Maanam was formed by
Marek Jackowski and
Milo Kurtis in 1975 as guitar band M-a-M. In 1976 the band was joined by guitar player
John Porter and by Kora (
Olga Jackowska) - Jackowski's wife. When Kurtis left, the band changed its name to Maanam Elektryczny Prysznic (Maanam Electric Shower). Originally an acoustic outfit, the band went electric in 1980, and since then has recorded some of Poland's best-selling
singles and albums over the past 25 years. During the first half of the 1980s, Maanam featured an energetic, guitar-driven
post-punk sound. Kora's vocal gymnastics were typical of the iconoclastic international female pop vocalists of the time, and showcased the consonant-laden
Polish language as one perfectly suited to rock sounds. In 1988, Maanam's "Sie ściemnia" became the first Polish music video to air on the international
MTV. Maanam's sound in the 1980s could be considered a cross between
Nina Hagen,
Siouxsie and the Banshees, and
Blondie. In the 1990s, Maanam acquired a more melodic, but equally catchy, sound. In 2007, Marek and Olga (Kora) announced the suspension of the band for an indefinite time. The two later performed with other musicians. Bassist Krzysztof Olesiński died on 18 June 2023, at the age of 70. == Discography ==