Hansi Kürsch
Hans Jürgen "Hansi" Kürsch , (born August 10, 1966 in Lank-Latum , today Meerbusch ) is a German singer, songwriter and former bass player . He is the lead singer of the metal band Blind Guardian , which he co-founded in 1984.
Life
Hansi Kürsch trained as a wholesale and foreign trade merchant. He grew up in Linn, a district of Krefeld , together with his parents and three siblings and attended the local commercial college . It was there that he first came into contact with JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit when a classmate suggested it as a class reading. He is married and has a son with his wife.
Blind Guardian front man
As the singer and frontman of the band Blind Guardian , which he founded together with André Olbrich and Thomen Stauch in 1984 as "Lucifer's Heritage", he contributes a large part to their appearance. The singer is very popular among the fans, not least because of his uncomplicated and friendly appearance.
In addition, Kürsch writes the lyrics for the band. These are - with the exception of the ballad "Harvest of Sorrow", which also exists in Italian, French and Spanish - written in English. They revolve extensively, but not exclusively, on topics from the field of fantasy and mythology . For example, the song "The Soulforged" by the magician Raistlin from the " Dragonlance " books or the complete 1998 album " Nightfall in Middle-Earth ", which he himself describes as his favorite work, is about Tolkien's " Silmarillion ".
Especially the studio album “ A Night at the Opera ” from 2002 contains many texts, the content of which is not limited to “Dragon and Heroes sagas”, but also biblical ones (“Precious Jerusalem”, “Sadly Sings Destiny”) , philosophical (about Nietzsche in “Punishment Divine”) or current issues (“Wait for an Answer”, influenced by the situation after September 11th ).
At first he also took over the position of electric bass player , which he gave up in 1996 in order to be able to concentrate exclusively on singing. The quartet is supported by Oliver Holzwarth for studio recordings and live performances.
"Demons & Wizards" and guest appearances
In addition, Kürsch works with the guitarist Jon Schaffer from the American metal band Iced Earth . Together they created the Demons & Wizards project . There is an intimate and friendly relationship with Schaffer. Kürsch has also acted as a guest musician on several albums. These include Gamma Ray's “Land of the Free”, Edguy's “Vain Glory Opera” and “Out of Control”, Angras “Temple of Shadows”, as well as Therions “ Deggial ”, Grave Digger's “Excalibur” (background), Ayreon's “ 01011001 "and" The Source ", Neverlands (project by Dreamtone and Iris Mavraki)" Reversing Time ", Van Cantos " Hero ", Iron Saviors " For the World ", Solar Fragments " In Our Hands ", The Arrows" Lady Nite " , Heaven Shall Burns cover of "Valhalla", "Roter Stern" from In Extremo, Orphaned Lands "Unsung Prophets & Dead Messiahs" and "Moonglow" from Avantasia .
Quotes
- “Anyone who reads the lyrics of 'A Night at the Opera' should actually come to the conclusion: Hey, someone was thinking about that! But who is interested in good lyrics ... " (Hansi Kürsch in" Rock Hard ", July 2005)
- "Hansi is the Freddie Mercury of Heavy Metal!" (Jon Schaffer in "Rock Hard", July 2005)
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kürsch, Hansi |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Kürsch, Hans Jürgen (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German singer of the German metal band Blind Guardian |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 10, 1966 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Lank-Latum , today Meerbusch |