thanks Uncle Larry!!!

K.T.O. (“Kamáradi Táborových Ohňů” – Camp Fire Boys) is a musical group born in Prague in 1963 as a trio made up of František Hacker (vocal, guitar), Vladislav Morava (vocal, guitar) and František Turek (vocal and banjo). In 1970 they have become a bigger group adding drums, bass, guitar, mandolin, banjo, steel-guitar, harmonica and five vocals.

Bill Monroe, father and founder of bluegrass invited them to Nashville with other twenty country music groups from the USA for the Grand Ole Opry 50th anniversary Concert. Afterwards they had been invited four more times to join the International Country Music Festival in Nashville and there they have become honorary members of the Country Music Association. After Frantisek Turek and Vladislav Morava left the group (Morava went to the USA in 1982), K.T.O have kept on with performing and the group has been the same since.

František Hacker (vocals, guitar, mandolin) since 1963

Zdeněk Skarlandt (vocals, 12 strings guitar) since 1970

Petr Třebický (vocals, banjo) since 1970

Vaclav Vebr (vocals, bass) since 1970

František Friedrich (steel-guitar, guitar) since 1970

Miloslav Žižka (drums) since 1975

Miloslav Totter (vocals, harmonica) since 1986

RECORDS and PHOTOS

They have made many records and CDs playing traditional "Tramp" Czech songs, a musical style born by the end of 1800’s when young people were leaving the cities to stay for a weekend free in the woods, near the rivers, closer to the nature, spending nights around the campfire, being with friends, trying to be an American Indians for a while, singing and dressing like cowboys… (songs by Jaroslav Mottl, Vladimír Eddy Fořt, Sláva Kunst, Bob Hurikán and others); they also played original country songs (writers as E. Scruggs, G. Benson, J. Green, D.R. Mindel, H. Hyams, J. Horton, J. Lawrence, Jimmie Rodgers, Stan Jones, Paul Simon, F. & B. Bryant, B. Owens, Bob Dylan, Isham Jones, Benny Davis, John Gollwell, G.Campbell, John Sebastian, T. Wilburn, L. Weiss, R. Vanhoy, L. Scott, Peggy Lee, W. Kemp, A.P. Carter and many others) translated from English to Czech language by Ronald Kraus or Ivo Fischer.

In spite of difficulties in their career during 1960’s thru 1980’s when the “old regime” did not favor and was not very happy with artists playing and singing  American country songs of freedom, they have been able to hold their position in the hearts of their fans, who till nowadays,  enthusiastically follow the group on concerts or TV and radio shows.

Recently they have celebrated their 40th anniversary with a concert in Prague (in October 2003) and with a new CD.