Leszek Winder

Leszek Winder (born May 22, 1954 in Chorzów) is one of the most important Polish blues and rock guitarists, a composer, music producer, and member of ZAiKS and the ZPAV Phonographic Academy. For more than fifty years, he has been shaping the history of Silesian blues, giving it a sound that has become recognizable throughout Poland.

He began his musical journey at the turn of the 1960s and 1970s, and as early as 1971 he composed music for a stage performance based on Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl”. In the following years, he co-created the band Apogeum, but he became a true legend as the guitarist and leader of the band Krzak, with which he has been continuously associated since 1975. It was his style, compositions, and stage charisma that shaped the band’s sound, making it one of the most important phenomena in the history of Polish blues-rock.

Winder has collaborated with the biggest names on the Polish music scene – Ryszard Skibiński, Ryszard Riedel, Józef and Jan “Kyks” Skrzek, Andrzej Nowak, Elżbieta Mielczarek, and Michał Giercuszkiewicz. His projects such as Skibiński/Winder Super Session, Winder Session, Bezdomne Psy, Błędowski-Winder Band, Czarny Pies, and Kwartet Spontaniczny have permanently entered the history of Polish music.

In 1990, he founded the Leśniczówka House of Creative Work in Chorzów — a cult venue for concerts, recordings, and artistic meetings. As a producer, he was responsible for, among others, the album 4 Basy by Krzak, which received the Fryderyk Award in 2012.

Leszek Winder’s body of work includes more than 70 albums, studio recordings, live recordings, and special projects. Among them are:

• classic albums by Krzak, including “Blues Rock Band”, “Paczka”, “Krzak’i”, “3 Numer”, “4 Basy”,
• cult recordings with Dżem, including participation in the album “Cegła”,
• solo projects such as “Blues Forever”, “Bezdomne Psy”, “Śląski Blues”,
• collaborations with Jan “Kyks” Skrzek, Józef Skrzek, Elżbieta Mielczarek, and many other artists,
• albums by Śląska Grupa Bluesowa, Cree, Czarny Pies, and numerous live releases.

It is one of the richest and most diverse discographies in the history of Polish blues — encompassing both genre classics and modern improvisational projects.

Winder remains active as a musician, composer, and producer. In 2026, a reissue of his autobiography “Śląski Blues” was published, and the artist once again received the title of Best Guitarist in the Blues Top poll. His latest projects — Kwartet Spontaniczny, Czarny Pies, and further editions of “Super Session” — show that he continues to seek new sounds and inspiration.

Leszek Winder is not only a legend of Silesian blues — he is an artist who constantly develops, creates, and inspires new generations of musicians.

The partner of the “Star for Leszek Winder” project is the City of Katowice.