SBB
SBB – a legend that revolutionized Polish music
SBB is a band whose history is at the same time the history of Polish rock music — full of courage, exploration, breakthroughs, and a constant pushing of boundaries. Formed in 1971 in Silesia, initially as the Silesian Blues Band, it quickly became a group that defied all conventions. Their name — later interpreted as Search, Break, Build — perfectly reflects the band’s philosophy: a continuous pursuit of new sounds, breaking conventions, and building their own musical universe.
The core of the group consisted of three outstanding musicians: Józef Skrzek, a multi-instrumentalist and the band’s leader; Apostolis Anthimos, a guitarist with a distinctive, expressive style; and Jerzy Piotrowski, one of the most important Polish drummers. Together they created a trio that in the 1970s became a phenomenon — both in Poland and abroad.
Although SBB’s beginnings were rooted in blues, the band quickly began to explore new musical territories. Their music became a mixture of blues rock, jazz rock, progressive rock, and improvisation, creating a style that remains unique to this day. SBB managed to combine powerful, energetic instrumental passages with lyrical, emotionally rich fragments, and their concerts were famous for improvisations that could change from night to night.
An early stage of the band’s activity was their collaboration with Czesław Niemen, with whom they recorded four albums and toured across Poland and Europe. It was during this period that the members of SBB first revealed the enormous potential of their collective playing.
After ending their collaboration with Niemen, the band entered the most creative period of their career. Albums such as SBB, New Horizon, Memory, and With the Word I Run to You became milestones of Polish rock. It was then that the band’s characteristic sound took shape — based on the Minimoog, Skrzek’s powerful bass, Anthimos’ expressive guitar, and Piotrowski’s highly dynamic drumming.
SBB toured intensively, gaining enormous popularity not only in Poland but also in Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Finland, and Scandinavia. Their performances were events that drew large crowds and built the band’s reputation as one of the most important acts behind the Iron Curtain.
After a decade of intense activity, the band disbanded in 1980, and its members pursued solo careers and collaborations with other artists. However, the legend of SBB was too strong to disappear forever. The band reunited several times — in the 1990s and later in the 21st century — recording new albums and performing on major stages.
In 2000, SBB returned to the stage once again, and subsequent albums — The Rock, New Century, Iron Curtain, Blue Trance, and Beyond the Horizon — showed that the band was still capable of surprising listeners and creating music at the highest level. Performances with symphony orchestras, anniversary concerts, and reunions in the original lineup only strengthened their status as legends.
Today, SBB is not just a band — it is a cultural phenomenon. Their music has shaped generations of artists, and their influence on the Polish rock and jazz-rock scene is immeasurable. SBB remains a symbol of artistic freedom, courage, and an endless search for new paths. It is a group that built its own musical universe — and continues to inspire those who want to create without compromise.
