Gala Gogow
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| 16 EUR, reduced 8 EUR |
| Please book your ticket in advance online or at the box office in the Foyer. |
| German |
| Hall 1, Ground Floor |
| Belongs to: Transform! |
Frank “GALA” Gahler and Georgie “Joro” Gogow have been among the best-known musicians on the East German music scene since the 1970s. They were the main initiators of the legendary groups NO55 and Amiga Blues Band. Since 2019, GALA and the devil’s violinist from City have been making music together again: wonderfully handmade music meets authentic song stories.
In January 1983, NO 55, like Udo Lindenberg and Harry Belafonte a few months later, performed at the “Rock for Peace” festival in the Palast der Republik.
Back at this very venue in Berlin, now the Humboldt Forum, they remember this and play current songs. They will be supported on stage by Olli Becker (Monokel, Jessica, Hansi Biebl) on percussion and René Decker (NO 55, Elefant, Lift) on saxophone and keyboards.
In 1976, Frank “GALA” Gahler was one of the founding members of the MONOKEL BLUES BAND, which quickly became a cult band in East Germany, and played in this association of difficult-to-educate bullies from 1976 to 1982. In 1982, he founded the group NO55 together with Georgie Gogow and Gisbert “Pitti” Piatkowski. This band sold over 100,000 albums and performed over 500 times on tours throughout Europe. Gala and Joro were the main initiators of the legendary AMIGA BLUES BAND and the MAMA BLUES PROJEKT. Shortly after moving to Germany in 1989, he signed a recording contract with the Intercord record company in Stuttgart. An album and a single were released, then this interesting project disbanded. At the beginning of the 90s, Gala rejoined the group MONOKEL as a singer and writer. From 1998 to 2014, Gala lived in Tenerife, but remained close to his German audience by touring with MONOKEL every year. MONOKEL’s big farewell tour in 2016. Gala is a composer, lyricist and producer. 2019 Foundation of GALA-GOGOW!
Georgi Gogow was born in Bulgaria. At the age of five, his father introduced him to the violin – a decision that would later prove fateful for Joro and a number of musicians. In 1964, he founded his first band, the “Golden Keys”, possibly Bulgaria’s first rock band. In 1971, he moved to the GDR as a “guest worker”, played as a dance musician in Berlin and founded his first German-Bulgarian band “Nomen est Omen”, with whom he only played for a year, but it was enough to attract attention in the now very lively GDR rock scene. In 1974, “City” founders Fritz Puppel and Klaus Selmke knocked on his door and thus began an extraordinary musical history. With the exceptional song “Am Fenster”, “City” achieved world fame thanks to Joro’s unmistakable violin solo. Joro played with “City” until December 1981 and immediately afterwards founded NO55 together with Gala and Gisbert “Pitti” Piatkowski. Like so many things in the turmoil of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the band broke up in 1989. City” reunited in 1992. Joro was also back in the fold and can look back on over 2000 performances, over 50 record productions and 15 million albums sold to date. He also launched new projects, such as the world music project “Der wilde Garten”. And finally, in 2019, he founded the GALA GOGOW project. He has performed on stage with, among others (UK): Tom Robinson, Joe Cocker, Mysti in Roots, Hot Chocolate, Equals, Simple Minds, Sweet, Slead, Status Quo, Manfred Mann, Jethro Tull, The Rubettes, Suzi Quatro, The Marmelade, The Wellers (Bob Marley’s Band). (USA): Harry Belafonte, Mamas & The Papas, Johnny Winter, Toto, CCR, Kim Wilde, Lindsey Stirling.