Benny Andersson/Björn Ulvaeus Then and Now | home
About, pg 2
In June, 1966, the members of The Hootenanny's except for the German citizen Hanzi Schwarz, were compelled to put on uniforms and do their mandatory military service.
The day before reporting for duty, The Hootenanny' Singers were on their way to perform at a venue near Falköping. There was to be a number of acts performing that evening.
There is a hill 3 miles away from town where the venue was taking place, with a gravel road the way to get there.
Suddenly they are passed by some fast cars tearing down the road. Mustangs and Thunderbirds by Ford were racing down the road kicking up alot of dust. It was The Hep Stars.
It was a narrow road, so only one car could pass at a time and so they stopped their cars and said Hej to each other. The Hootenanny's were having a party that night as a send off for their military service the next day. They invited
The Hep Stars to their party. It was to be in Linköping. But the band misheard the name and wound up going to Lidköping, which was about 100 miles the wrong way.
They realized their mistake and drove in the middle of the night back to Linköping where they found the Hootenanny's still parting early into the morning. The party was at a hotel and it was too loud and too late so they moved into a park to continue it.
Björn and Benny hit it off right away and sang and played songs together. They talked and found much in common. A fast friendship was formed that night.
The military was understanding to the boys situation in that they were a famous performing group, so they allowed them alot of leave time. Less than a month after reporting for duty The Hootenanny's were together to sing at a folkpark. June 23 The Hootenanny's had another party and invited The Hep Stars. At this get together Björn and Benny really had a meeting of the minds and discussed their ambitions and hopes.They thought that it would be fun to try writing a song together since they both wrote songs in their own groups.
They went to Björn's parents home and set up in the basement. Now, it was late, and everyone was asleep. when the boys started playing and singing Gunnar woke up and gave the keys to the paper mill to Björn, sending them there to make their noise. By dawn there was a new song, Isn't It Easy To Say, This was recorded by The Hep Stars.
Afteer that, the 2 groups were close and contributed to each others bands in many ways. Björn played with The Hep Stars and Benny played with The Hootenanny Singers during recording sessions.
Around this time Stig Anderson decided to change The Hootenanny Singers a bit. He didn't want all 4 singing together, he wanted Björn to sing lead. And to sing more pop. It didn't sit well with everyone. En sång en gång was a major hit with Björn singing lead. And Baby Those Are The Rules went #1 on Svensktoppen.
In April 1967 Björn decided on going to the Stockholm University. All the members of The Hootenanny Singers were ready to slow down and make something of their lives through education and "real" jobs. They wisely knew their group wouldn't last forever. But Björn also realized that he wanted to have something to do in the music buisness. He was studying buisness economics, and law at the university. But he wasn't that inspired with his studies. Music was his heart.
The Hep Stars were also slowing down a bit.
The Hootenanny Singers were still occasionaly performing and making records. But there was trouble in the group over which direction their music should take since the times were changing rapidly and styles had to be kept up. Some in the group felt the music was becoming to commercial.
In April, 1968 Björn recorded a solo work called Raring, the Swedish version od Bobby Goldsboroughs Honey. Björn began recording solo albums and still worked with The Hootenannys, although in 1969 during the folkpark tour they were performing mostly Björn's solo hits.
Partaj-aj-aj was on The Hootenannys album but was a collaboration of Björn and Benny's songwritting together.
The popularity of their songs was failing. The Hootenanny's decided to quit touring and just go into the studio and record from then on.
Björn decided it was time to stop studying and quit school. He devoted his time to learning the music buisness inside and out. He began working at Sweden Music.Stig was interested in Björn learning as much as he could. He knew Björn was talented and smart and he was looking for someone to be a big part in Polar music.
All The Hootenanny's were married except Björn.
But he did have a girlfriend, Marianne Åkermann.
They lasted about 9 months together.
In the spring of 1969 he was asked to perform on a TV show trivute for Jules Sylvain, who was a famous composer in Sweden that had died recently. There he got to know another performer on the show. Agnetha Fältskog.
Benny had his own Ford Mustang car and a 5 room apartment in Stockholm, with his pick of girls. He was living the life of a pop star. He was also very interested in learni g the pop music buisness from the ground up.He was still writing songs and he was taking a more prominant position in the recording studio.
The press reported on Benny's ex girlfriend Christina, who when interviewed didn't paint a nice picture of Benny. She claims he didn't want to be seen with her and the children. He had ended their engagement over the telephone.
For his part, Benny denied that he refused to be seen with her and that he always wore his engagement ring onstage. He felt their love had "cooled off " and that when The Hep Stars were on tour he didn't get to see her that often.
He has always kept in touch with her and his children through the years. But he wants his private life left that way, private. So no more details about that were released.
In 1967 The Hep Stars decided to go to Kenya and make a movie. It was called Habari Safari. The whole experience was a disaster and with hardly any script, and no plot and everyone with their hands out for money and more money, the whole thing went bust. It's never been seen.
But, The Hep Stars found a song there that turned into a #1 for them called Malaika.
The band began to suffer some devestating blows. Too much money in promotions in other countries that never saw a profit. Concets where it cost more than they made. Again, no profits.
Great Britan and West Germany were not to be a saleable market for them. Promoters and producers were wanting changes, including the dismissal of Lennart, Christer and Janne, who were founding members of the group.
In December 1967 The Hep Stars were being taxed 900,000 kronor.It made headlines! They hadn't paid a dime it turns out and were all behind for several years in taxes. Nobody had told them they needed to be paying taxes. When they protested, the commisioner increased their debt owed!
Hep House, their company, was releived of most of their employees to make ends meet. They wound up declaring they were bankrupt in July 1968.
The group continued on and aquired a new singer, Svenne's girlfriend, Charlotta Walker. Svenne and Lotta together were great! But the songs became less pop and rock and became more cabaret and schlager. There was divisions in the group over this.
August 31, 1969 was the last engagement for The Hep Stars. It was in Stockholm. After that, it was Svenne and Lotta, Benny, and Björn, and a comedy performer, Finn Alberth. They put on a cabaret show. And they had some succes with it.
But Benny and Björn had other irons in the fire too. They had begun producing and songwriting for other performers.
Both of their groups were at an end so it was a natural for them to begin working more on projects with each other and their girlfriends.
Benny was Anni-Frids producer on her albums and Björn went with Agnetha on her month long tour with other Swedish stars in the summer of 1969. At that time he wanted nothing to do with producing her records. But he soon changes his mind and begins producing the rest of her albums.
In October 1969 the company Union Songs was formed. It was a publishing company and Björn and Benny owned 25% of it each. So did Stig Anderson and his partner Bengt Bernhag.
In fact, Stig was also responsible for B and B writing songs for the movie Inga 2. She's My Kind of Girl and Inga's Theme were the standout songs. The songs were released in 1970 under the name Björn and Benny. The records were not hits. Except in 1972 in Japan! But that was short lived.
On the 1st of April Benny and Frida move into an apartment in Vassastan, a section of Stockholm.
On the 5th, Agnetha's birthday, Björn and Benny, Anni-Frid and Agnetha set out on holiday in Cyprus. It is on this island that they perform together for the very 1st time, entertaining United Nation soldiers that were stationed there.They also discussed working together as a foursome in the future.
Björn and Agnetha become officially engaged on this trip.
When they return after almost 2 weeks, the boys get together again with Sven and Lotta and go back on tour with them. They let them know that they are planning on working with their girlfriends in the future and Sven and Lotta decide that they are strong enough as a duo, so it's fine with them.
That summer B and B begin recording their album Lycka and Agnetha and Frida helped them with the backing vocals. The march to becoming ABBA has now started.
In August Björn produces Agnetha's Som Jag Är album.
At the end of that month all four appear on TV singing California Here I Come.
And in November they again come together as a cabaret show calling themselves Festfolket.
This act didn't go over so well and they again resume their seperate careers.
In 1971 the girls perform with B and B on the songs they had provided the backing vocals.
And in April B and B along with Agnetha, go out on a Folkpark tour.
July 7, 1971 Björn marries Agnetha Fältskog in Verum, Sweden. Some 3,000 fans gathered outside the church to see them. The local police force was all there to protect the couple.
Benny plays the song Wedding for them.
At the reception Björn dances a tango with his father. But sadly, the next morning they find out that Bengt Bernhag had commited suicide after suffering depression from an illness the day of their wedding. He'd had colitis and had a colostomy bag, something he was extremely embarrased about.
Stig and Björn row out on the lake and discuss their future. Björn recalls how much Bengt had helped him learn the music buisness. Bengt had been Stigs buisness partner. Now he was asking Björn to take on the responsibilities as house producer at Polar. Björn said he would, but only if Benny was included. Stig didn't feel there was enough money to pay both of them, so Björn made a huge decision and told him that he would be willing to split his salary with Benny. Stig agreed on this. So Polar had 2 new house producers!
Later that summer finds B and B in the studio with Lena Andersson. Eventually, all 4 contribute to the album, with the girls providing backing vocals.
In the fall B and B are working with Ted Gärdestad producing his album.
In 1972 Benny produces Fridas next album and Björn and Agnetha provide some of the backing vocals for it. Also in early 1972 both couples had moved into a new neighborhood in Vallentuna. They were near neighbors and socialized frequently with each other.
In February, on the 13th, Björn and Benny along with Stig, attend the Melodifestival to see Lena Andersson singing a song they wrote for her, Säg Det Med En Sång. She comes in 3rd place.
March 29, they go into the studio to begin recording Merry Go Round and People Need Love. Agnetha and Anni-Frid are singing on these songs and they are released as a group called Björn, Benny, Anni-Frid and Agnetha. Quite a mouthful to say!
April 30, the quartet perform on TV singing People Need Love. This song does very well when it is released.
In August B and B are recording without the girls on Love has it's Way and Rockin' Roll Band.
Next is He's You Brother and Nina Pretty Ballerina and the girls are definatly now singing prominently in the songs. And they are famous in Sweden, so much so that Vecko-Revyn, a leading magazine in Sweden, goes to Björn and Agnetha's home where a Jul time dinner is set up. They want this photo shoot to be the magazines' Christmas issue. Benny and Frida are there as well.
In June, on the 15th, the four embark on their 1st folkpark tour together as a foursome.
Now, continue on to the rest of this site to see what else they were up to!
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