Heikki Silvennoinen
Encyclopedia
Heikki Johannes Silvennoinen (born 27 April 1954, Kiviapaja
, Savonlinna
) is Finnish
musician
and actor
. He was guitarist and songwriter of several notable Finnish bands in 1970s and 1980s. He is also a singer on his solo albums. Even better Silvennoinen is known as a member of comedian group Kummeli
which started their television show in 1991.
Heikki Silvennoinen owns his own production company Pirkka-Hämeen Apina & Gorilla Oy ("Ape and gorilla of Pirkka-Häme Inc."). With his fellow comedian Timo Kahilainen
he owns Porkkana Ryhmä Oy ("Carrot Group Inc.") that produces Kummeli output.
(especially Cream
) and Jimi Hendrix
. He learned to play guitar and formed his own rock band named Tabula Rasa
. The group was one of the most important 1970s progressive rock
bands in Finland. When the group published their debut album, Silvennoinen started to realize that music is likely to be his primary occupation also in the forthcoming years. During his later career Silvennoinen's name has not associated to progressive rock, but during Tabula Rasa years he composed almost all the songs that group recorded. After Tabula Rasa disbanded Silvennoinen joined Juice Leskinen
's band.
. This band was English singing blues-rock outfit and published four relatively well received albums. Kuustonen decided to leave the group and concentrate on his solo career. Silvennoinen continued to play guitar on his albums.
cover "Fire". On the sleeve notes of the album he thanks his idols, not just Hendrix and Clapton but also Peter Green
and Stevie Ray Vaughan
(he has personally met Vaughan and Clapton). Next album, Sweet Surrender, was released two years later. In 2000 Silvennoinen founded his own label and released Blues Blue Sky album that mostly contains old blues songs. His latest album is Miehet kaatuu released in 2003. This is his only album that contains Finnish lyrics.
neighbour Martti Mielikäinen, Matti Näsä who complains about everything and officer Jaakko Parantainen who is concerned on environmental questions). Kummeli television show and comedian group got phenomenal success in Finland in 1994. During that year they made their first stage appearances making a full scale tour around the country. After that Kummeli has continued its existence in various forms. Silvennoinen has stated that their best gag was the one about Lada
summit since it gave an inspiration for the real Lada summit event that still takes place yearly in Finland. The most lucrative song - from the point of view of royalties - Silvennoinen ever wrote was "Jumankauta juu nääs päivää" that he claims to have done in 20 minutes. It features a Kummeli character Matti Näsä singing about his car Toyota Mark II. Despite of the popularity of Kummeli Silvennoinen also worked as a janitor
in the late 1990s. Kummeli is about to release their fourth movie in September 2008.
(guitar, vocal). Their first album featured new songs from each leading member. In the following year singer Erja Lyytinen replaced Lindholm for next album. In 2005 guitarist Jukka Tolonen
and singer Mikko Kuustonen joined the group in order to make their second album, Joutomailla. Other musicians that have been involved with the band include singer Eero Raittinen and keyboardist Jukka Gustavson. In 2000s Silvennoinen has also been a voice actor for some children movie characters in Finnish overdubs.
Kiviapaja
Kiviapaja is a small village in Savonlinna, Finland, near Sulkava.-Famous people:* Heikki Silvennoinen, actor and musician* Arto Tiainen, skier...
, Savonlinna
Savonlinna
Savonlinna is a town and a municipality of inhabitants in the southeast of Finland, in the heart of the Saimaa lake region. The Finnish name of the town means "Castle of Savonia" and the Swedish name means "Newcastle".- History :...
) is Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He was guitarist and songwriter of several notable Finnish bands in 1970s and 1980s. He is also a singer on his solo albums. Even better Silvennoinen is known as a member of comedian group Kummeli
Kummeli
Kummeli is the name of a Finnish comedy crew formed by Heikki Silvennoinen, Timo Kahilainen and Heikki Hela from Tampere. They are also the heads of Porkkana Ryhmä, the crew's production company...
which started their television show in 1991.
Heikki Silvennoinen owns his own production company Pirkka-Hämeen Apina & Gorilla Oy ("Ape and gorilla of Pirkka-Häme Inc."). With his fellow comedian Timo Kahilainen
Timo Kahilainen
Timo Eero Kahilainen is a Finnish actor best known as one of the four original members of the Kummeli comedy crew, along with Heikki Silvennoinen, Heikki Hela and Heikki Vihinen. Kahilainen is best known for portraying the many short but energetic characters of the Kummeli character gallery.He is...
he owns Porkkana Ryhmä Oy ("Carrot Group Inc.") that produces Kummeli output.
Tabula Rasa
As young boy Silvennoinen fell in love with music of Eric ClaptonEric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
(especially Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
) and Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
. He learned to play guitar and formed his own rock band named Tabula Rasa
Tabula Rasa (band)
Tabula Rasa was a major progressive rock group from Finland in the 1970s.Tabula Rasa was founded at Kangasala in 1972. Founding members were Heikki Silvennoinen , Tapio Suominen and Asko Pakkanen . The main influences were the prog-rock bands Jethro Tull and Tasavallan Presidentti...
. The group was one of the most important 1970s progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
bands in Finland. When the group published their debut album, Silvennoinen started to realize that music is likely to be his primary occupation also in the forthcoming years. During his later career Silvennoinen's name has not associated to progressive rock, but during Tabula Rasa years he composed almost all the songs that group recorded. After Tabula Rasa disbanded Silvennoinen joined Juice Leskinen
Juice Leskinen
Juhani Juice Leskinen , better known as Juice Leskinen , was one of the most prominent Finnish singer-songwriters of the late 20th century. From the early 1970s onward he released nearly 30 full-length albums, as well as writing song lyrics for dozens of Finnish artists...
's band.
1980s
Silvennoinen became a professional music producer and he collaborated in this role with many significant bands throughout the decade. He played guitar in bands Frendz and Catwalk and in 1987 he formed a broup called Q.Stone with singer Mikko KuustonenMikko Kuustonen
Mikko Ari Kuustonen is a Finnish singer-songwriter.In 1998 Kuustonen was the first Finn to be nominated as a UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador. The following year he was awarded the Church’s Peace Prize . In 2003 he was nominated as The Most Positive Finn.- External links :* *...
. This band was English singing blues-rock outfit and published four relatively well received albums. Kuustonen decided to leave the group and concentrate on his solo career. Silvennoinen continued to play guitar on his albums.
Solo albums
In the beginning of the 1990s Silvennoinen released his first solo album, Mature And Cool. It included his own songs and cover of Blind Willie Reynolds song "Outside Woman Blues" (popularized by Cream). Second solo album, Bobcat, was released in 1997. It includes Silvennoinen's own song "Sun Don't You Shine" and Jimi HendrixJimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
cover "Fire". On the sleeve notes of the album he thanks his idols, not just Hendrix and Clapton but also Peter Green
Peter Green (musician)
Peter Green is a British blues-rock guitarist and the founder of the band Fleetwood Mac...
and Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stephen Ray "Stevie Ray" Vaughan was an American electric blues guitarist and singer. He was the younger brother of Jimmie Vaughan and frontman for Double Trouble, a band that included bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton. Born in Dallas, Vaughan moved to Austin at the age of 17 and...
(he has personally met Vaughan and Clapton). Next album, Sweet Surrender, was released two years later. In 2000 Silvennoinen founded his own label and released Blues Blue Sky album that mostly contains old blues songs. His latest album is Miehet kaatuu released in 2003. This is his only album that contains Finnish lyrics.
Kummeli
In the beginning of 1990s Silvennoinen became a better known celebrity in Finland due to television show Kummeli. Of four member group Silvennoinen had the largest number of different roles (including reporter Mauno Ahonen, summer cottageCottage
__toc__In modern usage, a cottage is usually a modest, often cozy dwelling, typically in a rural or semi-rural location. However there are cottage-style dwellings in cities, and in places such as Canada the term exists with no connotations of size at all...
neighbour Martti Mielikäinen, Matti Näsä who complains about everything and officer Jaakko Parantainen who is concerned on environmental questions). Kummeli television show and comedian group got phenomenal success in Finland in 1994. During that year they made their first stage appearances making a full scale tour around the country. After that Kummeli has continued its existence in various forms. Silvennoinen has stated that their best gag was the one about Lada
Lada
Lada is a trademark of AvtoVAZ, a Russian car manufacturer in Tolyatti, Samara Oblast. All AvtoVAZ vehicles are currently sold under the Lada brand, though this was not always so; Lada was originally AvtoVAZ's export brand for models it sold under the Zhiguli name in the domestic Soviet market...
summit since it gave an inspiration for the real Lada summit event that still takes place yearly in Finland. The most lucrative song - from the point of view of royalties - Silvennoinen ever wrote was "Jumankauta juu nääs päivää" that he claims to have done in 20 minutes. It features a Kummeli character Matti Näsä singing about his car Toyota Mark II. Despite of the popularity of Kummeli Silvennoinen also worked as a janitor
Janitor
A janitor or custodian is a professional who takes care of buildings, such as hospitals and schools. Janitors are responsible primarily for cleaning, and often some maintenance and security...
in the late 1990s. Kummeli is about to release their fourth movie in September 2008.
2000s
In 2002 Silvennoinen formed the group SF-Blues with well known Finnish musicians Pepe Ahlqvist (harp, vocal) and Dave LindholmDave Lindholm
Ralf-Henrik ”Dave” Lindholm is Finnish guitarist and singer-songwriter who has made a career under his own name and also participated in some noteworthy groups. He has written songs and recorded in both Finnish and English....
(guitar, vocal). Their first album featured new songs from each leading member. In the following year singer Erja Lyytinen replaced Lindholm for next album. In 2005 guitarist Jukka Tolonen
Jukka Tolonen
Jukka Tolonen is a Finnish jazz guitarist. Tolonen became famous as guitarist for the band Tasavallan Presidentti...
and singer Mikko Kuustonen joined the group in order to make their second album, Joutomailla. Other musicians that have been involved with the band include singer Eero Raittinen and keyboardist Jukka Gustavson. In 2000s Silvennoinen has also been a voice actor for some children movie characters in Finnish overdubs.
Solo albums
- Mature And Cool (1992)
- Bobcat (1997)
- Sweet Surrender (1999)
- Blues Blue Sky (2000)
- Miehet kaatuu (2003)
Q.Stone
- Q. stone (1988)
- Pink on blue (1990)
- Q. stone III (1992)
- No substitute (1993)
Filmography
On these movies Silvennoinen appears as writer, actor or voice actor- Kummeli Stories (1995) - screenwriter, actor
- Kummeli Kultakuume (1997) - actor
- Johtaja Uuno Turhapuro – pisnismies (1998) - actor
- Kummelin Jackpot (2006) - actor
- Autot (2006) - voice actor
- Karvakamut (2006) - voice actor
- Kummeli Alivuokralainen (2008) - actor
Television programs
- Q-Klubi (1991–1992) - actor
- KummeliKummeliKummeli is the name of a Finnish comedy crew formed by Heikki Silvennoinen, Timo Kahilainen and Heikki Hela from Tampere. They are also the heads of Porkkana Ryhmä, the crew's production company...
(1991-) - writer, producer, actor - Lihaksia ja luoteja (1996) - writer, producer, actor
- Aatami & Beetami (1997) - actor
- Lääkärit tulessa (1998) - actor
- Herra Heinämäen Lato-orkesteri (1999) - narrator
- Mankeli (2000–2001) - writer, producer, actor
- Jurismia! (2002) - actor
- Beatlehem (TV-movie, 2003) - actor
- Nyrölä 3 (2004) - actor
- Hopeanuolet (2007) - actor