-
1960s:
studies at the State Conservatory in Bratislava (majoring in dance and piano); during his studies, he founds his first student band, Young Quartet
-
Late 1960s:
performance of compulsory military service in Prague, active as a singer and musician in the Army Artistic Ensemble (AUS); collaboration with prominent jazz musicians (e.g., Laco Déczi)
-
1970 – 1972:
gaining professional playing experience in the bands Ľubo Belák sextet, New Blues Five, Gentlemeni, and in the Reduta kvartet formation
-
1972:
joining the band Modus and recording his first original songs in the Bratislava studio of the Czechoslovak Radio under the Opus record label
-
1974:
takes over the role of leader of the group Modus, restarts its activities, and profiles it as a fundamental songwriting entity of Slovak music
-
1976 – 1980:
the band's most successful period; discovering and establishing vocal talents such as Marika Gombitová and Miro Žbirka
-
1976 – 1982:
success at the Bratislava Lyre festival (Gold Lyre in 1979 for the song "Úsmev", Silver Lyre for the composition "Vyznanie", three Bronze Lyres for the tracks "Lúčenie", "Tajomstvo hier", and "Zrkadlo let")
-
1979:
release of the debut eponymous album Modus 1980: winning 1st prize at the international festival in Sopot, Poland, for the song "Vyznanie" (performed by Marika Gombitová)
-
1981 – 1982:
reshaping of the band (the so-called fourth line-up) and recording the iconic albums 99 zápaliek (1981) and Záhradná kaviareň (1982)
-
1980s:
international concert tours in the Eastern Bloc countries and Asian states (Vietnam, Laos)
-
1992:
launch of his solo career with the release of the debut solo album Janko Lehotský a priatelia, featuring Slovak performers such as P. Habera, R. Grigorov, and M. Žbirka
-
1992 – present:
releasing original solo albums (e.g., Čierny motýľ, Moje mladšie ja), composing for theater and television
-
2007:
occasional acting activity (portraying the character of a doorman in the award-winning Slovak film Muzika)
Ján Lehotský is a Slovak composer and pop-rock singer. In addition to attending an elementary art school, he was guided toward artistic activities from childhood by his mother, the dancer and ballet master Ella Fuchsová-Lehotská, thanks to whom he practiced dance. Within the Slovak musical context, he established himself as an author with a distinctive melodic style and a performer with a specific vocal delivery. In addition to performing his own repertoire, he collaborated with several domestic singers, composing songs for them and helping them launch their musical careers. His songs combine rock elements with a pop-song structure and remain a staple of Slovak radio playlists.