Omega

Omega was a Hungarian rock band formed in 1962, which has been described as the most successful Hungarian band in history. They have released more than 20 albums both in Hungarian and English. After several early personnel changes, their classic lineup came together in 1971 and was intact for more than forty years. Singer János Kóbor was with the band continuously from 1962 until his death in 2021; keyboardist/singer László Benkő was present from 1962 until his death in 2020. Guitarist György Molnár and bassist Tamás Mihály joined in 1967, and drummer Ferenc Debreczeni joined in 1971. Omega won several prestigious awards for their contributions to Hungarian culture. History Omega was formed in Budapest in 1962 by Benkő and Kóbor, with trombonist Győző Bánkúti, drummer Tamás Künsztler, saxophonist Péter Láng, guitarist Ferenc Tornóczky, and bassist István Varsányi. The members had all been in previous bands at the same grammar school. Their first concert was at Budapest's University of Technology and Economics in September 1962. The band went through many personnel changes in its first several years, and mostly played covers of British rock songs. Omega first began to write their own songs with the arrival in 1967 of keyboardist/singer Gábor Presser, who was adept in rock, jazz, and folk songwriting. 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). The band's sound during this period included experiments in psychedelic rock. Their 1969 song "Gyöngyhajú lány" ("Pearls In Her Hair") was an international hit, and was later covered by the Scorpions (as "White Dove"). During this period, members of Omega also gained notice for backing several Hungarian pop singers, most notably Sarolta Zalatnay. In 1971, Gábor Presser and drummer József Laux (who had joined in 1964) left Omega and formed the progressive rock band Locomotiv GT. (Tamás Somló, who had played saxophone for Omega from 1964 to 1968, became bassist for Locomotiv GT in 1973,) Presser was not replaced, while the band recruited new drummer Ferenc Debreczeni.