Hep Stars
Encyclopedia
The Hep Stars was a Swedish
rock
group, formed in 1963. During 1965-1966 the band was the most successful of contemporary 1960s Swedish pop groups performing in English language. Outside the Nordic countries the band is best known as a launching point for
keyboard player and composer Benny Andersson who went on to enjoy worldwide success with ABBA
.
The band was founded by drummer Christer "Chrille" Pettersson (d.2006) and bass guitar
ist Lennart "Lelle" Hegland in 1963 with keyboard
ist Hans Östlund and guitarist-singer Jan "Janne" Frisk joining.
At their height of popularity the line-up consisted of Hegland, Pettersson, Frisk and Sven "Svenne" Hedlund on lead vocals and Benny Andersson on keyboards.
get as many gigs as possible in varying venues. They started to get support gigs also closing in after the headline act. Typical gig could see them
playing around four hours with one set of rock. Mainly on the influence by Jan Frisk their music started to veer towards
rock 'n'roll and pop. The band decided a more intriguing name was in order and on Frisk's suggestion Hep Stars was chosen. The idea came from
Bill Haley
song "Razzle Dazzle" line "It's the hipster's dance" with slight alteration on written form.
Hegland called to Hedlund to fill in the singer's slot for Frisk who temporarily joined to a tour backing band for some extra money for
new guitar amp. The band quickly noticed Hedlund's abilities as both singer and frontman. Upon Frisk's return they shared lead vocal duties for a period of time with Frisk singing the more straightforward rockers and Hedlund dealing with the ballads.
By summer 1964 they could be performing to audiences in size of 2000. The rock-scene took a note on them after one evening in Nalen which was
the most important rock-club in Sweden during 1960's. The main act failed to appear at all and originally hired to be support act Hep Stars filled in going down a storm especially among rockers (or raggar as they were known in Nordic countries) and the reputation started to spread through word-of-mouth.
At this point Hegland managed to talk musicbusiness man and Olga-recordlabel owner Åke Gerhard over to be their manager.
After the group's first single
"Kana Kapila" (1964) the original keyboard
ist Hans Östlund was asked to leave the relations growing sour especially with Hedlund and founder member Pettersson, who left the band being fed up with squabbles. He was asked to rejoin and the band continued as a fourpiece for a short time in autumn 1964.
Hedlund owed a van and occasionally drove other bands to gigs. One of these bands was Elverkets Spelmanslag where Hedlund saw Benny Andersson performing making an impression with his quick runs and fill-ins. On Hedlund's suggestion Andersson was called for audition. In turn Andersson had earlier read a tabloid article over Hep Star's camp car they used on touring and which could take in both band and the equipment ensuring him Hep Stars had it going along with their assuring comments on the current scene.
The band was now what is considered to be the classic line-up consisting of of Sven Hedlund vocals, Jan Frisk-guitar/vocals, Benny Andersson-keyboards, Lennart Hegland-bass and Christer Pettersson-drums. The fans were soon to absorb their nicknames Svenne, Janne, Benny,
Lelle and Chrille.
They got a chance to perform in TV-program "Drop In" in March 1965. In April they got three songs to radiolist top 4 at the same time namely
"Cadillac", "Farmer John" and "Tribute To Buddy Holly". On the sales list "Cadillac" and "Farmer" peaked #1 for one week and four weeks respectively while "Tribute" peaked number five. Svenne Hedlund became the band's figure-head and first true pop-star in Sweden the band itself being headline material in tabloids and various youth oriented magazines.
Other Swedish bands such as Tages and Shanes who largely wrote their own songs made a remark on Hep Stars using coverversions. This motivated Benny Andersson to try and write songs for the band. Also it was a hard job to try and find fresh songs to the band's repertoire. The first song he introduced to band was "No Response" which became #3 in sales list. The band was at the height of popularity especially among rock audiences during 1965-1966 with both cover and original songs. In 1966 they did 150 gigs in Sweden only. The popularity echoed rapidly and
the band was highly successful also in Norway and Finland making several tours in both countries.
in Sweden but divided the band to a degree being a folk-song. It also caused confusion among rock-oriented fans. The band continued playing up to 200 gigs in 1967. However the back-up organisation made less than adequate job with taxman and in general running of the business and problems raised their ugly heads. Also general economic situation in the country started to stagnate towards the end of 1960's.
Together they forced the band to navigate towards wider audiences and showband scene. American singer Charlotte Walker joined 1968.
The direction contradicted especially with Frisk who was eventually asked to leave early 1969 due to diminishing interest. Björn Ulvaeus
from Hootenanny Singers stepped in. Original member going left the band in mixed feelings and the decision was made to call it the day after fulfilling the tour contracts. The band played their last gig August 1969 after which Andersson, Ulvaeus, Walker and Hedlund left the band. It went through several line-up changes finally breaking up in early 1970s with Hegland the only original member.
Having established their co-work in Hep Stars Andersson and Ulvaeus continued both as songwriting team to Polar- record company as well as duo Björn & Benny which eventually led to ABBA.
After a hiatus Frisk, Hegland and Pettersson formed Gummibandet that did three albums in the 1970s. In the 1980s, a wave of 1960s nostalgia swept Sweden and the members had a discussion about re-forming the Hep Stars. They hit onto successful tours Benneth Fagerlund replacing Andersson on keyboards. 1990 Lennart Hegland stepped down Fagerlund following the suit few years later.
For the 40th anniversary collection Cadillac Madness 40 years 40 hits 1964-2004 they re-recorded some of their hits as well as some new songs. Jan Frisk, Charlotte Walker and Sven Hedlund occasionally play concerts together with guest musicians under the Hep Stars flag.
With the book Cadillac Madness - den otroliga berättelsen om Hep Stars came a bonus-CD with four unpublished songs from years
1966-1967.
A stdudiojam with roadmanager Fernholm on bass
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....
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
group, formed in 1963. During 1965-1966 the band was the most successful of contemporary 1960s Swedish pop groups performing in English language. Outside the Nordic countries the band is best known as a launching point for
keyboard player and composer Benny Andersson who went on to enjoy worldwide success with ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
.
The band was founded by drummer Christer "Chrille" Pettersson (d.2006) and bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
ist Lennart "Lelle" Hegland in 1963 with keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
ist Hans Östlund and guitarist-singer Jan "Janne" Frisk joining.
At their height of popularity the line-up consisted of Hegland, Pettersson, Frisk and Sven "Svenne" Hedlund on lead vocals and Benny Andersson on keyboards.
The Beginning
Upon founding the band called themselves Quartet Yep. Their repertoire included various styles of music from Latin-dance to rock in order toget as many gigs as possible in varying venues. They started to get support gigs also closing in after the headline act. Typical gig could see them
playing around four hours with one set of rock. Mainly on the influence by Jan Frisk their music started to veer towards
rock 'n'roll and pop. The band decided a more intriguing name was in order and on Frisk's suggestion Hep Stars was chosen. The idea came from
Bill Haley
Bill Haley
Bill Haley was one of the first American rock and roll musicians. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and their hit song "Rock Around the Clock".-Early life and career:...
song "Razzle Dazzle" line "It's the hipster's dance" with slight alteration on written form.
Hegland called to Hedlund to fill in the singer's slot for Frisk who temporarily joined to a tour backing band for some extra money for
new guitar amp. The band quickly noticed Hedlund's abilities as both singer and frontman. Upon Frisk's return they shared lead vocal duties for a period of time with Frisk singing the more straightforward rockers and Hedlund dealing with the ballads.
By summer 1964 they could be performing to audiences in size of 2000. The rock-scene took a note on them after one evening in Nalen which was
the most important rock-club in Sweden during 1960's. The main act failed to appear at all and originally hired to be support act Hep Stars filled in going down a storm especially among rockers (or raggar as they were known in Nordic countries) and the reputation started to spread through word-of-mouth.
At this point Hegland managed to talk musicbusiness man and Olga-recordlabel owner Åke Gerhard over to be their manager.
After the group's first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"Kana Kapila" (1964) the original keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
ist Hans Östlund was asked to leave the relations growing sour especially with Hedlund and founder member Pettersson, who left the band being fed up with squabbles. He was asked to rejoin and the band continued as a fourpiece for a short time in autumn 1964.
Hedlund owed a van and occasionally drove other bands to gigs. One of these bands was Elverkets Spelmanslag where Hedlund saw Benny Andersson performing making an impression with his quick runs and fill-ins. On Hedlund's suggestion Andersson was called for audition. In turn Andersson had earlier read a tabloid article over Hep Star's camp car they used on touring and which could take in both band and the equipment ensuring him Hep Stars had it going along with their assuring comments on the current scene.
The band was now what is considered to be the classic line-up consisting of of Sven Hedlund vocals, Jan Frisk-guitar/vocals, Benny Andersson-keyboards, Lennart Hegland-bass and Christer Pettersson-drums. The fans were soon to absorb their nicknames Svenne, Janne, Benny,
Lelle and Chrille.
Breakthrough
Hep Stars recorded their next three singles in one six hours session without overdubs on three-track equipmentThey got a chance to perform in TV-program "Drop In" in March 1965. In April they got three songs to radiolist top 4 at the same time namely
"Cadillac", "Farmer John" and "Tribute To Buddy Holly". On the sales list "Cadillac" and "Farmer" peaked #1 for one week and four weeks respectively while "Tribute" peaked number five. Svenne Hedlund became the band's figure-head and first true pop-star in Sweden the band itself being headline material in tabloids and various youth oriented magazines.
Other Swedish bands such as Tages and Shanes who largely wrote their own songs made a remark on Hep Stars using coverversions. This motivated Benny Andersson to try and write songs for the band. Also it was a hard job to try and find fresh songs to the band's repertoire. The first song he introduced to band was "No Response" which became #3 in sales list. The band was at the height of popularity especially among rock audiences during 1965-1966 with both cover and original songs. In 1966 they did 150 gigs in Sweden only. The popularity echoed rapidly and
the band was highly successful also in Norway and Finland making several tours in both countries.
Mainstream success, break up
"I Natt Jag Drömde" a Swedish version of "Last Night I Had A Strangest Dream" was a massive hitHit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
in Sweden but divided the band to a degree being a folk-song. It also caused confusion among rock-oriented fans. The band continued playing up to 200 gigs in 1967. However the back-up organisation made less than adequate job with taxman and in general running of the business and problems raised their ugly heads. Also general economic situation in the country started to stagnate towards the end of 1960's.
Together they forced the band to navigate towards wider audiences and showband scene. American singer Charlotte Walker joined 1968.
The direction contradicted especially with Frisk who was eventually asked to leave early 1969 due to diminishing interest. Björn Ulvaeus
Björn Ulvaeus
Björn Kristian Ulvaeus is a Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, writer, producer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...
from Hootenanny Singers stepped in. Original member going left the band in mixed feelings and the decision was made to call it the day after fulfilling the tour contracts. The band played their last gig August 1969 after which Andersson, Ulvaeus, Walker and Hedlund left the band. It went through several line-up changes finally breaking up in early 1970s with Hegland the only original member.
Afterwards
Andersson and Ulvaeus continued with Hedlund and Walker making a show-tour with comedian Finn Alberth. After that Hedlund and Walker formed the duo Svenne & Lotta, who recorded the Swedish original of the ABBA song "Bang A Boomerang". They established themselves and enjoyed considerable success especially in Denmark and also in Mid-Europe.Having established their co-work in Hep Stars Andersson and Ulvaeus continued both as songwriting team to Polar- record company as well as duo Björn & Benny which eventually led to ABBA.
After a hiatus Frisk, Hegland and Pettersson formed Gummibandet that did three albums in the 1970s. In the 1980s, a wave of 1960s nostalgia swept Sweden and the members had a discussion about re-forming the Hep Stars. They hit onto successful tours Benneth Fagerlund replacing Andersson on keyboards. 1990 Lennart Hegland stepped down Fagerlund following the suit few years later.
For the 40th anniversary collection Cadillac Madness 40 years 40 hits 1964-2004 they re-recorded some of their hits as well as some new songs. Jan Frisk, Charlotte Walker and Sven Hedlund occasionally play concerts together with guest musicians under the Hep Stars flag.
Albums
- 1965: We and Our Cadillac
- 1965: Hep Stars on Stage
- 1966: The Hep Stars
- 1967: Jul med Hep StarsJul med Hep StarsJul med Hep Stars is a 1967 Christmas album from Swedish pop group Hep Stars.-Track listing:#Nu är det jul igen#Christmas today#Alla sover utom jag#White Christmas#Johanssons Boogie-woogie vals#Jingle Bells#Hej tomtegubbar#Christmas on My Mind...
- 1968: Songs We Sang
- 1968: It's Been a Long Long Time
- 1969: Hep Stars På Svenska
- 1970: How It All Started
- 1971 California Maiden
- 1983: Hep Stars, 1964-1969!
- 1990: Bästa (CD only)
Singles
- 1964: "A Tribute to Buddy Holly" / "Bird Dog"
- 1964: "If You Need Me" / "Summertime Blues"
- 1965: "Donna" / "Farmer John"
- 1965: "Cadillac" / "Mashed Potatoes"
- 1965: "Bald Headed Woman" / "Lonesome Town"
- 1965: "No Response" (Andersson)/ "Rented Tuxedo"
- 1965: "So Mystifying" / "Young & Beautiful"
- 1965: "Should I" / "I'll Never Quite Get Over You"
- 1966: "Sunny Girl" (Andersson)/ "Hawaii"
- 1966: "Wedding" (Andersson-Hedlund)/ "When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again"
- 1966: "I Natt Jag Drömde" (Swedish version of "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream") / "Jag Vet"
- 1966: "Consolation" (Andersson)/ "Don't"
- 1967: "MalaikaMalaikaMalaika, which means "angel" in Swahili , is the most famous love song in Kenyan pop music, as well as one of the most widely known Swahili songs...
" / "It's So Nice To Be Back" - 1967: "Christmas On my Mind" / "Jingle Bells"
- 1967: "Mot Okänt Land" / "Någonting Har Hänt"
- 1967: "She Will Love You" (Andersson-Hedlund)/ "Like You Used To Do" (Andersson-Hedlund)
- 1968: "It's Been A Long Long Time" / "Musty Dusty"
- 1968: "Det Finns En Stad" / "Sagan Om Lilla Sofi"
- 1968: "Let It Be Me" / "Groovy Summertime"
- 1968: "I Sagans Land" / "Tända På Varann"
- 1968: "Holiday For Clowns" / "A Flower In My Garden"
- 1969: "Speleman"(Andersson-Ulvaeus) / "Precis Som Alla Andra"
- 1969: "Speedy GonzalesSpeedy Gonzales (song)"Speedy Gonzales" is a 1961 David Dante song about Speedy Gonzales, "the fastest mouse in all Mexico". It was written by Buddy Kaye, Ethel Lee and David Hess...
" / "Är Det Inte Karlek, Säg"
With the book Cadillac Madness - den otroliga berättelsen om Hep Stars came a bonus-CD with four unpublished songs from years
1966-1967.
- 1. 1966 Someday Someone (Andersson-Hedlund) - Band version
- 2. 1966 Rag Doll (Bob Crewe-Bob Gaudio)
- 3. 1966 Someday Someone - spinett version
- 4. 1967 Massa's Mess (Benny Andersson, Lennart Fernholm, Jan Frisk, Christer Pettersson)
A stdudiojam with roadmanager Fernholm on bass
External links
- Benny Before ABBA The Hep Stars International official website