so charismatic that it was impossible to mistake him for another singer.
For 17 years, from 1964 till 1980, he had been claimed to be the most popular vocalist in Poland. He had creadted his own style and image. He liked bright - coloured shirts and flares. One time he looked like a mountain man, the other time he looked like a hippie He had alwoys long, dark hair. He was very visible person and artist. The communnists claimed he was a devil but he didn't care. He was giving a concerts in such countries like: Poland, RFN, NRD, Italy, France, United States. At the beginning the radios and Television were not allowed to emit his songs as the they were claimed to be not suitable.
After 1990 he walked away from the scene. He was working in his own recording studio. He was making his own music and he didn't care for fame. The world of pop music was not comfortable for him. He was a big artist but his songs were very avant - garde. The radio didn't want to emit songs which were destined just for a small number of people. He became too brilliant for viewers and listeners. He choose to be a real artist and locked in his house he was making the masterpieces.
He was also painting. The world of sounds was interlarded with colours. His favourite way of creating was computer graphics. His works were donated and sold on an auction. The money he earned were donated for children in Lithuania. He didn't want to be called a painter. However he was painting from earlu years he was not a professional. He was painting his own visions and poems which he wrote and than he was singing them, too. His paintings and compute graphics can be concidered as the reflection of his soul.
During the last years of his life he had almost vanished. He didn't walk out from his house. He was singing, painting, coposing in home. He was a vegetarian. He didn't smoke cigarettes and he didn't drink alkohole.
He died in 2004 after a long illness. He was departed with sorrow and grief. Czesław Niemen was a real artist and individualist.
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Ilustracje Starej Warszawy
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