„Anyone can sing, a bit better or a bit worse” – Jerzy Stuhr once sung. It’s also possible to inherit one’s talent from a famous parent, as did the actor’s son, Maciej Stuhr. How do such connections look in the music industry?
Perfect – Grzegorz Markowski and Patrycja Markowska
Perfect is one of the titans of Polish rock music. Clever lyrics, which were often an accurate social commentary (e.g. “Ale wkoło jest wesoło”, “Chcemy być sobą”), and the charisma of the group’s vocalist, Grzegorz Markowski, created an amazing effect on stage. This energy was inherited by the musician’s daughter, Patrycja Markowska, who’s been musically active for over 20 years. She performed with her dad many times – their latest collaboration appeared on Patrycja’s album “Wilczy Pęd”. The duo can be heard, among others, in the song “Kieszenie”.
Budka Suflera – Krzysztof Cugowski and Bracia – Piotr and Wojciech Cugowski
Krzysztof Cugowski has been charming Polish audiences with his raspy voice for over 50 years. He’s most well known for his work in the band Budka Suflera. He’s participated in various musical projects, e.g. with Grażyna Łobaszewska or with… VNM and Rozbójnik Alibaba. His sons – Piotr and Wojciech Cugowscy, are equally versatile and they have been active as Bracia since 1997. On stage Piotr Cugowski is just like his father, while Wojciech Cugowski dazzles with his vocal and guitar skills. The family has done some projects together – in 2014 they formed the band Cugowscy, and later released their album “Zaklęty krąg”.
Voo Voo – Wojciech Waglewski and Fisz and Emade – Bartosz i Piotr Waglewski
It’s hard to find a musician more colourful and original than Wojciech Waglewski. Musically, he’s close to rock, folk, and jazz, and he is an amazing guitarist, composer, producer, and arranger. His most famous project is the band Voo Voo, which has been active since 1985. His sons, Bartosz “Fisz” Waglewski and Piotr “Emade” Waglewski, went in a slightly different direction – hip-hop, although they didn’t forget about their jazz and alternative roots. Those around 30-40 years old surely remember Fisz’s „Czerwona sukienka”. Together with Emade they crated Tworzywo Sztuczne, also known as Fish Emade Tworzywo, in which Fish is a vocalist and Emade plays drums. Fish and Wojciech Waglewski hosted a radio show called “Magiel Wagli” in Polish Radio Three, and another one called “Wagle” in Radio Nowy Świat. They released three albums as a trio Waglewski Fisz Emade: “Męska muzyka” (2008), “Matka, Syn, Bóg” (2013), and “Duchy ludzi I zwierząt” (2020).
Elektryczne Gitary – Kuba Sienkiewicz and Kwiat Jabłoni – Kasia and Jacek Sienkiewicz
Kuba Sienkiewicz is the best musician amongst neurologists and the best neurologist among musicians. Since 1990 he’s been a part of Elektryczne Gitary, a band which is a staple of Polish 90s music. He also composed for such films as “Kiler”, “Kiler-ów 2-óch”, or “Kariera Nikosia Dyzmy”. Siblings Kasia and Jacek Sienkiewicz have a completely different musical style than their father – instead of humorous and catchy pop-rock songs, Kwiat Jabłoni plays music that is in-between folk and indie-pop. Although they’ve been on stage for only 5 years, Kwiat Jabłoni has already released 3 studio albums and the group is recognized both by the critics and by the listeners – the song “Dziś późno pójdę spać” has been played over 43 million times (as of March 2023). In 2022 they recorded a single “Jest tylko teraz” in collaboration with Bedoes and Krzysztof Zalewski for the project Męskie Granie Orkiestra. In contrary to the families mentioned above, Kuba, Kasia, and Jacek Sienkiewicz haven’t recorded anything together, but, who knows, maybe that will change?
Anna Jantar and Natalia Kukulska
Anna Jantar was one of the brightest stars in Polish music. Her energetic songs were sung by the entire country. Unfortunately, she died tragically in 1980 in a plane crash and left her husband, composer Jarosław Kukulski, and a 4-year-old daughter Natalia. Anna’s daughter has shown musical talent since she was a little girl. She debuted in 1986 with an album “Natalia”, which consisted of children’s songs, e.g. “Puszek-okruszek”. Natalia Kukulska released two other albums for children and then, in 1996, presented herself to a broader audience with more mature repertoire. Her album “Światło” with the signle “Piosenka światłoczuła” was appreciated by the public and gained the status of a gold record. Since then, her career has been going strong – as of now she has released 15 studio albums, 1 EP, and 53 singles. She has won many awards and cemented her place in the history of Polish popular music. Natalia Kukulska often talks about her mother and references her music. In 1999 she released her own arrangement of Anna Jantar’s biggest hit – “Tyle słońca w całym mieście”, in which the late singer can be heard.
Krzesimir Dębski, Anna Jurksztowicz and Jimek – Radzimir Dębski
Krzesimir Dębski needs no introduction. He’s an incredibly talented artist who’s successful not only in Poland, but also internationally. Anna Jurksztowicz, a singer and music producer, who also specialized in film music, was his long-time partner. Radzimir Dębski, a composer and conductor, is one of their children. In 2012 he won a competition for a remix of Beyonce’s song “End of Time”, which appeared on the singer’s EP “4: The Remix”. In 2015 he released an album titled “2015” (!), recorded in collaboration with Miuosh and the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. The album is a live recording of a concert which took place in Katowice, during which Jimek played, among others, a medley of hip-hop songs “Historia hip-hopu”. None other family had such an impact on film music as the Dębski family and it would be interesting to one day see their joint concert.
Author: Magdalena Gosk
Translation: Matylda Widawska
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