Karel Gott

Karel Gott was a legendary Czech singer who became one of the most successful vocalists in Europe.

Often called "the Golden Voice of Prague," he achieved massive fame in the Czech Republic, Germany, and the Soviet Union. His career spanned many decades and involved a vast amount of musical output. He released over 100 albums and 100 compilation albums throughout his life. Estimates suggest he sold between 50 and 100 million records worldwide. This includes 23 million records in German-speaking markets and 15 million in Czechoslovakia and its successor states. His influence was so strong that he won the Český slavík, or Czech Nightingale, award 42 times.

Gott's journey to stardom began with an unexpected path. He was born in Plzeň in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia in 1939. Initially, he hoped to study art at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. When he failed those exams, he trained as an electrician instead. After completing his studies, he worked in electrical fields while exploring the Prague jazz scene. He experimented with the bass and guitar before deciding to focus on singing. He eventually studied opera at the Prague Conservatory under Konstantin Karenin. Karenin was a student of the famous Russian bass Feodor Chaliapin. He taught Gott both classical Italian pieces and popular music styles.

The 1960s marked the rapid expansion of Gott's professional career. In 1962, he released his first single, a duet with jazz singer Vlasta Průchová.

By 1963, he joined the Semafor Theater, which was a center for emerging Czechoslovak pop music. That same year, his song "Oči sněhem zaváté" (Snowdrift Eyes) became the year's best-selling record. He also won his first of many Zlatý slavík awards in 1963. In 1965, he co-founded the Apollo Theater with colleagues Jiří and Ladislav Štaidl. This allowed him to build a repertoire with his own orchestra. He also began composing his own songs during this period.

Gott's international presence grew through massive commercial success and high-profile performances. In 1967, he performed at the Midem music trade fair in Cannes, France. His performance reached a level of 54 on the applause meter, which was close to Tom Jones's score of 58. Following this, he signed with the Polydor/Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft record company. This became a life contract in 1997. Between 1967 and 2000, Polydor released over 125 albums for him in German-speaking countries. He also represented Austria in the 1968 Eurovision Song Contest. That same year, he spent six months performing nightly in Las Vegas.

During the 1970s, Gott navigated complex political and cultural landscapes. He became a major star in both East and West Germany. In 1977, his debut LP in the Soviet Union sold over 4.5 million copies. However, this decade also included a controversial moment regarding the "Anticharter." In 1977, over 7,000 artists signed a proclamation expressing loyalty to the communist regime. Gott was among those signatories. He later expressed deep regret about this in his autobiography, *My Way to Happiness*. He stated that the event was a manipulation and that he had been foolishly tricked. Despite this, he continued to receive honors, such as the title of Merited Artist in 1977.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Gott reached new milestones of recognition. He was the first artist inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Academy of Popular Music in 1991. In 1992, he received the Supraphon Diamond Record Award for selling 13 million records in Czechoslovakia.

Even after announcing his retirement in 1990, a successful farewell tour prompted him to continue his career. In 1993, he established the artistic agency GOJA to manage his professional activities. He remained a constant presence in music, winning the Czech Nightingale almost every year from 1996 onward. He even performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City in 2000.

Beyond music, Gott was a man of many diverse interests and family connections.

In the 1990s, he turned his attention to painting and held exhibitions in cities like Berlin and Moscow. He was also a devoted father to his daughters, including Charlotte. In May 2019, he released his final song, a duet with Charlotte titled "Srdce nehasnou."

After battling cancer and acute leukemia, Gott passed away on October 1, 2019. His death prompted a national day of mourning in the Czech Republic. Approximately 49,000 mourners queued for hours to pay their respects at a ceremony in Prague. His life remains a massive part of the cultural history of Central Europe.