Petr Janda: A Life in Czech Rock and Family Tragedy

Petr Janda, a prominent figure in Czech rock music, has enjoyed a long and successful career with the band Olympic, but his life has also been marked by personal tragedy and family disputes. From early musical influences to navigating the complexities of post-communist Czech Republic, Janda’s story is one of artistic achievement intertwined with profound loss and familial conflict.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Born in Prague, Janda’s musical journey began in childhood, nurtured by parents who both played instruments – his mother on piano and his father on violin. At the age of nine, he received a violin as a gift, sparking a lifelong passion for music. He was also heavily influenced by the Beatles, adopting a longer hairstyle that initially caused embarrassment for his mother.

Janda began his performance career as a guitarist in 1961 with the group Sputnici, followed by a brief stint leading his own Big Beat Quintet. He then joined the band Karkulka, which later split, leading to the formation of Olympic. From the second half of the 1960s, Janda played guitar, sang, composed music, and led Olympic, which also provided accompaniment for other artists like Yvonne Přenosilová. Přenosilová recalled that Janda was very focused on his career during this period, and gradually shifted Olympic towards a focus on his own compositions.

Family Life and Loss

Janda married Jana, a dancer, in 1966 shortly after she became pregnant. They had two children: son Petr in 1967 and daughter Marta. Janda admitted that his dedication to music sometimes meant he was absent from his children’s lives.

The 1990s brought immense personal hardship. His wife, Jana, died of ovarian cancer in 1991. Ten years later, in 2001, his son Petr succumbed to a brain tumor at the age of 34. According to his daughter Marta Jandová, the death of his son was a more devastating blow than the loss of his wife, as he had seen his son as his successor. Janda continued to perform even on the day his son died, playing a concert in Brno.

Following these losses, Janda found companionship with Martina, whom he married after a year and with whom he had a daughter, Eliška. He is also a father to daughters Marta, Anežka and Rozárie.

Property Dispute with Brother

In the early 1990s, a dispute arose with his brother Slávek over a property in Prague’s Vinohrady district that was eligible for restitution. Slávek Janda reportedly handled the restitution claim and secured the property for himself, a move Petr Janda viewed as a betrayal. Slávek Janda maintains that he followed the legal process, applying for the property individually as required by the law at the time, and that his brothers did not submit their own applications.

The brothers have not reconciled and maintain a strained relationship. Slávek Janda has publicly accused Petr Janda of having ties to the communist-era secret police, the StB, and of manipulating the system to benefit his career. Petr Janda has dismissed these claims and expressed his inability to forgive his brother for the property dispute.

Legacy and Continued Career

Despite personal tragedies and family conflicts, Petr Janda continues to be a significant figure in Czech music. He remains active with Olympic and has maintained a successful career spanning decades. The Pražák Quartet has performed works by composers such as Arnold Schoenberg, and has released numerous recordings through Praga Digitals, including a 50-CD limited edition box set of their recordings from 1992-2018. Petr Pražák also has a presence on SoundCloud, where his music can be streamed.