Bo Hansson
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Bo Hansson | |
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![]() Hansson in 2007 | |
Background information | |
Born | Sweden | 10 April 1943
Died | 23 April 2010 Stockholm, Sweden | (aged 67)
Genres | Progressive rock |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instrument(s) | Hammond organ, guitar |
Years active | 1960s–2010 |
Labels | Polydor, Silence, Famous Charisma, Sire |
Formerly of | Hansson & Karlsson |
Bo Hansson (10 April 1943 – 23 April 2010)
Early life and musical career
Hansson spent his early life in a remote village in the pine forests of northern Sweden, but a change in his parents' fortunes forced a move to Stockholm and they were forced to leave the young Hansson behind, in the care of family friends. As a teenager he joined his parents in Stockholm, where he soon became interested in the burgeoning rock and roll scene and taught himself to play the guitar, before joining the band Rock-Olga.
After the rock and roll craze gave way to jazz and blues in the late fifties, he joined 'Slim Notini's Blues Gang' as a guitarist. Hansson was able to move on and form his own blues group The Merrymen, who supported The Rolling Stones on an early Scandinavian tour.
In 1966, Hansson saw American jazz organist
Solo debut
By 1969, Janne Carlsson had become a successful comedian and TV host, and Hansson decided to break up the partnership. Entranced by a copy of
Sagan Om Ringen was released on
Further musical career
Encouraged by the success of his first album, Hansson was booked into Stockholm's Studio Decibel where he began work on the follow-up. Using the same team, along with guitarist Kenny Håkansson, the new recordings benefitted from the superior equipment and Ur Trollkarlens Hatt was released on Silence Records in late 1972, and on Charisma in the UK as Magician's Hat in October 1973. Although critically acclaimed, it failed to reach the popularity of the earlier work, and did not chart in the UK.
Popularity in Sweden, however, put pressure on Hansson to tour, and a touring band was hastily assembled. The tour was cancelled by the reclusive keyboard player, however, citing a lack of motivation. Instead, he returned to Studio Decibel and started work on his third album. Using the tried and trusted backing musicians the recordings continued the progression of the previous album, and Mellanväsen was issued on Silence Records in October 1975, and as Attic Thoughts on Charisma in the UK in February 1976. Despite being the most accomplished record to date it was disappointingly received, although it did feature the song "Rabbit Music" which would point the way to Hansson's next album.
In 1976 Hansson and Silence Records parted company, and he was able to negotiate a worldwide deal with Charisma. He returned once again to Studio Decibel and began work on recordings that were inspired by another book; Richard Adams' Watership Down. Using the same session musicians but with a new producer, Pontus Olssen, the recordings were issued in September 1977 as El 'Ahrairah (after the novel's rabbit god) and Music Inspired by Watership Down on Charisma in the UK and Canada, and on Sire Records in the US. Another disappointing chart performance led to Hansson's withdrawal from the popular music scene, and though he worked on a number of projects with friends, little was heard from him until 1985 when he released, in Sweden only, the album Mitt I Livet (In the Middle of Life) on Silence Records (SRS 4700). He then fell into obscurity.
Later years
Hansson found a new following amongst Swedish DJs in recent years, who sampled his music – something which apparently pleased him enormously. Although the better known Music Inspired by Lord of the Rings made it onto CD in 1988, in a remixed version accompanied by selected tracks from Magician's Hat and Attic Thoughts,[3] his other 1970s albums remained unavailable in full until 2005 when Silence Records (through EMI) re-issued them on CD, digitally re-mastered and with previously unreleased extra material. In 1998 Hansson & Karlsson reunited for some live concerts and a compilation album.
Due to his pioneering work and the mysteries surrounding Hansson & Karlsson's rise and fall, Hansson received the status of a living legend among the independent musical community in Sweden. He occasionally performed live sets with fellow organist Eric Malmberg who has been greatly inspired by Hansson's work.
Bo Hansson died in Stockholm on 23 April 2010.
Discography
As Bo Hansson
Studio albums
- 1972 Music Inspired by Lord of the Rings, Charisma (originally released in Sweden as Sagan om ringen in 1970)
- 1973 Magician's Hat, Charisma (originally released in Sweden as Ur trollkarlens hatt in 1972)
- 1975 Attic Thoughts, Charisma (released in Sweden as Mellanväsen)
- 1977 Music Inspired by Watership Down, Charisma (released in Sweden as El-Ahrairah)
- 1985 Mitt i livet, Silence Records (released only in Sweden)
Compilation
- 1983 Reflection: Best of Bo Hansson, Fontana Records (compilation album covering Bo's first three solo albums)
The CD reissues of the first three solo records are distributed internationally by the original company, Silence Records.
As Hansson and Karlsson
- 1967 Monument
- 1968 Rex
- 1969 Man at the Moon
- 1998 Hansson & Karlsson (compilation)
- 2010 For People in Love 67–68 (studio & live recordings)
See also
References
- ^ (in Swedish) Musikern Bo Hansson har avlidit Archived May 2, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Dagens Nyheter. Retrieved 2010-04-27. "He was found [dead] Saturday afternoon in his home [...] in Stockholm."
- ^ "Hansson and Karlsson discography". Progarchives.com. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
- ^ "Bo Hansson – Lord of the Rings (CD) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
External links
- Official website
- Bo Hansson at AllMusic
- Bo Hansson discography at Discogs
- Bo Hansson at IMDb