The Hep Stars
| Hep Stars | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Genre (s) | skirt |
| founding | 1963 |
| resolution | 1972 |
| Website | http://www.thehepstars.se |
| Founding members | |
| Janne Frisk | |
| Lennart Hegland | |
| Christer Pettersson | |
| Hans Östlund (until 1964) | |
| Last occupation | |
singing |
Svenne Hedlund |
singing |
Charlotte "Lotta" Hedlund (from 1968) |
guitar |
Janne Frisk |
bass |
Lennart Hegland |
Drums |
Christer Pettersson |
Keyboard |
Benny Andersson (from 1964) |
The Hep Stars were one of the most successful rock bands in Sweden in the 1960s . The group consisted of Benny Andersson ( keyboard ), who later became a member of ABBA , Svenne Hedlund ( vocals ), Janne Frisk ( guitar ), Christer Pettersson ( drums ) and Lelle Hegland ( bass ). Hedlund and Andersson left the band in 1969.
Band history
Lennart Hegland and Christer Petterson met during their military service . Together with Hans Östlund (keyboard) and Janne Frisk (guitar and vocals) they founded the band Quartet Yep . They mostly performed in restaurants and played Swedish folk music at the time . Through Frisk they slowly approached rock 'n' roll . They chose The Hep Stars as their new name .
During a performance with accordionist Erik Frank Frisk dropped out, Svenne Hedlund replaced him, who already sang with The Clifftones . Hedlund stayed in the band and replaced Frisk as the singer. This remained the band as a guitarist. Åke Gerhard became the band's manager. Under his leadership, the band recorded their first single Kana Kapila , which was unsuccessful. Only one daily newspaper reviewed the single.
Hans Östlund left the group in 1964 and was replaced by Benny Andersson. On April 17, 1965, the Hep Stars managed to be in the top 10 of the Swedish charts with three songs at the same time. No other Swedish band had done this before. It was all the more remarkable since the Swedish charts were dominated by the British Invasion . They appeared shortly before on the television show Drop In with the song Cadillac . The single reached number 1 on the charts. Farmer John came fourth and A Tribute to Buddy Holly came eighth. The accompanying album We and Our Cadillac also hit the charts.
The response to the Hep Stars in Sweden corresponded roughly to Beatlemania in Great Britain, but did not leave the Scandinavian country. The band played sold-out concerts in Sweden and dominated the charts.
In 1966, Benny Andersson met the group The Hootenanny Singers , where Björn Ulvaeus played guitar. Together they wrote songs for the third Hep Stars album. The Hep Stars were able to expand their success with the cover version of the Elvis classic Don't . In addition to success in Sweden, the band also achieved top placements in Norway and the Netherlands. A total of 20 singles by the band made it onto the charts in Sweden, eight of which reached first place.
In 1967, like the Beatles, the band tried to make a feature film. The completely improvised film was funded by the band, but ran out of money while filming. The film never came out and brought the band to the brink of financial ruin. Only with the single Malaika could they save the tense situation.
Svenne Hedlund's friend Charlotte "Lotta" Walker, who had previously played in the American group The Sherrys , joined as a singer. The two married that same year. The singer's entry - also through a change of style - led to softer tones and further chart successes. Together they recorded the albums Songs We Sang and It's Been a Long Long Time . These also sold very well, but behind the scenes there was tension because of the new, ballad-like orientation of the band. After Andersson, Hedlund and his wife got out, the band was over. The last single together was a cover version of Pat Boone's classic Speedy Gonzales .
More singles were released until 1972, but the band could never recover from the breakup.
According to the Hep Stars
Andersson worked with Björn Ulvaeus and Anni-Frid Lyngstad , whom he met on the last Hep Stars tour, and produced their duet. ABBA later developed from this nucleus . Svenne Hedlund and Lotta Walker continued to work together as duet partners. They were signed by Polar Music and released several albums under the name Svenne & Lotta .
The Hep Stars re-appeared a few times in the 1980s and 1990s. Andersson did not participate in these brief reunions. In 1989 and 2004 Singles appeared with moderate success.
Discography
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Chart positions Explanation of the data |
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Albums
- 1964: We and Our Cadillac
- 1965: Hep Stars on Stage
- 1966: The Hep Stars
- 1967: Jul med Hep Stars
- 1968: Songs We Sang
- 1968: It's Been a Long Long Time
Singles
- 1964: A Tribute to Buddy Holly
- 1964: If You Need Me
- 1965: Donna
- 1965: Cadillac
- 1965: Farmer John
- 1965: Soon Headed Woman
- 1965: No Response
- 1965: So Mystifying
- 1965: Should I
- 1966: Sunny Girl
- 1966: Wedding
- 1966: I natt jag drömde
- 1966: Consolation
- 1967: Malaika
- 1967: Christmas on My Mind
- 1967: Mot okänt land
- 1967: She Will Love You
- 1968: Come on Little Thom
- 1968: It's Been a Long Long Time
- 1968: Det finns en stad
- 1968: Let It Be Me
- 1968: I sagans land
- 1968: Holiday for Clowns
- 1969: Speleman
- 1969: Speedy Gonzales
- 1969: Little Band of Gold
- 1969: Tallahasse Lassie
- 1969: Boy Venus
- 1969: Blue Suede Shoes
- 1970: Mademoiselle Ninette / By Tomorrow
- 1970: Jag kan inte låta bli att tänka på dig / You Came, You Saw, You Conquered
- 1972: Carolina / Ten Years Later
- 1989: Tears on My Pillow / Don't Throw It Away
- 2004: Someday Someone
- 2004: Love Is Coming Back
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.thehepstars.se/infoE.html
- ↑ https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000721518
- ↑ http://www.thehepstars.se/TioiToppE.html .
- ↑ Chart sources: SE
literature
- Carl Magnus Palm: Bright Lights, Dark Shadows. The Real Story of Abba. Omnibus Press, 2008. ISBN 978-1-84772-419-9
Web links
- The Hep Stars (Swedish and English)