R.I.P. Kóbor János

Omega was formed in Budapest in 1962 by Benkő and Kóbor, with trumpeter Győző Bánkúti, drummer Tamás Künsztler, saxophonist Péter Láng, guitarist Ferenc Tornóczky, and bassist István Varsányi. Their first concert was at Budapest’s University of Technology and Economics in September 1962. Omega first began to write their own songs with the arrival in 1967 of keyboardist/singer Gábor Presser. Guitarist György Molnár and bassist/singer Tamás Mihály also joined in 1967. The following year, the band was invited to tour England, where they recorded their debut album Omega: Red Star From Hungary with English lyrics for Decca Records. Later that year, the album was re-recorded in Hungarian and released in the band’s home country as Trombitás Frédi és a Rettenetes Emberek (Trumpeter Freddy and the Terrible People). Their 1969 song “Gyöngyhajú lány” (“The Girl With Pearls in Her Hair”) was an international hit, and was later covered by the Scorpions. In 1971, Gábor Presser and drummer József Laux left Omega. The resulting lineup of Kóbor (vocals), Benkő (keyboards/vocals), Molnár (guitar), Mihály (bass/vocals), and Debreczeni (drums) remained intact for more than 40 years until Mihály retired from touring in 2014. This incarnation of Omega released ten more albums starting in 1972 until […]