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Tommy Seebach (14 September 1949 – 31 March 2003), born Tommy Seebach Mortensen in
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
,
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
, was a popular Danish singer, composer, organist, pianist and producer. He is best known as front man of Sir Henry and his Butlers and for numerous contributions to the Danish qualifier for the
Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...
, the
Dansk Melodi Grand Prix Dansk Melodi Grand Prix (), also known as Melodi Grand Prix or simply DMGP, is an annual music competition organised by the Danish public broadcaster DR since 1957, which determines for the Eurovision Song Contest. The festival has produced ...
, which he won three times. He was the father of songwriter/producer Nicolai Seebach and singer/songwriter/producer
Rasmus Seebach Rasmus Seebach (; born 28 March 1980) is a Danish singer-songwriter and record producer who had his solo-debut with the Danish-language single "Engel" () in April 2009. Seebach has written and produced songs for Danish and international artist ...
.


Biography


Musical beginnings

Seebach began his musical career as an organist in his own group "The Colours" at age 14. In the following years he played in many pop and beat groups. He played the piano with various orchestras and groups, sometimes going under the name of "Boogie-Woogie-Tommy". He gained mainstream popularity in Denmark in 1965, when he became a member of the band Sir Henry and his Butlers, writing many of their most popular hits. He also worked as a recording engineer at the Rosenberg Studio in
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
and amongst other projects recorded the Icecross album there in 1973.icecross.net
Icecross album credits
.


Solo career

In 1976 he emerged as a successful solo artist. His hit album "Tommygum" was released in 1977. It was at this time that he recorded and performed "
Apache The Apache ( ) are several Southern Athabaskan language-speaking peoples of the Southwestern United States, Southwest, the Southern Plains and Northern Mexico. They are linguistically related to the Navajo. They migrated from the Athabascan ho ...
".


Eurovision Song Contest

Seebach competed seven times in the
Dansk Melodi Grand Prix Dansk Melodi Grand Prix (), also known as Melodi Grand Prix or simply DMGP, is an annual music competition organised by the Danish public broadcaster DR since 1957, which determines for the Eurovision Song Contest. The festival has produced ...
. Only one other act, the
Hot Eyes Kirsten & Søren, known internationally as Hot Eyes, were a Danish singing duo consisting of Kirsten Siggaard Andersen (born 7 September 1954 in Slagelse) and Søren Bundgaard Nielsen (born 4 March 1956 in Glostrup). Biography Kirsten was brou ...
, has ever won the competition three times. In 1979, his song "Disco Tango", coauthored with Keld Heick, and performed by Seebach, came in as no 1. Finishing 6th at the
Eurovision Song Contest 1979 The Eurovision Song Contest 1979 was the 24th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Jerusalem, Israel, following the country's victory at the with the song "A-Ba-Ni-Bi" by Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta. Organised by the Euro ...
, it became a major hit both in Denmark and other European countries. A friendship with fellow contenders Black Lace (UK entry) led to Tommy, producing the single "Hey Hey Jock McCray" for the band, released the following year in Denmark by EMI. In 1980, his song "Bye-Bye", performed by the duo Lecia & Lucienne, came in 7th. In 1981, he won the competition once again, in a duet with Debbie Cameron. The song "Krøller eller ej", was also coauthored with Keld Heick. Translated as "Straight or Curly Hair", it finished 11th at
Eurovision Song Contest 1981 The Eurovision Song Contest 1981 was the 26th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Dublin, Ireland, following the country's victory at the with the song "What's Another Year" performed by Johnny Logan. Organised by the Euro ...
. Cameron has later alleged that Denmark and Israel had been among countries whose sound checks had been sabotaged in order to bring The UK's Bucks Fizz to victory. In 1982, his song "Hip hurra det’ min fødselsdag" ("Hip hip hurray, this is my birthday"), performed by himself, came in second. In 1984, "Pyjamas for to" ("Pyjamas for two") came in fourth. In 1985, "Det’ det jeg altid har sagt" ("I always said this") came in second. In 1987, "Det’ gratis" ("It is for free") came in fourth. In 1993, Seebach won the competition again, performing the song "Under stjernerne på himlen" ("Under the stars of the sky"), written together with Keld Heick. He had submitted the song several times before, but had been turned down. At the time, the public interest in the Song Contest, deemed cheesy by the cultural elite, was fading, and as an icon of the contest, Seebach's popularity had been on the wane for some time. It has been alleged that
Danmarks Radio DR (), officially the Danish Broadcasting Corporation in English, is a Danish public-service radio and television broadcasting company. Founded in 1925 as a public-service organization, it is Denmark's oldest and largest electronic media enter ...
had originally turned the song down out of fear that Seebach, who had developed a severe addiction to alcohol, would cause a scandal at the performance. When the song came in as a secure no. 1, his popularity soared for a while, but only to drop dramatically, when the song finished 22nd out of 25 songs at
Eurovision Song Contest 1993 The Eurovision Song Contest 1993 was the 38th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held on 15 May 1993 at the Green Glens Arena in Millstreet, Ireland. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster (RTÉ), and pr ...
, receiving only 9 points. The poor result meant that Denmark did not qualify for the ESC 1994, and Seebach was widely criticized, after experiencing a brief rise in popularity, and never competed again. He had a big hit in 1989 with the duet "Du skælder mig hele tiden ud" ("You're Always Yelling at Me"), sung with Annette Heick, Keld Heick's daughter. They followed up this success with two more singles and a Christmas album.


After the Eurovision Song Contest

The 1990s were lean years for him as a performer and recording artist. He had a comeback with the release of a disco-version of "Krøller eller ej" released in 1999, as well as the release of a compilation album. He toured the country's discothèques at that time and found cult interest in his old hits among a new, younger audience.


Personal life

Seebach was married for many years to Karen Seebach; they had three children, Nicolai Seebach,
Rasmus Seebach Rasmus Seebach (; born 28 March 1980) is a Danish singer-songwriter and record producer who had his solo-debut with the Danish-language single "Engel" () in April 2009. Seebach has written and produced songs for Danish and international artist ...
and Marie. The marriage broke down when Seebach developed a serious addiction to alcohol. His son wrote a song about him called "Den jeg er" ("Who I am"), stating what a major influence his father had in his life in spite of his addiction. He died at the age of 53 at the amusement park Bakken, where he had been head of musical entertainment for several years. Although he had managed to overcome his alcoholism at the time, the cause of his death, a heart attack, was ascribed to his previous addiction.


The documentary ''Tommy''

2010 saw the launch of ''Tommy'', director Sami Saif's documentary on Seebach's life. Featuring many of Seebach's private videos, as well as television clips and interviews with his widow, children and colleagues in the industry, it documents his public performances and private life, focusing both on his successes and his personal demise. ''Tommy'' received four stars out of six by
Politiken ''Politiken'' is a leading Danish daily broadsheet newspaper, published by JP/Politikens Hus in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was founded in 1884 and played a role in the formation of the Danish Social Liberal Party. Since 1970 it has been indepe ...
,
Berlingske Tidende ''Berlingske'', previously known as ''Berlingske Tidende'' (, 'Berling's Times'), is a Danish national daily newspaper based in Copenhagen. It is considered a newspaper of record for Denmark. First published on 3 January 1749, ''Berlingske'' is ...
and
Ekstra Bladet is a Danish tabloid newspaper, published by JP/Politikens Hus in Copenhagen.About
(in Danish) . Retrieved 22 Se ...
; B.T. awarded it six stars out of six.
Dagbladet Information ''Information'' (), full name: ''Dagbladet Information'' (), is a Danish newspaper published Monday through Saturday. History and profile ''Dagbladet Information'' was established and published by the Danish resistance movement in 1943 during ...
described it as "... a story of an artist who became a victim of the musical genre which he himself had helped innovate, and who, instead of gaining the broad recognition he had longed for his entire life, ended up with a status somewhere in between national heritage and kitsch clown..." ''Politiken'' called the film "worthy, worth seeing and moving", ''Ekstra Bladet'' "a moving portrait of a man caught between the music, his family and the bottle".


Discography


Albums (solo)

* 1975: ''
Wheels A wheel is a rotating component (typically circular in shape) that is intended to turn on an axle bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction with axl ...
'' * 1976: '' Lucky Guy'' * 1977: '' Tommygum'' * 1979: '' Disco Tango'' (Album) * 1981: '' Love On The Line'' (as Tommy Seebach feat. Debbie Cameron) * 1983: '' Den Med Gyngen'' * 1983: '' Tommy Seebach Instrumental'' * 1986: '' Pop-korn'' * 1989: '' Tommy Seebach (album)'' * 1993: ''
Under stjernerne på himlen Under may refer to: Music *''Under'', an album by Savoy (Norwegian band), Savoy, 2024 *Under (Alex Hepburn song), "Under" (Alex Hepburn song), 2013 *Under (Pleasure P song), "Under" (Pleasure P song), 2009 *"Under", a song by Sampha from ''Process ...
'' (Album) (as Tommy Seebach Band) * 1993: '' Instrumental Megahits 1'' * 1994: '' Instrumental Megahits 2''


Compilations

* 1989: '' Glædelig jul'' * 1993: '' Tommy Seebach - Volume 1'' * 1993: '' Tommy Seebach - Volume 2'' * 1999: '' 15 sprøde fra Tvebach'' * 2004: '' 100 Go'e Med Tommy Seebach'' * 2007: '' Hip Hurra'' * 2007: '' Glade jul (album)'' * 2009: '' For Fuld Musik: Det Bedste Med Tommy Seebach'' * 2010: '' Komplet & rariteter: De samlede værker'' * 2010: '' Tommy - En Film Om Tommy Seebach - Soundtrack (released as part of the DVD (Deluxe Edition))


With Sir Henry and his Butlers

* 1967: ''
Camp Camp may refer to: Areas of confinement, imprisonment, or for execution * Concentration camp, an internment camp for political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or minority ethnic groups * Extermination ...
''


With Los Valentinos

* 1974: '' In Action!''


Singles (solo)

* 1973: Promises/By The Way * 1974: Boom Boom Boom/Don't Blame Me * 1975: The King Of Rock 'n' Roll/Rock, Rock & Rock * 1975: Wheels/Lesson One * 1976: Lucky Guy/Wouldn't It Be So Nice * 1976: I'm In Love/Play Me A Love Song * 1977: Tommygum Rock 'n' Roll Show/Yes Or No * 1977: Apache/Bubble Sex * 1979: Disco Tango/Disco Tango (English Version) * 1979: Copenhagen (As Seebach Band feat. Debbie Cameron & Lecia & Lucienne)/Boogie-Woogie Rendez-Vous (as Seebach Band) * 1980: Smiling Turntable (as Seebach Band feat. Debbie Cameron)/Mirror Mirror (as Seebach Band feat. Debbie Cameron) * 1980: I See The Moon (Duet with Debbie Cameron)/Stuck On You (Duet with Debbie Cameron) (AUS #72) * 1981: Hit/Love On The Line * 1981: Krøller Eller Ej (Duet with Debbie Cameron)/Jeg En Går Mig Bygge Vil (Debbie Cameron) * 1981: Straight Or Curly Hair (Duet with Debbie Cameron)/Tiger * 1981: Telebox/Telebox (TV Version) * 1982: Hip Hurra, Det' Min Fødselsdag (As Tommy Seebach & Seebach Band) (feat. Vivian Johansen)/Ta' Mig Med * 1982: 100.000.000 Tak (as Mick & Seebach Band)/Kvinde * 1983: Snorkel Og Gummitæer/Andeby * 1983: Du' Det Dejligste/Vil Du, Tør Du, Ka' Du Eller Hvad? * 1984: Pyjamas For To/Morgen * 1985: Heldig Fyr (Det' Det Jeg Altid Har Sagt)/Humbug * 1986: Klø Mig Lidt På Ryggen/Tak For I Nat, Skat * 1986: Der Var En Gang En Julenat/Hvornår Bli'r Det Jul? ( Søren Bundgaard) * 1987: Det' Gratis/Endnu * 1988: Er Du Kvik? (With Birthe Kjær, Kirsten & Søren (a/k/a
Hot Eyes Kirsten & Søren, known internationally as Hot Eyes, were a Danish singing duo consisting of Kirsten Siggaard Andersen (born 7 September 1954 in Slagelse) and Søren Bundgaard Nielsen (born 4 March 1956 in Glostrup). Biography Kirsten was brou ...
) & Keld & Hilda Heick)/Er Du Kvik? * 1989: Hvad Venter Du På?/Helt Alene Hver For Sig * 1989: Du Skælder Mig Hele Tiden Ud (Duet With Anette Heick)/Stop * 1989: Vi Ønsker Jer Alle En Glædelig Jul (Duet with Anette Heick)/Juleknus Og Juleknas * 1990: En Lille Stribe Solskin/Du Skal Ikke Tro På Noget * 1991: Feliz Navidad (as Tommy Snebachs Nisseband)/Vi Ønsker Jer Alle En Glædelig Jul * 1993: Under Stjernerne På Himlen (promotion) * 1998: Krøller Eller Ej '98 (Duet With Debbie Cameron) (CD-single) * 1999: Skru' Volumen Op (as G-Bach (Nikolaj &
Rasmus Seebach Rasmus Seebach (; born 28 March 1980) is a Danish singer-songwriter and record producer who had his solo-debut with the Danish-language single "Engel" () in April 2009. Seebach has written and produced songs for Danish and international artist ...
) & Julie Rugaard og Senior (Tommy Seebach) on piano)


DVDs

* 2010: Tommy – En Film Om Tommy Seebach * 2010: Tommy – En Film Om Tommy Seebach (Deluxe Edition incl. CD)


References

* Laursen, Carsten Michael (1999). ''Top-Pop: Navne i dansk pop 1950-2000'' ("Top-Pop: Names in Danish Pop 1950-2000"). L&R Fakta. .


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Seebach, Tommy 1949 births 2003 deaths 20th-century Danish male singers Danish pop singers 20th-century Danish pianists 21st-century Danish pianists Dansk Melodi Grand Prix winners Male organists Danish male singer-songwriters Danish singer-songwriters Singers from Copenhagen 20th-century Danish organists Danish male pianists Eurovision Song Contest entrants