Biography:

Jerzy Połomski , originally Jerzy Pająk (born September 18 , 1933 in Radom , died November 14 , 2022 in Warsaw ) – Polish singer , entertainer and actor .

One of the most popular Polish entertainers of the 1960s and 1970s ^[1] . Singing with a baritone, he performed mainly popular repertoire , although his repertoire also included ballads . He promoted many songs from the 1960s and 1970s, such as: Because with the girls , the whole room sings with us , What the wind says , Give me the code , My dear, my quiet , You will never forget , Only she alone , The water carrier . In 2009, he received the Golden Fryderyk Award for lifetime achievement.

Childhood and education

He was born into the family of officials Edward and Mary ^[2] . He spent his childhood and early youth in Radom , where he survived the bombing of the city during the aggression of Germany and the USSR against Poland in 1939 . He graduated from construction technical school in this city ^[3] . After graduating from high school, he went to study in Warsaw . He passed the entrance exam for his dream architecture , but was not accepted (the decisive factor was the lack of points for his origin – workers or peasants were preferred – or membership in the Polish Youth Union ). Later, he passed the exams and was admitted to the State Theater School in Warsaw ^[4] to the Stage Department. During his studies, his lecturer Ludwik Sempoliński suggested he change his name to a more stage one and advised him to devote himself to music, not acting. He graduated in 1957 with a diploma as a drama and stage actor.

Acting career

He played dramatic roles, including: The poet in The Wedding by Stanisław Wyspiański , King Jan Kazimierz in Mazepa by Juliusz Słowacki , the title role in Maxim Gorky ‘s play Yegor Bulychov and others. However, his diploma, which included Stefania Grodzieńska’s skit The Glove and roles in musical comedies: The Rape of the Sabines by Franz and Paul Schonthan and The Straw Hat by Eugéne Labiche , announced his future path as an actor ^[5] [6] . After graduation, he received an offer to play the main role in a play titled Achilles and Misses by Artur Maria Swinarski at the Musical Theater in Gdynia under the direction of Danuta Baduszkowa , but he rejected this proposal.

He made his debut as an actor in 1957 at the Buffo Theater in Warsaw ^[4] , where he played, among others, in satirical compilations Sins old and new , Jokes on the table , Our egg and How a cottage is rich. Then he performed at the Syrena Theater in Warsaw .

Music career

Beginnings of career

In the book The Second Half of Life , his professor and mentor Ludwik Sempoliński wrote that the theater management was unable to properly appreciate Jerzy Połomski’s talent: “Discouraged by two unsuccessful seasons at Buffo, where they did not know how to use him, casting him in banal songs like Lody, lody… and the like numbers, he did not break down and did not neglect himself, singing and developing songs on Polish Radio ” ^[7] . The effects did not have to wait long: in 1958, he took second place in the Polish Radio plebiscite for the most popular Polish singer ^[4] . Apparently, the listeners voted for him the most, but the director Władysław Szpilman decided that it was not appropriate for such a youngster to overtake the famous Mieczysław Fogg , and he was the winner ^[8] .

1960s

He recorded his first piece for the radio, Song for a Stranger, composed by Jerzy Harald ^[6] with lyrics by Zbigniew Kaszkur and Zbigniew Zapert, while still a student. Already then it gained popularity, which grew every year. One of its manifestations was Szpilek’s victory in the poll , in which he received 18.4% of the votes, more than, among others, Czesław Niemen , Wojciech Młynarski , Marek Grechuta and Mieczysław Fogg ^[9] . In 1961, he won second prize at the 1st International Song Festival in Sopot for the song entitled Woziwoda , and in 1968 he received the award of the Society of Friends of Opole at the 6th National Festival of Polish Song in Opole for the song Jest balałajka , composed by Henryk Klejny with words by Tadeusz Urgacz ^[10] . In 1969, he was a laureate of the Golden Orpheus festival in Bulgaria , where he won the jury and radio and television awards ^[4] , and a year later he took third place at the Coupe d’Europe Musicale festival in Switzerland ^[4] .

He gave concerts both in the country and abroad, including in Great Britain , Denmark , Czechoslovakia , the USSR , Yugoslavia , Romania and Hungary , as well as in Cuba and many times in Polish centers in the USA , Canada and Australia ^[4] . He was honored three times by the residents of Chicago with the title of the most popular Polish American singer in the years 1967–1969 ^[6] .

He admitted that reading the novel The Gulag Archipelago and The Cancer Ward by Alexander Solzhenitsyn , as well as visits to the Soviet Union , changed his perception of socialism , which for some time he perceived as a fair system ^[11] .

1970s

In 1970, he performed at the Syrena Theater in the revue Ćwierć za chimney with Irena Santor . In 1973, he performed at the Soviet Song Festival in Zielona Góra , where he performed the song Wesele ^[12] . In the same year, he also took third place during the 11th National Polish Song Festival in Opole for the song entitled Because with girls .

He also eagerly reached for pre-war songs, such as This is the Last Sunday , When the White Lilacs Will Bloom Again , Everyone is allowed to love , To Be Young , and I’m sorry for your tears . The song lyrics were written for him by Wojciech Młynarski , Ireneusz Iredyński , Adam Kreczmar , Agnieszka Osiecka , Jacek Korczakowski , Zbigniew Stawecki. His repertoire includes, among others: the song Commemoration with the words of the poem of the same title by Wisława Szymborska , The Last Icarus with the words by Jonasz Kofta (original title Song about eternal happiness ) and You hear, the sleigh is rushing by Sergei Yesenin . He successfully sang covers of foreign hits: Formidable, Kilimandjaro, My dear Clementine, House of the Rising Sun, Róża jest red, Oh, what a night .

In 1978, A. Poray Book Publishing published the book Świat Jerzy Połomskiego by Róża Nowotarska on the American market .

1980s and 1990s

Połomski spent several years in the United States , where he went in December 1981 as part of a concert tour. He received a green card , but as soon as martial law was lifted in Poland , he gave it back, much to the consul’s surprise, and decided to return to the country. During his stay in the USA, he came into contact with the journalistic works of Jerzy Giedroyc .

In 1990, during the 27th National Festival of Polish Song in Opole . received a distinction for the song My youth with words by Agnieszka Osiecka and music by Seweryn Krajewski . For the album of the same title , which sold 50,000. copies, in 1998 it received a Golden Record . Previously, similar success was achieved by, among others, longplay Daj (1970), whose title song with words by Adam Kreczmar and music by Jerzy Andrzej Marek was hailed by the press as the first Polish sung erotica ^[13] . The author took the opening line of the text: “Give whatever is missing, so that you could give the most” from Jan Kochanowski’s epigram To the girl .

2000–2019

In 2006, after a long break, he recorded a new version of the song Bo z girls together with the band Big Cyc ^[14] , which they performed together at the TOPtrendy 2007 festival in Sopot , and then again in 2013 during a concert celebrating the band’s 25th anniversary. In 2007, Połomski recorded his premiere single Czas poznas, with music by Marcin Nierubiec and words by Jacek Cygan . Two years later, in 2009, a music video was shot for it, directed by Remigiusz Przełożny ^[15] . In 2007, the singer was a juror at the 44th International Song Festival in Sopot ^[6] .

On April 20, 2009, he received the Golden Fryderyk award for lifetime achievement from the mayor of Warsaw ^, Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz .

On June 16, 2013, during the 50th National Festival of Polish Song in Opole, he performed at an anniversary gala recalling the greatest hits of the past half a century. He presented two songs: Daj and Bo z girls . The hosts of the concert, Joanna Moro and Piotr Polk, congratulated the singer and wished them on a double occasion: 56 years of artistic work and the upcoming 80th birthday, to which the gathered audience responded by spontaneously singing Happy Birthday . From September 16 to 20, 2013, he was a regular guest on Marek Sierocki’s show on Vox FM radio . On September 22, TVP1 broadcast a special episode of the program What a melody? devoted entirely to Połomski’s work. On December 7, he performed during his anniversary concert at the State Theater School in Krakow , where guests also appeared, among others: Halina Kunicka , Hanna Banaszak , Jerzy Derfel , Janusz Sent and Piotr Kałużny .

He also performed in duets: with Irena Santor he recorded the song Za Kochani (CD Irena Santor Duety, 1996), and with young performers he sang his hits: with Tatiana Okupnik Bo z Dziewczynami (finals of the Viva NajPięknejsi plebiscite , 2008), with Anna Wyszkoni You will never forget ( 56 . KFPP Opole ), with Damian Ukeje Bo with girls (New Year’s Eve with Two, Wrocław market square , 2012).

He took part in charity events and concerts, including: organized by the Anna Dymna Despite Everything foundation . In 2013, together with other artists, he recorded a song promoting the fourth edition of the Helping Jest Trendy campaign , dedicated to disseminating knowledge about autism. Autism does not have to be a sentence (his photo was included in the calendar whose release was part of this social campaign). He also performed during the Granie na Szczekanie concerts in Krakow , the proceeds of which were intended to help homeless animals.

In 2019, due to hearing problems, he ended his artistic career ^[17] [18] .

Musical style

He perfected his voice with mezzo-soprano Wanda Wermińska . The vocalist’s musical style was characterized by a classic voice emission and songs in which the melodic line was particularly important ^[19] . The reviews emphasized the singer’s stage skills, his impeccable diction, beautiful voice, elegance in dress and behavior, high interpretative culture and the use of a wide range of acting means while singing ^[20] . He was called the Polish Frank Sinatra and Charles Aznavour , but the artist himself treated these comparisons with distance ^[21] .

Private life

He had an older sister Jadwiga (born 1929, died 2022) ^[22] and a brother Wojciech ^[23] . He was a Catholic ^[24] . He never married, and his private life was the subject of much speculation and gossip ^[25] [26] . He appeared in a wig ^[27] . In his heyday, he was considered a fan of the Polish music scene ^[28] . He was an art lover ^[29] . He lived at ul. Ludwik Narbutt in Warsaw’s Mokotów district . In July 2021, he moved to the House of Veteran Artists of Polish Stages in Skolimów , which he had previously supported for many years as an ambassador of the facility ^[30] .

Death and funeral

He died on November 14, 2022 in the Central Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration in Warsaw ^[31] . The cause of the artist’s death was a serious infection that affected his body ^[32] , previously Jerzy Połomski had undergone knee surgery ^[33] .

On November 23, 2022, after the Holy Mass in the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Warsaw , the artist was buried in the Avenue of Merit of the Powązki Cemetery in Warsaw (book no. 43) ^[34] , where his sister Jadwiga was previously buried. The funeral ceremonies were of a state nature ^[34] .

Credits:

Wikipedia