Ivan Kral (1948 – 2020)

Ivan Kral, a Grammy award winning Czech songwriter, producer, guitarist, bassist, vocalist and filmmaker, was famous for, among other things, playing guitar and bass with Patti Smith in New York City in the 1970s. Kral also collaborated with Blondie and Iggy Pop; while David Bowie, Iggy Pop and U2 have all recorded his music. Ivan Kral co-directed the documentary The Blank Generation, a documentary about the birth of the New York Punk scene in 1976 alongside Amos Poe. The Blank Generation documented live band footage in CBGBs and showcases the then up-and-coming artists The Talking Heads, Blondie, Ramones, Television, New York Dolls, The Heartbreakers, and the Patti Smith Group. Ivan Kral joined the early New York Punk scene when he was only 18 after leaving Czechoslovakia before 1968. Ivan Kral returned to his native home after the fall of Communism with the hope of rejuvenating a suppressed music genre. He split his time recording, producing and performing between the United States and the Czech Republic until his death in 2020.

www.ivankral.net