Karat celebrates 50 years of rock history: a look back and ahead!

Karat celebrates 50 years of rock history: a look back and ahead!

Berlin, Deutschland - June 6, 2025 is a special day for the German music scene, because the rock band Karat celebrates its 50th anniversary. The band was founded on February 21, 1975 in the cultural center "Otto Buchwitz" in Heidenau near Dresden. Originally active as a jazz musician, the previous group "Panta Rhei" brought the foundation the foundation for their musical career. The first rehearsals took place in a mill in the picturesque Elbe Sandstone Mountains. Already in January 1975 the musicians took up the first songs at the GDR radio.

in 1976 Bernd Römer joined the band as a guitarist and a year later Herbert Dreilich became the permanent singer. A drastic year for Karat was in 1977 when the band gave their first concert in the west at a press festival of the West Berlin SED. They also produced a milestone compositionally: they wrote the title song for the film "You have to go about seven bridges", which was banned in the GDR. Nevertheless, the song became a hit in both the GDR and in the Federal Republic of Germany, and Karat received a fee of 4,000 Westmark.

a unique career

Karat was the first band from the GDR that was allowed to publish records in East and West. This opened new opportunities, and in 1982 the band played a sold-out concert in the West Berlin Waldbühne. Another highlight was in 1983 when Karat was the first GDR band on the popular TV show "Wetten, dass ..?" performed. The song "You have to go about seven bridges", composed by Ed Sillms and texted by Helmut Richter, represents the emotional center of her discography and was originally part of a film that addressed an unfortunate relationship between a pole and a German.

The popularity of the title rose rapidly, especially after Karat won the Grand Prix at the 1978 International Schlager Festival. The single reached second place in the GDR annual hit parade. Peter Maffay, a prominent German musician, asked in 1980 for permission to record his own version of the song. His adaptation, which comes up with an impressive saxophone solo, became very popular and reached over two million sales. Since Karat was not allowed to appear on the television of the Federal Republic in the 1980s, Maffay's version became more present in the media and further increased the awareness of Karat.

overcoming challenges

After reunification, Karat was faced with the challenge of keeping the number of spectators at their concerts. Tragically, Herbert Dreilich died of liver cancer in 2004, which the band presented with a difficult situation. His son Claudius took on the role of the singer, while the band temporarily "k ...!" was named. In 2007 Karat was finally able to regain her name and enjoyed growing popularity again.

In recent years, Heiko Jung and Daniel Bätge, both experienced musicians, have expanded the line-up. Bernd Römer, the last founding member, is celebrating an impressive 50-year membership this year. Karat states that over 5,000 concerts played and sold 20 million records. The latest work in the band is the album "Hoheit Heaven", which was largely included.

Karat looks back on a moving history that is closely linked to the political situation in the GDR. The band experienced the eventful relationship between rock music and state authoritarianism, which was often shaped by censorship and restrictive performance permits. Nevertheless, they found ways to express themselves artistically and become a symbol of musical freedom. Historically interesting background about the music policy in the GDR are documented in various analyzes, which research the challenges and success of the music scene ( Musikanalyse.net ).

A look at Karat's band history shows that music is more than just entertainment; It can also build bridges across political and cultural boundaries.