Wigwam (progressive rock)

Wigwam is a Finnish progressive rock band formed in 1968, after the split of the seminal Blues Section, with whom drummer Ronnie Österberg had played before. He formed the band as a trio, but soon brought in British expatriate singer/songwriter Jim Pembroke (also in BS) and organist Jukka Gustavson. A year later, Pekka Pohjola joined on bass. Kim Fowley produced Wigwam's second album "Tombstone Valentine" (1970). This album also featured an excerpt of Erkki Kurenniemi's electronic composition 'Dance of the Anthropoids'. The 1974 album "Being" is often called Wigwam's masterpiece. After its release, though, Pohjola and Gustavson quit the band. Commercially the most successful Wigwam album must be the more pop-oriented "Nuclear Nightclub" that followed in 1975, with new members Pekka Rechardt on guitar and Måns Groundstroem on bass.

For a time in the 1970s Wigwam seemed poised to break through in Europe, along with bands like Tasavallan Presidentti, but even though they were highly praised by the UK press large-scale international fame eluded them, and by 1978 they had disbanded. Jim Pembroke and Ronnie Österberg formed the Jim Pembroke Band in late 1979, but following health problems with diabetes, Österberg committed suicide on December 6th, 1980.

Wigwam reformed in the 1990s with the Pembroke-Rechardt-Groundstroem core intact, and has been active to the present. In Finland they have a lasting (although limited) following, and their influence on Finnish rock music is widely recognised.

Current lineup

* Jim Pembroke (1969- ) (vocals, keyboards)
* Pekka "Rekku" Rechardt (1974- ) (guitar)
* Esa Kotilainen (1974-75, 1977, 2001- ) (keyboards)
* Mats Huldén (1968-70, 2004- ) (bass guitar)
* Jari "Kepa" Kettunen (1993- ) (drums)

Past members

=drums=

* Ronald "Ronnie" Österberg (1968-1980)
* Jan Noponen (1991-1993)

Guitar

* Vladimir "Nikke" Nikamo (1968-1970)

Bass guitar

* Pekka Pohjola (1970-1974)
* Måns "Måsse" Groundstroem (1974-2003)
* Jussi Kinnunen (2003-2004)

Violin

* Pekka Pohjola (1970-1974)

Vocals

* Jukka "Gutsi" Gustavson (1969-1974)

=Keyboards=

* Jukka "Gutsi" Gustavson (1969-1974)
* Heikki "Hessu/Pedro" Hietanen (1975-1977, 1991-1992, 1999-2000)
* Mikko Rintanen (1992-1993)

Guest musicians

* Jukka Tolonen, guitar (1970-1974)
* Esa Kotilainen, keyboards (1974-1975, 1977)
* Ilmari Varila, oboe
* Tapio Louhensalo, bassoon
* Hannu Saxelin, clarinet
* Risto Pensola, clarinet
* Unto Haapa-aho, bass clarinet
* Eero Koivistoinen, soprano saxophone
* Pekka Pöyry, soprano saxophone
* Pentti Lasanen, clarinet, flute
* Paavo Honkanen, clarinet
* Aale Lindgren, oboe
* Juhani Tapaninen, bassoon
* Juha Aaltonen, flute
* Seppo Paakkunainen, flute
* Erik Dannholm, flute
* Pentti Lahti, flute
* Kari Veisterä, flute
* Taisto Wesselin, acoustic guitar
* Erkki Kurenniemi, VCS3 synthesizer
* Jukka Ruohomäki, VCS3 programming assistant
* Heikki Laurila, guitar, banjo
* Kalevi Nyquist, accordion

Discography

Albums

* "Hard 'n' Horny" (1969)
* "Tombstone Valentine" (1970)
* "Fairyport" (1971)
* "Being" (1974)
* "Nuclear Nightclub" (1975)
* "The Lucky Golden Stripes and Starpose" (1976)
* "Dark Album" (1977)
* "Light Ages" (1993)
* "Titans Wheel" (2002)
* "Some Several Moons" (2005)

Compilations & live albums

* "Wigwam" (1972)
* "Live Music from the Twilight Zone" (1975)
* "Rumours on the Rebound" (1979)
* "Classics - The Rarest" (1990)
* "Highlights" (1996)
* "Fresh Garbage - Rarities from 1969-1977" (2000)
* "Wigwam Plays Wigwam - Live" (2001)

Jim Pembroke (& Wigwam)

These are Jim Pembroke's solo albums, which are played by Wigwam
* Hot Thumbs O'Riley: Wicked Ivory (1972)
* Jim Pembroke & Wigwam: Pigworm (1974)
* Jim Pembroke: Corporal Cauliflowers Mental Function (1977)

External links

* [http://wigwam.stc.cx/ Wigwam - Nuclear Netclub]