Jim Pembroke
Encyclopedia
James Francis Pembroke (born 27 January 1946) is the vocalist of Finnish
progressive rock
band Wigwam
. A British expatriate, Pembroke had played with London group Taverners' Guild before arriving in Finland in 1965. He immediately found himself in some demand, gigging on an ad hoc basis with various lineups (e.g. the Beatmakers, later renamed Jormas
), until forming The Pems. He joined Blues Section
in 1967, recording a blues-jazz-pop fusion album now considered seminal in Finnish rock. After the band folded Pembroke taught himself piano, then joined Wigwam in early 1969. He has remained their frontman and principal songwriter, while also releasing occasional solo records
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...
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...
band Wigwam
Wigwam (progressive rock)
Wigwam is a Finnish progressive rock band formed in 1968.Wigwam was founded after the split of the seminal Blues Section, with whom drummer Ronnie Österberg had played before. He formed the band as a trio, but soon brought in British expatriate singer/songwriter Jim Pembroke and organist Jukka...
. A British expatriate, Pembroke had played with London group Taverners' Guild before arriving in Finland in 1965. He immediately found himself in some demand, gigging on an ad hoc basis with various lineups (e.g. the Beatmakers, later renamed Jormas
Jormas
Jormas was a Finnish band in the 1960s. They had previously appeared as the Beatmakers, but were renamed by their manager Jorma Weneskoski.- Singles discography :* Mr...
), until forming The Pems. He joined Blues Section
Blues Section
Blues Section are a Finnish rock music group. They started in 1967, formed around the vocalist Jim Pembroke, a British expatriate song-writer now living in Finland. The other members of the band were Eero Koivistoinen , Ronnie Österberg , Hasse Walli , and Måns Groundstroem...
in 1967, recording a blues-jazz-pop fusion album now considered seminal in Finnish rock. After the band folded Pembroke taught himself piano, then joined Wigwam in early 1969. He has remained their frontman and principal songwriter, while also releasing occasional solo records
Solo discography
- Wicked Ivory (under the pseudonym "Hot Thumbs O'Riley"), Love RecordsLove RecordsLove Records was a record label from Finland, which released 384 LPs, 253 C-cassettes, 347 singles and 24 EPs. They were a pioneering label in Finnish rock music but also released jazz, political songs, ethnic music and so on....
1972 - Pigworm, Love Records 1974
- Corporal Cauliflowers Mental Function, Love Records 1977
- Flat Broke (as the "Jim Pembroke Band"), Ponsi 1980
- Party Upstairs, Johanna 1981