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Kari Tapani Jalkanen (22 November 1945 – 7 December 2010), better known by his stage name Kari Tapio, was a Finnish schlager and
country & western Country (also called country and western) is a music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is primarily focused on singing sto ...
singer. During his career, he was the most popular singer in Finland for decades; having sold estimately over a million 
certified Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...
records (during his career and posthumously), he is the best-selling soloist in the country. Kari Tapio was born in
Suonenjoki Suonenjoki (; literally means "vein's river") is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the Northern Savonia region, southwest of Kuopio. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population d ...
,
Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
. In the 1960s he performed in his home town
Pieksämäki Pieksämäki () is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the Southern Savonia region, about north of Mikkeli, east of Jyväskylä and south of Kuopio. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water ...
with the local bands ER-Quartet and Jami & The Noisemakers. In 1966 he took singing lessons from Ture Ara. After Kari Tapio's first single ''"Tuuli kääntyköön"/"Niskavuoren nuorimmainen"'' in 1972, he performed in Ilkka "Danny" Lipsanen's show. In the beginning his role was to take care of the
snake Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have s ...
that was used in the show. Before music became a job for him, he worked as a typesetter in a printing house. In 1976 Kari Tapio finally broke through with his single ''Laula kanssain'' (literally "Sing with Me", a Finnish cover of Jackpot's ''Sing My Love Song''), which was followed by ''Viisitoista kesää'' ("Fifteen Summers," a cover of ''
Living Next Door to Alice "Living Next Door to Alice" is a song co-written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman. Originally released by Australian pop band New World in 1972, the song charted at No. 35 on the Australian chart. The song later became a worldwide hit for British ...
'') and ''Kaipuu'' ("Longing", a cover of
Mort Shuman Mortimer Shuman (12 November 1938 – 2 November 1991) was an American singer, pianist and songwriter, best known as co-writer of many 1960s rock and roll hits, including " Viva Las Vegas". He also wrote and sang many songs in French, such as ...
's ''Sorrow''). In later years ''Olen suomalainen'' ("I Am a Finn", a cover of
Toto Cutugno Salvatore "Toto" Cutugno (; 7 July 1943 – 22 August 2023) was an Italian Italian popular music, pop singer-songwriter, musician, and television presenter. He was best known for his worldwide hit song, "", released on his 1983 album of the sam ...
's '' L'Italiano''), ''Myrskyn jälkeen'' ("After the Storm"), ''En pyydä paljon'' ("I Don't Ask for Much", a cover of
Paulina Rubio Paulina Susana Rubio Dosamantes (; born 17 June 1971) is a Mexican singer, songwriter and television personality. Referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Golden Girl", she first achieved recognition as a member of the successf ...
's '' Te Quise Tanto'') and ''Paalupaikka'' ("Pole Position"), among others, were among his most popular songs. In 2003 the Iskelmä-Finlandia award was given to him. Many of Kari Tapio's songs have influences from
country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
. He sang many Finnish versions of the songs of
Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...
,
Waylon Jennings Waylon Arnold Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He is considered one of the pioneers of the Outlaw country, outlaw movement in country music. Jennings started playing ...
, and
Kris Kristofferson Kristoffer Kristofferson (June 22, 1936 – September 28, 2024) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was a pioneering figure in the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, moving away from the polished Nashville sound and toward a m ...
. Kari Tapio was one of the candidates to represent Finland in the
Eurovision Song Contest 2008 The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Belgrade, Serbia, following the country's victory at the with the song "" by Marija Šerifović. Organised by the European Broadcasting Unio ...
with the song ''Valaise yö'' ("Light up the night"). In the finals, he placed second; and
Teräsbetoni Teräsbetoni is a Finnish heavy/power metal band. Their first album, ''Metallitotuus'', was released in 2005 and has so far sold more than 32,000 copies. Teräsbetoni has been strongly influenced by bands such as Manowar. The direct translation ...
was chosen to represent Finland. Kari Tapio was married to Brita Kyllikki "Pia" Viheriävaara (1947-2015) since 1969, and they have three sons: Jiri (b.1970), Jani (b.1972) and Joona (b.1978). Jiri and Jani played in Kari's band, while Joona was Kari's manager. Kari Tapio died of a sudden
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
in the yard of his home in Haukilahti,
Espoo Espoo (, ; ) is a city in Finland. It is located to the west of the capital, Helsinki, in southern Uusimaa. The population is approximately . It is the most populous Municipalities of Finland, municipality in Finland. Espoo is part of the Helsi ...
, Finland on the 7th of December 2010. He had been out celebrating the Finnish Independence Day the previous night, and had fallen asleep in the backseat of a taxi bringing him home. He was 65 years old. Kari Tapio had already had a heart attack in summer of 1996, and had gone through a bypass surgery in January 1997. His memorial concert was held in
Tampere Tampere is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Pirkanmaa. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Tampere is approximately , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately . It is the most populous mu ...
on 18th of October 2011.


Discography


Albums

* ''Aikapommi'' (1974) (with
Erkki Liikanen Erkki Antero Liikanen (born 19 September 1950) is a Finnish social democratic politician and a former Governor of the Bank of Finland. Early life and education Erkki Antero Liikanen obtained a bachelor’s degree in Political Science (Economic ...
) * ''Nostalgiaa'' (1976) * ''Klabbi'' (1976) * ''Kaipuu'' (1977) * ''Kari Tapio'' (1979) * ''Jää vierellein'' (1981) * ''Olen suomalainen'' (1983) * ''Ovi elämään'' (1984) * ''Osa minusta'' (1986) * ''Elämän viulut'' (1987) * ''Tää kaipuu'' (1988) * ''Aikaan täysikuun'' (1990) * ''Yön tuuli vain'' (1992) * ''Sinitaikaa'' (1993) * ''Laulaja'' (1994) * ''Myrskyn jälkeen'' (1995) #23 * ''Meren kuisketta'' (1997) #9 * ''Sinut tulen aina muistamaan'' (1998) #7 * ''Valoon päin'' (1999) #5 * ''Bella Capri'' (2000) #6 * ''Kari Tapio konserttilavalla'' (2001) #30 * ''Joulun tarina'' (2001) * ''Juna kulkee'' (2003) #4 * ''Toiset on luotuja kulkemaan'' (2004) #5 * ''Paalupaikka'' (2005) #5 * ''Kuin taivaisiin'' (2007) #1 * ''Kaksi maailmaa'' (March 26, 2008) * ''Viimeiseen pisaraan'' (March 25, 2009) * ''Vieras paratiisissa'' (May 5, 2010)


Compilations

* ''28 suosituinta levytystä'' (1987) * ''Toivotut'' (1992) * ''Viisitoista kesää'' (1995) * ''20 suosikkia – Olen suomalainen'' (1995) * ''20 suosikkia – Luoksesi Tukholmaan'' (1997) * ''Parhaat'' (1997) * ''Kaikki parhaat'' (1999) #2 * ''20 suosikkia – Kulkurin kyyneleet'' (2001) * ''20 suosikkia – Sanoit liian paljon'' (2001) * ''Kaikkien aikojen parhaat – 40 klassikkoa'' (2002) #17 * ''Nostalgia'' (2005) * ''Lauluja rakkaudesta'' (2006) #13 * ''Laulaja 1945-2010'' (2011) #1


See also

*
List of best-selling music artists in Finland These are the lists of the music artists that have the highest certified record sales in Finland (and/or sales explicitly confirmed by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland in their database). The lists consist of albums and singles (vinyl, CD, ...


References


External links


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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tapio, Kari 1945 births 2010 deaths People from Suonenjoki 20th-century Finnish male singers 21st-century Finnish male singers