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The Hep Stars
The Hep Stars are a Swedish rock band formed in Stockholm in 1963. During 1965–1966 the band was the most successful of contemporary 1960s Swedish pop groups performing in the English language. Outside the Nordic countries the band is best known as a launching point for the keyboard player and composer Benny Andersson, who went on to enjoy worldwide success with ABBA. The band was founded by the drummer Christer "Chrille" Pettersson (3 November 1942 – 27 August 2006) and the bass guitarist Lennart "Lelle" Hegland (9 January 1943 – 13 April 2022) with the keyboard player Hans Östlund and the guitarist-singer Jan "Janne" Frisk (29 November 1943). At the height of their popularity, the line-up consisted of Hegland, Pettersson, Frisk, Sven Ove "Svenne" Hedlund on lead vocals (10 March 1945, Solna – 3 December 2022) and Benny Andersson on keyboards. Beginnings Originally, the band called themselves Quartet Yep. Their repertoire included various styles of music from La ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropolitan area. The city stretches across fourteen islands where Lake Mälaren flows into the Baltic Sea. Outside the city to the east, and along the coast, is the island chain of the Stockholm archipelago. The area has been settled since the Stone Age, in the 6th millennium BC, and was founded as a city in 1252 by Swedish statesman Birger Jarl. It is also the county seat of Stockholm County. For several hundred years, Stockholm was the capital of Finland as well (), which then was a part of Sweden. The population of the municipality of Stockholm is expected to reach one million people in 2024. Stockholm is the cultural, media, political, and economic centre of Sweden. The Stockholm region alone accounts for over a third of the country's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Farmer John (song)
"Farmer John" is a song written by Don "Sugarcane" Harris and Dewey Terry, and first recorded by the two as the American R&B duo Don and Dewey, in 1959. Although the original version of the composition did not receive much attention, it was reinvigorated by the garage rock band the Premiers, whose raving remake of the song was released in 1964. The song's raw and partying atmosphere was immensely popular, reaching number 19 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Following the group's national success, several additional interpretations of "Farmer John" were released, making the tune a classic of garage rock. In 1965, Swedish rock band Hep Stars released a version of "Farmer John" that reached number one on the Swedish sales charts. Original version Don and Dewey penned "Farmer John", a simplistic tune about marrying a farmer's daughter, in early 1959, and first recorded their original rendition in January 1959. The duo's R&B song was much more subdued than the Premiers' later interpre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mike Berry (actor)
Mike Berry (born Michael Hubert Bourne, 24 September 1942) is an English singer and actor. He is known for his top ten hits "Don't You Think It's Time" (1963) and "The Sunshine of Your Smile" (1980) in a singing career spanning nearly 60 years. He became an actor in the 1970s, and was best known for his appearances as Mr. Spooner on the British sitcom ''Are You Being Served?'' in the early 1980s. Early life Berry was born in Northampton. His parents grew up in Rhodesia but met in England and his mother was an amateur actress and singer. Six months after his birth his mother moved with him to North Wales for two years. The family then moved to Stoke Newington where he attended William Pattern Primary School and passed his eleven plus exam, winning a scholarship to Hackney Downs Grocers' School. He left the school aged 16 without qualifications to become an apprentice compositor. Singer Berry was a fan of skiffle and rock and roll music as a teenager and he formed his own skif ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Hep Stars (album)
''The Hep Stars'' (also known as just ''Hep Stars'') is the eponymous second studio album (and third overall album release) by Swedish pop group Hep Stars, released on 19 December 1966 on Åke Gerhard's Olga Records, the catalogue number LPO 04. The album can be considered the band's musical breakthrough, as five out of twelve tracks are original compositions, and nine out of the twelve tracks had never previously been recorded by other bands. However, with over 40.000 copies of the album being sent to record stores across Scandinavia, it became a huge hit, reached number 12 on Kvällstoppen in Sweden, reached number 5 on Norway's VG-lista and reached number 3 in Finland, where it stayed for two months. The album was later certified gold in Sweden after selling 25.000 copies. Material In contrast to the heavier and more rhythm and blues based sound of their debut album ''We And Our Cadillac'', songs on ''The Hep Stars'' varies from pop on songs such as "Lady Lady", to psyche ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wedding (song)
"Wedding" is a song written by Swedish musicians Benny Andersson and Svenne Hedlund, first recorded as the eleventh single by their group the Hep Stars in May 1966. "Wedding" was the second single in which the Hep Stars ventured into baroque pop, something that they'd done on their previous single " Sunny Girl" in March 1966. Upon release, "Wedding" continued the Hep Stars chart success, reaching number 1 on both Kvällstoppen and ''Tio i Topp'' that same year. The song was later included in altered form as the final track on their eponymous second studio album ''The Hep Stars'' in December 1966. As a result of this, "Wedding" became the Hep Stars first single to be mixed in true stereo. Background and recording In March 1966, the Hep Stars released "Sunny Girl" as a single, a song which was written by Andersson and was a departure from their previous rock and rhythm and blues influences, instead dabbling into baroque pop. "Sunny Girl" became their first self-written song ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Consolation (song)
"Consolation" is a song written by Swedish keyboardist Benny Andersson, first recorded as the Hep Stars thirteenth single in October 1966. The single largely left the baroque pop style sound which had dominated both their previous singles "Sunny Girl" and "Wedding", but continues the soft rock style of " I Natt Jag Drömde" and also ventures into the territory of psychedelic rock, a genre that would become prevalent the following year. The single continued the Hep Stars chart success in Sweden, reaching number 2 on ''Tio i Topp.'' On Kvällstoppen, the song peaked at number 1 for ten unconsecutive weeks, and as a result became the Hep Stars biggest hit on that chart. Andersson would later state dismay with the single. It was included on their second studio album The Hep Stars (album), ''The Hep Stars''. Background By October, the Hep Stars had released three singles in 1966, two of which were original compositions. These were "Sunny Girl" and "Wedding", both of which reached n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sunny Girl (song)
"Sunny Girl" is a song written by Benny Andersson, which was recorded and released as the Swedish rock group Hep Stars tenth single in March 1966. Their second original song after " No Response", it was the song which made Andersson believe in himself as a songwriter, with support from their manager Åke Gerhard. As a result, almost all singles by the Hep Stars following "Sunny Girl" are original compositions. Nonetheless, the single became a huge success in Sweden, reaching number 1 on both Kvällstoppen and ''Tio i Topp'', their first to do so since "Bald Headed Woman" in mid-1965. It was the Hep Stars only top-10 single outside of the Nordic countries, as it reached number 4 in the Netherlands in 1968. Another Swedish group, the Telstars, reached Svensktoppen with a translation of the song in September 1966. Andersson has since stated dislike for the lyrics. Background In 1965 alone, the Hep Stars had accumulated six top-10 singles, of which three were number ones. However, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polar Music
Polar Music is a Swedish record company founded in 1963 by Stig Anderson and his friend Bengt Bernhag. Background The first act that Polar Music signed was the Hootenanny Singers featuring Björn Ulvaeus. Polar eventually gained prosperity producing Ulvaeus' next group, international superstars ABBA. As a small Scandinavian company based in Sweden, Polar could not afford to set up operations worldwide and was ABBA's record company only in the Scandinavian countries. Therefore, ABBA's recordings were licensed to different record companies in each country, but usually to companies that had international operations, meaning they could effectively compete with each other to acquire the licenses in more countries if they proved successful in their own. The licenses gave the companies a few allowances to issue certain tracks as singles that Polar had not, or to modify single (and occasionally album) artwork. The licenses were for three years at a time, meaning that between 1989 and 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hootenanny Singers
The Hootenanny Singers were a popular folk group from Sweden, founded in 1961. The group included Björn Ulvaeus, who later became a member of ABBA. Other band members were Johan Karlberg (b. Karl Johan Hilding Karlberg, 14 April 1943, Vimmerby, Sweden d. 16 August 1992, Västervik, Sweden), Tonny Rooth (b. Sven Villy Tonny Rooth, 30 November 1943, Västervik, Sweden) and Hansi Schwarz (b. Hans Carl Schwarz, 16 March 1942, Munich, Germany d. 10 January 2013, Lund, Sweden). The group was named "The Northern Lights" for a US-released LP in 1966. Early debut In 1964, they debuted on the Swedish TV programme ''Hylands Hörna'' with locally well-known Swedish poet Dan Andersson's "Jag väntar vid min mila" (translated as "I'm Waiting at the Charcoal Kiln"). The band had an early hit in the song ''Gabrielle'', based on the Russian song " May There Always Be Sunshine" by Arkady Ostrovsky. Due to a lack of international copyright agreements, songs from the Soviet Union were then ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hit Record
A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record'' usually refers to a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio airplay audience impressions, or significant streaming data and commercial sales. Historically, before the dominance of recorded music, commercial sheet music sales of individual songs were similarly promoted and tracked as singles and albums are now. For example, in 1894, Edward B. Marks and Joe Stern released ''The Little Lost Child'', which sold more than a million copies nationwide, based mainly on its success as an illustrated song, analogous to today's music videos. Chart hits In the United States and the United Kingdom, a single is usually considered a hit when it reaches the top 40 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 or the top 75 of the U ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream
"Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream" (also known as "The Strangest Dream") is a song written by American folk singer-songwriter Ed McCurdy in 1950. Due to McCurdy's connection with fellow musicians, it was common in repertoires within the folk music community. The song had its first album release when Pete Seeger recorded it as "Strangest Dream" for his 1956 album ''Love Songs For Friends & Foes.'' Seeger would later re-visit the song for his 1967 album ''Waist Deep in the Big Muddy and other Love Songs.'' The strong anti-war theme of the song led it to be recorded by multiple other artists, including The Weavers (1960), Joan Baez (1962), The Kingston Trio (1963), Simon & Garfunkel (1964), and Johnny Cash who released two versions of the song during the 2000s. The song has been recorded by over 50 acts in English, and has also been adapted into several different languages, the most successful of these translations being a Swedish version by Cornelis Vreeswijk, a song that ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
I Natt Jag Drömde
"Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream" (also known as "The Strangest Dream") is a song written by American folk singer-songwriter Ed McCurdy in 1950. Due to McCurdy's connection with fellow musicians, it was common in repertoires within the folk music community. The song had its first album release when Pete Seeger recorded it as "Strangest Dream" for his 1956 album ''Love Songs For Friends & Foes.'' Seeger would later re-visit the song for his 1967 album ''Waist Deep in the Big Muddy and other Love Songs.'' The strong anti-war theme of the song led it to be recorded by multiple other artists, including The Weavers (1960), Joan Baez (1962), The Kingston Trio (1963), Simon & Garfunkel (1964), and Johnny Cash who released two versions of the song during the 2000s. The song has been recorded by over 50 acts in English, and has also been adapted into several different languages, the most successful of these translations being a Swedish version by Cornelis Vreeswijk, a song that ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
