Sammy Babitzin
Encyclopedia
Aleksandr "Sammy" Babitzin (11 July 1948, Helsinki
– 29 April 1973, Jyväskylä
) was a Finnish
popular music singer, the brother of Kirka.
Babitzin started his professional career in a band called The Stealers. Its line-up also included Remu Aaltonen. Babitzin sang in the group of Leo Lindblom under the pseudonym "Sammy-boy".
Sammy Babitzin released his first single in 1966. Many of his songs were duets recorded together with his brother. Babitzin won the "Syksyn Sävel" song contest (MTV3
) in 1972 with the song "Daa-da daa-da". Other successful hits included "Kuin tuhka tuuleen" (orig. Don't Pull Your Love by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds
) and "Pikku-Kallen päivän huuli" . He released one studio album before his untimely death in 1973.
In 1967, he married Riitta Kilpala, and their son, Mikael, was born three months after the wedding. However, the two got a divorce in 1969.
Babitzin was severely injured in a car accident in Äänekoski
. Afterwards, he died in a Jyväskylä
hospital at the age of 24. Before the accident he had been a Eurovision Song Contest
candidate with his song "Riviera".
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
– 29 April 1973, Jyväskylä
Jyväskylä
Jyväskylä is the capital of Central Finland and the largest city on the Finnish Lakeland, north-east of Tampere and north of Helsinki, on northern coast of lake Päijänne. The city has been continuously one of the most rapidly growing cities in Finland since World War II. The city is surrounded...
) was a 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...
popular music singer, the brother of Kirka.
Babitzin started his professional career in a band called The Stealers. Its line-up also included Remu Aaltonen. Babitzin sang in the group of Leo Lindblom under the pseudonym "Sammy-boy".
Sammy Babitzin released his first single in 1966. Many of his songs were duets recorded together with his brother. Babitzin won the "Syksyn Sävel" song contest (MTV3
MTV3
MTV3 is a Finnish commercial television station owned by Bonnier. It had the biggest audience share of all Finnish TV channels until Finnish Broadcasting Company’s YLE1 took the lead. The letters MTV stand for Mainos-TV , due to the channel getting its revenue from running commercials...
) in 1972 with the song "Daa-da daa-da". Other successful hits included "Kuin tuhka tuuleen" (orig. Don't Pull Your Love by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds
Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds
Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds was a 1970s AM soft rock trio from Los Angeles. The original members were Dan Hamilton , Joe Frank Carollo , and Tommy Reynolds , all of whom had previously played in The T-Bones, a 1960s band noted for the instrumental hit "No Matter What Shape ".The group first hit...
) and "Pikku-Kallen päivän huuli" . He released one studio album before his untimely death in 1973.
In 1967, he married Riitta Kilpala, and their son, Mikael, was born three months after the wedding. However, the two got a divorce in 1969.
Babitzin was severely injured in a car accident in Äänekoski
Äänekoski
Äänekoski is a town and municipality of Finland.-Geography:It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Central Finland region. It is neighboured by Kannonkoski, Konnevesi, Laukaa, Saarijärvi, Uurainen, Vesanto and Viitasaari. The town has a population of and covers an area...
. Afterwards, he died in a Jyväskylä
Jyväskylä
Jyväskylä is the capital of Central Finland and the largest city on the Finnish Lakeland, north-east of Tampere and north of Helsinki, on northern coast of lake Päijänne. The city has been continuously one of the most rapidly growing cities in Finland since World War II. The city is surrounded...
hospital at the age of 24. Before the accident he had been a Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
candidate with his song "Riviera".