ABBA drummer found dead in his garden
I know that it's been a little morbid around here with some of the passing of individuals, and the documentation of them.
These are people that have influenced me and my playing, so there should be something said to at least honor them, in some way.
That being said, how many of us have considered ABBA to be a "guilty pleasure" of sorts.
The truth is this band was one of the biggest selling groups in music history.
They don't have to apologize for success, as George Lucas once said about creating Star Wars, and the fallout after.
Ola Brunkert was one of those inspirations along the way, for me. He always seemed to play the right thing for the song. One of my favorites was "The Name Of The Game" with it's slinky 2-beat funk groove. Can someone say "Dancing Queen"...another groove that was just right for the moment.
By CIARAN GILES, Associated Press Writer
Mon Mar 17
9:13 AM ET
MADRID, Spain - A former drummer for the Swedish pop band ABBA was found dead with cuts to his neck in the garden of his house on the Spanish island of Mallorca. Police said Monday an autopsy showed it was an accident.
A neighbor found the body of 62-year-old Ola Brunkert on Sunday evening at his house in a coastal area outside the eastern town of Arta, a Civil Guard spokesman told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
He said an autopsy was carried out and confirmed initial investigations. "It was an accident," he said.
The spokesman said Brunkert hit his head against a glass door in his dining room, shattering the glass and cutting himself in the neck. He managed to wrap a towel around his neck and left the house to seek help, but collapsed in the garden.
Brunkert lived in the coastal apartment complex of Betlem in the municipality of Arta, in the eastern part of Mallorca.
Brunkert had lived in Arta for around 20 years. His wife, Inger. died less than a year ago, an Arta municipal official told the AP. She spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to discuss the case.
ABBA band member Benny Anderson told Swedish daily Expressen he was sad to hear of the drummer's death. "It is tragic," he said.
Band member Bjorn Ulvaeus added that Brunkert had been "one of the best."
"I remember him as a good friend when we worked together in the mid-1970s. He was a very creative musician who contributed a lot when we toured together and worked in the studio," Ulvaeus told Expressen.
According to ABBA's official Web site, Brunkert and bass player Rutger Gunnarsson were the only musicians to appear on all ABBA albums.
Brunkert first played with ABBA on the group's first single, "People Need Love," and toured with the band in 1977, 1979 and 1980.
He had been a jazz drummer and a member of the blues band Slim's Blues Gang, before joining pop group Science Poption in the mid-1960s.
ABBA, with the four regular members Agnetha Faltskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Ulvaeus and Andersson, was one of the world's most successful bands, with album sales of more than 370 million. The group has not performed together since 1982, but continues to sell nearly 3 million records a year.
___
On the Net:
ABBA:
http://www.abbasite.com
These are people that have influenced me and my playing, so there should be something said to at least honor them, in some way.
That being said, how many of us have considered ABBA to be a "guilty pleasure" of sorts.
The truth is this band was one of the biggest selling groups in music history.
They don't have to apologize for success, as George Lucas once said about creating Star Wars, and the fallout after.
Ola Brunkert was one of those inspirations along the way, for me. He always seemed to play the right thing for the song. One of my favorites was "The Name Of The Game" with it's slinky 2-beat funk groove. Can someone say "Dancing Queen"...another groove that was just right for the moment.
By CIARAN GILES, Associated Press Writer
Mon Mar 17
9:13 AM ET
MADRID, Spain - A former drummer for the Swedish pop band ABBA was found dead with cuts to his neck in the garden of his house on the Spanish island of Mallorca. Police said Monday an autopsy showed it was an accident.
A neighbor found the body of 62-year-old Ola Brunkert on Sunday evening at his house in a coastal area outside the eastern town of Arta, a Civil Guard spokesman told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
He said an autopsy was carried out and confirmed initial investigations. "It was an accident," he said.
The spokesman said Brunkert hit his head against a glass door in his dining room, shattering the glass and cutting himself in the neck. He managed to wrap a towel around his neck and left the house to seek help, but collapsed in the garden.
Brunkert lived in the coastal apartment complex of Betlem in the municipality of Arta, in the eastern part of Mallorca.
Brunkert had lived in Arta for around 20 years. His wife, Inger. died less than a year ago, an Arta municipal official told the AP. She spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to discuss the case.
ABBA band member Benny Anderson told Swedish daily Expressen he was sad to hear of the drummer's death. "It is tragic," he said.
Band member Bjorn Ulvaeus added that Brunkert had been "one of the best."
"I remember him as a good friend when we worked together in the mid-1970s. He was a very creative musician who contributed a lot when we toured together and worked in the studio," Ulvaeus told Expressen.
According to ABBA's official Web site, Brunkert and bass player Rutger Gunnarsson were the only musicians to appear on all ABBA albums.
Brunkert first played with ABBA on the group's first single, "People Need Love," and toured with the band in 1977, 1979 and 1980.
He had been a jazz drummer and a member of the blues band Slim's Blues Gang, before joining pop group Science Poption in the mid-1960s.
ABBA, with the four regular members Agnetha Faltskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Ulvaeus and Andersson, was one of the world's most successful bands, with album sales of more than 370 million. The group has not performed together since 1982, but continues to sell nearly 3 million records a year.
___
On the Net:
ABBA:
http://www.abbasite.com
posted by Carlton Jackson at 11:47 AM
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