Jim Čert has passed away, leaving behind the best songs from Middle-earth

I've always had a soft spot for raw, unpolished music – the kind that's honest and authentic. When the news reached me this week that singer-songwriter and accordionist Jim Čert passed away on February 17, 2026, just before his seventieth birthday, melodies from his album Písně Středozemě (Songs of Middle-earth) immediately came to mind. I personally consider it the best work ever created in our country based on J. R. R. Tolkien.

Čert's recording shows what Tolkien fandom looked like before Peter Jackson filmed his versions of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It also proves how brilliant the translation by Stanislava Pošustová-Menšíková is and how beautifully she managed to bring Tolkien's rich language into our native tongue.

A punk approach and poetry

It must be said that Jim Čert (born František Horáček) was a force of nature who could captivate an audience with an accordion in hand, whether through gritty tunes or gentle ballads. The album Písně Středozemě, released in 1998, is perfect proof of that.

At first glance, one might think that setting Tolkien's poems from The Lord of the Rings to an accordion doesn't make much sense, especially since we now associate the stories with Howard Shore's epic soundtrack from the film adaptations. But it works incredibly well. Jim managed to convey the spirit of Tolkien's stories modestly, with just one instrument, yet in an incredibly rich and evocative way.

When I first saw the film adaptation of The Hobbit in the cinema, specifically the first part where the dwarves sing the Song of Durin in Bilbo's hole, I thought to myself that Jim Čert simply managed to capture it better.

A shadow that couldn't be erased

When talking about Jim Čert, it's impossible not to mention his darker past linked to his collaboration with the State Security (StB). Unlike other artists who denied and continue to deny similar failures, Jim publicly confessed and sincerely apologized in a letter to the media in 2007. By all accounts, this failure must have weighed on him and haunted him his entire life. Personally, I wouldn't dare to judge him…

A very complex personality has left us, but Jim's music remains. If you want to listen to Čert's Písně ze Středozemě, take this somber opportunity to give them a listen; it is truly a beautiful work.

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