Michal Tučný

Michal Tučný (11 January 1947 – 10 March 1995) was a Czech singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the most popular Czech country singers and he is regarded as a legend of the Czech country music (he was often referred to as the king of the genre). Michal Tučný was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, in 1947. He played piano as a child. In 1965, he passed the matura exam at a business school. By profession, he was a qualified shopkeeper (which he mentions in several of his songs). His whole life he was a devote fan of SK Slavia Prague. He began his musical career at the age of 14 in Dixieland. In 1967, he participated in the first Czech country music festival. At his beginnings, he played and sang with several bands, including "Rangers". In 1969, he became a soloist of the group "Greenhorns". In 1974, he joined the group "Fešáci", and in 1980, he created his own band "Tučňáci" (meaning "Penguins", but relating to his surname, which means "fat"). In 1980s, he collaborated with Rattlesnake Annie, making album named Poslední kovboj ("The Last Cowboy"). In November 1990, he gave a concert in Valdice men's prison (similarly to Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison).

Through his life, Tučný struggled with poor health, even worsened by his obesity, and underwent many surgeries. The final cause of his untimely death was liver cancer. He is buried in Hoštice in the South Bohemian Region, where he lived in his last years; its village square bears his name. His grave is marked by a stone in the shape of a cowboy hat. The country festival named Stodola Michala Tučného ("Michal Tučný's Barn") has been held here annually for many years.