Hans Jürgen "Hansi" Kürsch (born August 10, 1966) is a German singer, best known as a member of the power metal band Blind Guardian. One of the founders of the band, he has been its lead vocalist since its creation in 1984, and also acted as the band's bass guitarist until 1996. He is also the former lead vocalist of Demons & Wizards, a side-project with Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer until his departure from the project in 2021. Additionally, he has worked prominently as a guest with other artists, including Angra, Edguy, Iced Earth, and Therion; he notably played characters in the Ayreon albums 01011001 and The Source.
Bands
- Blind Guardian - current member
Credited On
- Blind Guardian - Imaginations Through the Looking Glass - Blind Guardian, released October 6, 2004 (
VIBP-31). Vocals.
Biography
From the en.wikipedia article Hansi Kürsch (CC BY-SA 4.0), revision 1347755683.
Early Life
Kürsch was born on August 10, 1966 in Lank-Latum, near Düsseldorf, to a working-class family in West Germany. He is the youngest of four siblings. He was raised in the suburb of Lank-Latum, near a castle called Burg Linn. Having spent his childhood playing football near the castle nurtured his love and passion both for football, as well as fantasy and fairytales, which later became the main source for his lyrics. By the time he was ten, Kürsch discovered his love for music, specifically classic rock bands, such as the Electric Light Orchestra, Genesis or Queen. However, the turning point for him was coming across Deep Purple’s 24 Carat Purple for the first time, which not only started his love for hard rock music, but also introduced him to bands like The Who, Led Zeppelin, and others. He lists Ian Gillan, Freddie Mercury, and Peter Gabriel as his favorite singers, and the ones who influenced him the most.
Personal Life
In 1984, while being a Commerce School student, and on the same day Kürsch met his current bandmate and Blind Guardian cofounder, André Olbrich, he became aware of a female student called Andrea, whom he later married in 1991. Their son, Jonas, was born in 2001. Kürsch still resides in Krefeld together with his wife and son.
Sources
- Wikidata entity Q57752.
- en.wikipedia, Hansi Kürsch (revision 1347755683), CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photograph: Hansi Kürsch Blind Guardian - 2024215204633 2024-08-02 Wacken - Sven - 1D X MK II - 1989 - AK8I4699 (cropped).jpg on Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, by Sven Mandel.
