Gerhard Egger (born 14 October 1949 in Gosau, Upper Austria) is an Austrian songwriter, composer, author and Alpenrock pioneer. He is also known as the "Mostrocker".
G. Egger (Art Boys Collection), Konzerthausstudio Vienna, 1970
Egger began attending primary school in Gosau from 1956 and moved to secondary school in Bad Goisern in 1960. There, he appeared for the first time in the school band with future rock singer-songwriter Wilfried Scheutz. In 1964, he left his village to attend a high school in Oberschützen, in southern Burgenland, Austria, which focused on music. Previously self-taught, he received piano and church organ lessons there for the first time. As a fan of The Beatles he taught himself to play the guitar and began writing his own songs in English.[citation needed]
Songwriter (since 1964)
1969 he moved to Linz, attended the teacher training college and won the Innviertel Grand Prix interpreter competition with his own songs. As singer, guitarist and songwriter of the group Art Boys Collection,[1] he reached number 3 in the Discparade of the radio station Ö3 in 1971.[2] (Due to a change in the counting system, the months May till December 1971 are missing in the statistics of the Austrian Charts).
Egger mixed different unusual styles in his songs for the ABC-Album Stoned Wall released in 1973.[3] After a radio boycott this production was only moderately successful. Egger left the group, finished his studies, began teaching as a primary school teacher in Stadl-Paura and backpacked through Europe as a musician for two summers.
Pedagogue (since 1971)
In 1974, he married and worked as spokesman for an “Activity Group for Primary School Teachers”, that paved the way for the legal equality of primary and secondary school teachers. In 1975, he began writing songs in Austrian dialect and added elements of folk music. Without much expectation for success for this kind of Alpine music, he toured through Austria and Bavaria with the Coverband "Broadway" as a part-time keyboarder and singer.
Producer (since 1980)
Together with other musicians he founded the Ringstrasse recording studio in Wels in 1980. Later, composer Hanneliese Kreissl-Wurth joined them. Apart from producing he also wrote songs for Waterloo and Robinson and Wilfried Scheutz, some of which were produced.[4]
Together with the guitarist Gery Moder, he launched the band Gerhard Egger & Die Mostrocker in 1985. They called their then barely-known mixture of rock and folk music "Mostrock".[5] Their first album Vom Dachstoa bis nach Tennessee gained some attention in 1987, well before musicians like Attwenger and Hubert von Goisern stormed stages with a similar music style.[6] His second album was the Alpenrock opera Hallstatt-Das Mystical, which was released 1991. Its debut performance was during the Hallstatt culture week "Kunst im Hochtal" in 1993.[7] As a successful composer he became a voting member of the Austrian copyright society AKM in 1994. That year, he moved to Lambach. In 1995, Egger and Moder collaborated with studio musicians Willi Langer and Tommy Böröcz to produce the third album Hoamatblues. An Alpenrock tour with Ausseer Hardbradler followed.[8]
In 1996, Egger composed the Alpenrock children's musical Der Flößerkater & Die Traungeister and performed it with 300 people in Stadl-Paura. Additionally he wrote an accompanying reading and songbook.[9]
World-musician (since 1998)
In 1998, Egger wrote and produced the "Stadlinger Anthem", based on the motto “Think globally, act locally.” The result was an album in ten different versions with artists from the pop, rock, folk, choral and classical genres. In 1999, on the occasion of the Weltfest (world festival) of the MIVA he composed the "WeltSong" and performed it together with musicians from Africa, Latin America, Asia and Europe.[10]
In 2000, he dedicated the "Christoph Sieber Surfing Song" to Olympic surfing champion Christoph Sieber and premiered it at his Olympic Gala. In 2002, he was approached by the newspaper Oberösterreichische Nachrichten to set the dialect text of the Franz Stelzhamer-lyrical contest "Segn und Sagn" to music. The result was a CD which was presented at a gala evening at the Landestheater Linz.[11]
2003 Egger released the album "SchonZeit" with his musical versions of the Stelzhamer poems. After that he went on tour through Austria with his Mostrockern and his new drummer Stefan Hofer.
G. Egger, Riff-Studio Lambach, 2004
Headmaster (since 2003)
In 2003, Egger became headmaster of the primary school in Stadl-Paura. For the following six years he dedicated his time and energy to school development. In 2009, he retired and was awarded the Stadl-Paura Community Ring of Honor for his public service.[12]
Author (since 2009)
In 2010, Egger (Mostrocker), in posthumous collaboration with his grandfather, went on a search for historical clues and published the book "Zeitspuren aus dem inneren Salzkammergut" (Traces of Time from the Inner Salzkammergut) as a result.[13] The book was presented at the Frankfurt book fair.
2011 his first band's 40-year-old album was newly released. Thanks to radio and internet platforms all around the world it reached number one in the Nitro-Download-Charts.[14] Reviews from Japan to the USA thought it was one of the most beautiful rediscoveries of the last years.[15]
Late works (since 2012)
In 2012, Egger released his album "Gerhard Eggers Lonely Mostrock Band“ with 12 self-written songs in the Beatles-Style. 6 of them have been played more than 5000 times on Austrian Radio Stations. In 2019, he came back to the public with his album "Regenbogenland“, the first part of a rock opera soundtrack, by returning to the spirit of Woodstock and the peace movement of 1969.[citation needed]
Discography
Albums
1972: Stoned Wall – Art Boys Collection with Gerhard Egger, Album, Lesborne
1987: Vom Dachstoa bis nach Tennessee – Gerhard Egger & Die Mostrocker, Album, Riff Records
1991: Hallstatt–Das Mystical – Gerhard Egger & Die Mostrocker, Album, Riff Records
1995: Hoamatblues Gerhard Egger & Die Mostrocker, Album, Koch Int.
1996: Der Flößerkater & DieTraungeister – Gerhard Egger, Album, Riff Records
1997: Grenzgänger – Egger, Album, Koch Int.
2000: Stadlinger Hymne – Gerhard Egger & friends, Album, Riff Records
2001: Stoned Wall – Art Boys Collection with Gerhard Egger, Album, Garden of Delights
2004: SchonZeit – Gerhard Egger & Die Mostrocker, Album, Musica
2011: Stoned Wall – Art Boys Collection with Gerhard Egger, Release-Vinyl-Album, Golden Pavilion
2012: Gerhard Eggers Lonely Mostrock Band – Gerhard Egger & Die Mostrocker, Album, Birne Records
2019: Regenbogenland – Gerhard Egger & Die Mostrocker, Album, Birne Records
2023: Freiflug - Gerhard Egger & Die Mostrocker, Album, Birne Records
Singles
1970: Lemon Tree – Art Boys Collection with Gerhard Egger, Single, Lesborne
1971: Jesus Said – Art Boys Collection with Gerhard Egger, Single, Lesborne
1971: Life Is A Dream – Art Boys Collection with Gerhard Egger, Single, Interpop
1971: Freedom Voice of My Soul – Art Boys Collection with Gerhard Egger, Single, Lesborne
1987: Der Summa is im kumma – Gerhard Egger & Die Mostrocker, Single, Ringstrasse
1995: Scheni Leni – Gerhard Egger & Die Mostrocker, Single-Koch Int.
1995: Übern See – Gerhard Egger & Die Mostrocker, Single, Koch Int.
1996: Touristen – Gerhard Egger & Die Mostrocker, Single, Koch Int.
1997: Gemma's an – Egger, Single, Koch Int.
1999: WeltSong – Gerhard Egger & Die WeltBand, Single, Riff Records
2003: Schonzeit – Gerhard Egger & Die Mostrocker, Single, Musica
2012: Mondsuechtig – Gerhard Egger & Mostrocker, Single, Birne Records
2013: Tanz mit mir Marie – Gerhard Egger & Die Mostrocker, Single, Birne Records
2018: Himmi voller Stern – Gerhard Egger & Die Mostrocker, Single, Birne Records
2018: Dezemberschnee – Gerhard Egger & Die Mostrocker, Single, Birne Records
2019: Regenbogenland - Gerhard Egger & Die Mostrocker, Single, Birne Records
2020: Du ghörst zu mir - Gerhard Egger & Die Mostrocker, Single, Birne Records
2021: Herbstzeitlos - Gerhard Egger & Die Mostrocker, Single, Birne Records
2022: Wilfriedlied - Gerhard Egger & Die Mostrocker, Single, Birne Records
2023: Mehr mehr mehr - Gerhard Egger & Die Mostrocker, Single, Birne Records
Compilations
1970: Pop Made in Austria 1 – Lesborne
1971: Pop Made in Austria 3 – Lesborne
1974: Zwickt's mi – Lesborne
1995: Alpen-Rock 3 – Koch Int.
1996: Gipfelstürmer 2 – MCA
1996: Alpen-Rock 96 – Koch Int.
1997: Ottis Schlachtplatte – Koch Int.
1997: Best of Alpenrock–Hits der 80er u. 90er – BGM Ariola
1998: Almenrock – Koch Int.
1998: Alpen-Rock – Koch Int.
1999: Alpen-Rock im Doppelpack II – Koch Int.
1999: Alpenrock presented by M&M – BGM Ariola
1999: Bayern Power – Zyx Music
1999: Der Berg ruft – Junge Klänge – Verlag Das Beste
2000: Alpen-Rock im Doppelpack III – Koch Int.
2001: Power der Berge – Koch Universal
2001: Psychedelic Underground – Garden of Delights
2002: Segn und Sagn – Riff Records
2004: Alpenrock Hüttenkracher – Koch Universal
Books
1996: Der Flößerkater und die Traungeister – Lese- und Liederbuch – Gerhard Egger – Riff-Productions Lambach
2001: Rüdiger, der Feuerdrache – Kinderbuch – Gerhard Egger/Ruth Zizlavsky – Verlag HKM Lambach
2009: Mundart 2009 – Lyrikanthologie des Stelzhamerbundes – Gerhard Egger/Diverse – Verlag Plöchl Freistadt
2010: Zeitspuren aus dem inneren Salzkammergut – Gerhard Egger/Josef Posch – Edition Innsalz
2021: Das Glaeserne Tal - Historischer Roman - Gerhard Egger - Verlag Nina Roitner
Awards
1970: Winning singer of the "Innviertel-Grand-Prix"
1993: Förderpreis der AUME für die Alpinrock-Oper "Hallstatt-Das Mystical"
2000: Kulturplakette der Gemeinde Stadl-Paura
2009: Verleihung des Ehrenringes der Gemeinde Stadl-Paura
Gerhard Egger/Josef Posch: Zeitspuren aus dem inneren Salzkammergut. Edition Innsalz, Ranshofen/Osternberg 2010. Deutsche Nationalbibliothek (ISBN978-3-902616-35-7)
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