Katapult is a Czech rock band formed in 1975 in Pilsen by Oldřich Říha and Jiří "Dědek" Šindelář. They originally performed as Mahagon before renaming them Katapult to avoid conflict with a Prague-based group. Despite socialist-era performance bans, they achieved significant popularity with the single “Vlaky v hlavě” (1977). They released their debut live album, Katapult (1978), which sold 150,000 copies, followed by the studio record 2006 (1980). After a state-imposed recording ban, they returned with Rock de Luxe (1986) and later issued the English-language project Taste of Freedom (1990). Anatoli Kohout died in 2007. The band embarked on a farewell tour in 2008, during which Šindelář died on 5 January 2009 and drummer Karel Jahn died on 27 February 2009. Říha subsequently resumed activity with new members, releasing the studio albums Radosti života (2010) and Nostalgia (2023).
