Erkki Junkkarinen

Biography Childhood and early career Junkkarinen was born in Suonenjoki on 22 April 1929

Beginning of recording career He bacame popular in 1950 with his first recording, "Yksinäinen harmonikka", a russian tune, after which Toivo Kärki wrote him numerous songs over a few years, including "Harhakuva", "Soita hiljaa kitarain" and "Tuija, tehtaan tyttö". "Imatran Inkeri", written by Kärki and Reino Helismaa, became the 3rd most popular record of the autumn of 1951 in Finland. Along his first recording he started to tour with Heelismaa, Esa Pakarinen, and Per-Erik Förars. After 1954 Junkkarinen's popularity started to wane and the interval between recordings became increasingly longer until stopping all together. His co-operation with Toivo Kärki also ended.

With his popularity and large performance fees Junkkarinen had a brick house built in Riihimäki. He is buried at the Vuorentaa Cemetery in Hämeenlinna (section 20, row 1, plot 44).

Artistic style Junkkarinen was a skilled whistler, and this talent earned him the well-known nickname "The Nightingale of Pakila". Junkkarinen’s whistling can be heard, for example, on Olavi Virta’s 1960 recording "Sydänsuruja". He was awarded a state artist’s pension in 1990.

In his memoir published in 1982, Toivo Kärki reflected on his collaboration with Junkkarinen in the early 1950s: "Erkki Junkkarinen also toured with my orchestra and recorded my compositions; he was usually the quickest of the singers to learn. If a new song was added to the repertoire, I’d play it twice and Eki would know it." According to Kärki, Junkkarinen didn’t know how to read sheet music at all. Junkkarinen said in an interview in the 2000s that it was Kärki who taught him to sing for the record, and that a big role model of his was Henry Theel.

Junkkarinen was very often accompanied by ’s band. He also recorded several songs composed by Friman. Junkkarinen’s most successful albums of the 1970s were released on the PSO label with ’s band.

In addition to the aforementioned, Erkki Junkkarinen’s best-known pop songs include (from the 1950s) "Kun yö on valoton" and (from the 1970s) "Pieni hetki", "Vesivehmaan jenkka", "Kappale kauneinta Suomea", and "". The humppa "Lappeenrantaan" became the theme song for the , which has been held since 1977. In the 1970s, Junkkarinen also re-recorded his earlier hits "Yksinäinen harmonikka", "Hopeahääpäivänä", and "Valssi menneiltä ajoilta". In 1989, he recorded his own version of Vladimir Vysotsky’s "". In total Junkkarinen recorded nearly 350 songs over the course of almost half a century, including 25 originals by Toivo Kärki. For a long time, Junkkarinen was the Finnish male singer with the longest active career, until Eino Grön surpassed him.

Opera singer Jorma Hynninen is Erkki Junkkarinen’s second cousin.

Discography Studio albums (1970) (1972) (1974) (1975) (1975) (1976) (1976) (1977) (1977) (1977) (1978) (1978) (1979) (1980) (1989) (1990) Tunteiden tiellä (1996)

Anthologies Erkki Junkkarinen 1−2 (Finnlevy, 1969) Erkki Junkkarinen 3−4 (Finnlevy, 1974) Eri esittäjiä: 16 tähteä – 16 iskelmää (Finndisc, 1975) Erkki Junkkarinen − Parhaimmat 1−2 (PSO, 1976) Erkki Junkkarinen − Unohtumattomat 1−2 (Finnlevy, 1978) Hopeahääpäivänä (Finnlevy, 1981) Erkki Junkkarinen − Parhaat (Finnlevy, 2-LP, 1991) Erkki Junkkarinen - Unohtumattomat (Finnlevy, 1993) 20 suosikkia – Ruusuja hopeamaljassa (Warner Music, 1996) 20 suosikkia – Siks’ oon mä suruinen (Warner Music, 2002) 20 suosikkia – Tulisuudelma (Warner Music, 2003) Erkki Junkkarinen muistoissamme (Valitut Palat, 3-CD, 2008) Musiikin mestareita: Erkki Junkkarinen − Laulajan muisto (Warner Music, 2-CD, 2008) Ystävän laulu − 25 unohtumatonta laulua (sisältää albumit Ystävän laulu ja Sua ilman) (2008) (2009)