Krzysztof Krawczyk, 61, is one of the most popular Polish singers but also a controversial one. Some say he is the Polish Elvis Presley, a singer with a cult following. Others regard him as synonymous with kitsch.

Krawczyk's father died when he was 16. He attended an evening high school and worked during the day. At school, he met Krzysztof Kowalewski, who taught him to play the guitar. "We used to sing Beatles songs at school celebrations to get better grades," Krawczyk says. In 1963, he and Marian Lichtman formed the Trubadurzy band, which was later joined by Ryszard Poznakowski of the Czerwono-Czarni group. Thanks to Poznakowski, the Trubadurzy recorded their first album.

"We Know Each Other Only by Sight" and "Don't Bring Me Flowers, Girl" are among the hits that earned them a leading position in Polish beat music. Ten years later, Krawczyk launched a career as a soloist. He sang Russian romances at the Nowy Świat café in Warsaw and in 1976 appeared at the song festival in Sopot. He was the first artist to win both the journalists' award and the audience award at the festival. He won over the audience with his hits "Steamship," "Drawing on Glass" and "How Was the Day?" Although Krawczyk was very popular in Poland, he left for the United States in 1979 and spent six years there. He made a living by giving concerts in clubs for expatriate Poles in Chicago and Las Vegas and by working at construction sites. Back in Poland, he tried to find a new place for himself in Polish music. Unfortunately, a serious car accident frustrated his plans. In 1990 Krawczyk moved to the United States again, this time for four years. Then, he made a comeback in grand style and recorded the album When Elvis Presley Sang for Us. The album went platinum in Poland.

In 2000, Krawczyk played for Pope John Paul II and a survey conducted by the OBOP polling center showed he was the most popular singer in Poland. A year later, he recorded the album Give Me a Second Life, with Goran Bregovic. The next album, Because I Am Dreaming, was the result of collaboration with rock musicians and Andrzej Smolik.

Krawczyk has released more than 50 albums so far. How many exactly? "I have lost count. I do not bother myself with release dates and titles," he says. Krawczyk's albums have consistently gone platinum in Poland.

He often gives charity concerts, although he knows this is a drop in the ocean in terms of solving the world's problems. But he wants to give hope to people.

He lives in Grotniki, outside Łódź.

He is now working on Krzysztof Krawczyk's Lexicon with a daily newspaper. The 20 volumes, with Krawczyk's songs, comments about his music and memoirs, will be published in March 2008-a unique collection devoted to a unique artist.