The Golden Nightingale, Sinatra of the East, the Golden Voice of Prague, the Maestro, Divine Karel, or the Bringer of Good Tidings. These are just a few of the nicknames that Karel Gott has earned over the course of his 60-year career. He began in the cafés of Prague, where the young Gott fervently listened to jazz improvisation and danced to Western rock ‘n’ roll. He first performed in front of a live audience at a campfire gathering in 1957. Soon thereafter, he participated in amateur competitions that helped him win his first gig at the Vltava Café. The same year, he earned his apprenticeship papers and began working at the ČKD Stalingrad machine works – but singing enticed him so much that he left his job and began attending the State Conservatory. On the stage of the Semafor Theatre, he brought the bel canto opera technique to popular songs, and by the second half of the 1960s he was a part of the international world of show business, appearing on stage in Monte Carlo, Cannes, Moscow, Montreal, London, Las Vegas, and Rio de Janeiro with hits such as C’est la vie, Pošli to dál (Pass it On), Bum Bum Bum, and Lady Carneval. The amateur singer had become a star of Czechoslovak pop music.

Karel Gott also hit it big on the musical scenes of West Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, and the Soviet Union, selling out concert halls, hitting number one on the charts, and recording hundreds of songs. In the 1970s and ’80s, he crossed political and geographic borders, and broke down the boundaries between genres as well. He sang rock ‘n’ roll, pop, chanson, Dixieland, folk songs, Christmas carols, opera, and country – all in several languages. His songs for movies and television, such as Kdepak, ty ptáčku, hnízdo máš (Where Might Your Nest Lie, Little Bird?) and Včelka Mája (Maya the Bee), have become staples of popular culture.

After the political transformation of 1989, many critics predicted that Karel Gott’s days were numbered. They saw him as the voice of the communist regime. Even Gott himself announced his retirement, but his fans and the positive atmosphere of his 1990 tour convinced him otherwise. He continued to release albums, again took first place in the Czech Nightingale poll for the country’s most popular singer, and became a valued guest at balls and his colleagues’ concerts. He even managed to attract members of the younger generation. And his star continues to shine today.