Jacek Kaczmarski

Born in Poland in 1957, Jacek Kaczmarski pursued careers as a singer, songwriter, poet, and author. His politically charged protest songs earned him widespread recognition as the defining voice of the anti-communist Solidarity movement throughout the 1980s. An accomplished classical guitarist whose technique stood apart from convention, he first appeared before audiences at the 1977 Student Song Festival, claiming top honors with the song “Oblawa.” Three albums later, by 1981, he had become a sought-after performer across Europe. While in France at the close of that year, martial law was imposed in Poland, forcing him into exile that lasted until 1990. Throughout this period he maintained an international touring schedule that took him to North America, Australia, South Africa, and Israel, all while releasing additional recordings. He also contributed to Radio Free Europe as a journalist, editor, and on-air host. Following the collapse of communist rule, Kaczmarski returned to Poland in 1990 and joined longtime collaborator Zbigniew Łapiński for a national tour whose performances were captured on the album Live, which attained gold status later that year. He maintained a steady output of recordings for the remainder of the decade, yet mounting disillusionment with Poland’s political direction prompted his relocation to Australia. Diagnosed with laryngeal cancer in 2002, he died in Gdańsk in the spring of 2004.