Björn Afzelius
Encyclopedia
Björn Svante Afzelius (born 27 January 1947 in Huskvarna
, Jönköping County
, died 16 February 1999 in Gothenburg
) was a Swedish
singer, song writer and guitar player. Politically he was a socialist. His songs are about love, politics and joys in life.
group Hoola Bandoola Band
together with Mikael Wiehe
. Wiehe and Afzelius became very close friends and worked together long after Hoola Bandoola had dissolved in 1975.
Afzelius released his first solo album in 1974, his last one in 1999. Some of his most popular songs are "Ikaros", "Tusen bitar" (Thousand pieces), "Sång till friheten" (Song for Freedom - which was originally recorded by Cuban Silvio Rodriguez
as "El Día Feliz Que Está Ilegando"), "Kungens man" (The king's man), "Tankar i Havanna" (Thoughts in Havanna) and "Till min kära" (For my dear). He died from lung cancer
in 1999, 52 years old, but he remains one of the most beloved artists in Scandinavia
.
He wrote about 150 songs and sold over two and a half million albums.
For a complete discography including singles, EPs and guest appearances, please visit the official homepage, bjornafzelius.com
Huskvarna
Huskvarna constitutes the eastern part of Jönköping, the municipal seat of Jönköping Municipality, Sweden and has a population of about 21,500. The distance to central Jönköping is about 5 km....
, Jönköping County
Jönköping County
Jönköping County is a county or län in southern Sweden. It borders the counties of Halland, Västra Götaland, Östergötland, Kalmar and Kronoberg. The capital is Jönköping.- Provinces :...
, died 16 February 1999 in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
) was a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
singer, song writer and guitar player. Politically he was a socialist. His songs are about love, politics and joys in life.
Career
His father was an engineer and his mother was a housewife. His only sibling is his brother Bengt (b. 1952) who is a music teacher. He came into contact with music from a very young age, because his mother and her side of the family were largely into music. In 1970, Afzelius formed the proggProgg
Progg, a contraction of the Swedish word for "progressive music" was a left-wing and anti-commercial musical movement in Sweden that had its roots in the late 1960s, and its golden age in the 1970s. It should not be confused with the English expression progressive music or progressive rock. Progg...
group Hoola Bandoola Band
Hoola Bandoola Band
Hoola Bandoola Band was a Swedish progg group from the 1970s with leftist political texts. Leading members were Mikael Wiehe and Björn Afzelius.-History:Hoola Bandoola Band was, together with Nationalteatern, the biggest band of the Swedish progg movement...
together with Mikael Wiehe
Mikael Wiehe
Mikael Christian Wiehe is a Swedish singer, multi-instrumentalist and composer. As the main songwriter and driving force of Hoola Bandoola Band he was also one of the most important people in the proggmovement.-Career:...
. Wiehe and Afzelius became very close friends and worked together long after Hoola Bandoola had dissolved in 1975.
Afzelius released his first solo album in 1974, his last one in 1999. Some of his most popular songs are "Ikaros", "Tusen bitar" (Thousand pieces), "Sång till friheten" (Song for Freedom - which was originally recorded by Cuban Silvio Rodriguez
Silvio Rodríguez
Silvio Rodríguez Domínguez is a Cuban musician, and a leader of the nueva trova movement.He is considered Cuba's best known folk singer and known for his highly eloquent and symbolic lyrics. Many of his songs have become classics in Latin American music, such as Ojalá, Playa Girón, Unicornio and...
as "El Día Feliz Que Está Ilegando"), "Kungens man" (The king's man), "Tankar i Havanna" (Thoughts in Havanna) and "Till min kära" (For my dear). He died from lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
in 1999, 52 years old, but he remains one of the most beloved artists in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
.
He wrote about 150 songs and sold over two and a half million albums.
With Hoola Bandoola Band
- 1971: Garanterat individuell
- 1972: Vem kan man lita på?
- 1973: På väg
- 1975: Fri informationFri informationFri Information is a 1975 album by the Swedish progg and rock band Hoola Bandoola Band. It was recorded in August 1975 and released in October of the same year on the record label MNW Waxholm. The album is the band’s first with Björn Afzelius as a songwriter. Mikael Wiehe had previously written all...
- 1975: "Stoppa matchen" (single)
Solo albums
- 1974: Vem är det som är rädd?
- 1976: För kung och fosterland
- 1978: Johnny Boy (with Björn Afzelius Band)
- 1979: Bakom kulisserna (with Björn Afzelius Band)
- 1979: Another tale to tell (with Björn Afzelius Band) - Read the English lyrics Another Tale to Tell - lyrics
- 1980: Globetrotter (with Globetrotters)
- 1982: Innan tystnaden (with Globetrotters)
- 1982: Danska Nätter (live) (with Globetrotters)
- 1984: Exil (with Globetrotters)
- 1984: Afzelius; sång & gitarr (live)
- 1985: Nio liv (with Globetrotters)
- 1986: Grande Finale (live) (with Globetrotters)
- 1986: Björn Afzelius & Mikael Wiehe (with Mikael WieheMikael WieheMikael Christian Wiehe is a Swedish singer, multi-instrumentalist and composer. As the main songwriter and driving force of Hoola Bandoola Band he was also one of the most important people in the proggmovement.-Career:...
) - 1987: Riddarna kring runda bordet
- 1988: Don Quixote
- 1988: En man, en röst, en gitarr
- 1990: Tusen bitar
- 1991: Nidaros (live)
- 1992: Afzelius, Bygren och Råstam (live)
- 1994: Nära dig
- 1997: Tankar vid 50
- 1999: Elsinore
- 2004: Björn Afzelius & Mikael Wiehe 1993 - Malmöinspelningarna. (with Mikael Wiehe)
Compilations
- 1988: Björn Afzelius Bästa Vol I
- 1988: Björn Afzelius Bästa Vol II
- 1995: Björn Afzelius Bästa Vol III
- 1995: Afzelius Box (Bästa Vol 1, 2, 3)
- 1998: Den röda tråden - Definitivt
- 2002: Den röda tråden Vol 1
- 2002: Den röda tråden Vol 2
- 2005: Björn Afzelius Bästa
- 2006: Guldkorn vol.1
For a complete discography including singles, EPs and guest appearances, please visit the official homepage, bjornafzelius.com