Gintarėliai – “Stebis tėtis ir mama“ (Kaunas, 1972)

Kauno roko grupės “Gintarėliai“ daina “Stebis tėtis ir mama“ (muzika – Virginijus Švabas; eilės – Algimantas Baltakis) 1972. Rock band “Gintarėliai“ from Kaunas, Lithuania. Song “Stebis tetis ir mama“ (music - Virginijus Švabas, lyrics - Algimantas Baltakis) 1972. Virginijus Švabas - solo guitar; Eimuntas Švabas - bass guitar; Jonas Toleikis - rhythm guitar (until 1967); Valerijus Salyginas - drums (until 1973); Julius Brazaitis - rhythm guitar (from 1967 until 1971); Vladimiras Teluchinas - drums (1973). In about 1962 through radio Luxembourg melodies of “The Beatles“ entered a house of a big Svabas family, which lived in Karmelitai district of Kaunas. The greatest admirers of this music became the youngest members of the family - nine year old Virginijus and ten year old Eimontas. Both of them were studying violin in J. Naujalis musical school, so when their parents bought them acoustic guitars, the fellows were quick to acquire some skills of playing these instruments. First concerts of the young guitarists took place in a nearby yard and received great attention of neighbours. During these performances the brothers were joined by one more young guitar enthusiast Jonas Toleikis. Godfather of the future band was a leader of a local teenagers gang, who sugested a title “Gintareliai“. Neighbours called the brothers “our Gintareliai“. “Gintareliai“ started being invited to play at wedding parties and other gatherings, but soon it became clear that for the real big beat band its not enough to have only acoustic guitars. The musicians were helped by their elder brother Vidimantas Svabas, who himself made electric solo, rhythm and bass guitars. Their first performances with new instruments took place in about 1965 in a pioneer camp in Poland, where “Gintareliai“ were spending their summer. Since then they were joined by a drummer Valerijus Salyginas. Their native town Kaunas discovered “Gintareliai“ in about 1966, when after a few performances at dance parties in KPI (where “Kertukai“ allowed them to play during intermissions) a rumour was spread about a band, which played “The Beatles“ rather well. Soon after this maestro invited them to be a rhythmic group of his estrade orchestra “Oktava“. “Gintareliai“ started an active musical life. With little changes in the crew (in 1967 was changed by Julius Brazaitis, who played until 1971, when, returning from a concert in Klaipeda, the band got into a car accident) “Gintareliai“ began giving concerts not only in Lithuania but also in some foreign countries. So in 1968 they went on tour in East Germany, later - in England, Hungary, Poland, Finland and even in republic of Congo in Africa. During concerts “Gintareliai“ added to repertoire of “Oktava“ songs of “The Beatles“, “The Rolling Stones“ as well as some original songs, such as “Drone of The Earth“ (“Zemes gaudesys“), “My Father and Mother Surprise Me“ (“Stebina motina ir tetis“), “Songs of Flowers“ (“Geliu dainos“), “We’ll Meet Again“ “Mes dar susitiksim“. One of the most important events in the band’s history was a record, which they made together with “Oktava“ in Riga in 1972, and which served as a material for an album in LP format released in the same year. Thus “Gintareliai“ became the first Lithuanian guitar band which was officially recorded by a soviet record company. Another phenomenal record was LP “Sailors’ Ways And Other Songs“ (“Jureiviu keliai ir kitos dainos“), released in New York recording studio “Eurostone“ (USA) in 1972, which included records of “Oktava“ and “Gintareliai“, brought to USA by yet in 1970. In 1973 the band again underwent some changes: drummer (after one of the concerts he felt some heart disorder) was changed by Vladimiras Teluchinas. With a new crew “Gintareliai“ tried to carry on their activities, but due to some inner and outer problems the band broke yet in the same year. In 1991 during the coup in Moscow they succeeded to emigrate to the USA, where they live and perform until now.