Vlasta Grycová

Legendary singer, an inimitable performer of ballads and love songs of her region. The former glass painter was taught singing by her mother, an excellent folk singer Alžběta Končitíková (1913–1999), who was a folklore source for many collectors. Together they are captured in the film Zpěvačky z pomezí (1981, directed by Karel Fuksa). Vlasta started in local ensemble Javorina where she was scouted for Hradišťan in 1957. When in 1972 Hradišťan had to be shut down due to political reasons, she started working with Olšava from Uherský Brod region. Since the 70’s she regularly recorded in the Czechoslovak Radio in Brno with BROLN where she has been occasionally guest until today. She also keeps working with the Dulcimer Band of Jaroslav Čech and the Dulcimer Band of Vilém Zahradník from Uherské Hradiště – with him and with Hradišťan she recorded her first profile album, the LP Písně moravsko-slovenského pomezí (Supraphon, 1985). In 1964 she married Josef Gryc (1940–2005); together they brought up two daughters. One of them, Anna Přikrylová (*1964) is a violin teacher (she taught e.g. many members of the Dulcimer Band Strýci with whom Vlasta Grycová recorded the album CM Strýci a Vlasta Grycová ze Strání in 1994). Together with her father, the violinist Josef Gryc, the daughters – violinist Veronika Přikrylová (*1986) and a bassist Helena Přikrylová (*1988) – they founded a family Dulcimer Band Husličky, where she continues in the family music tradition as a bandmaster until today. Vlasta Grycová recorded her second profile album with this band – the CD Pod Javorinú – Lidové písně ze Strání (Gnosis, 2003), which is her true singer’s portrait. She participated in many recordings by the Dulcimer Band Olšava (in-cluding Kytice z Uherskobrodska, 1998), starred in many TV shows (including. Zpívánky, Vonička z domova). In her native village of Květná she co-founded Women’s Choir with which she sang on her second album.
-Helena Bretfeldová-