Esa Pakarinen

Biography Early life Esa, officially Feeliks Esaias Pakarinen, was born on 9 February 1911 into the family of six children of the traveling village shoemaker Paavo Pakarinen (1882–1953) and Angeliina Hirvonen (1882–1965) in Rääkkylä, North Karelia. His father was a self-taught accordionist. At the beginning of the 1930s, in Joensuu, Esa acquired a five-line accordion from a rectified spirits trading bootlegger and then joined an amateur band called Keskiyö ("Midnight"). This was the beginning of a long career in music. After his release from military service, he studied sheet music and began taking piano lessons. To make a living, he did mixed work, doing playing chores only occasionally. At this point, he also played wind instruments on the band of the Worker's Association of Joensuu and acted in the local Workers' Theater. There he met his first wife, Aino Juntunen, with whom he had been married for three years during 1934–37. and, after the outbreak of the Continuation War, Pakarinen was assigned to an air defence battery in Haapamäki.

Film career According to Suomi Filmi's film producer Toivo Särkkä, Toivo Kärki was attracted when this entertaining trio appeared at the Workers' House of Oulunkylä in early 1951. Särkkä noticed the trio's abilities and invited them to an experimental film for Suomi Filmi. The next record was recorded during the same year. The performances were the songs of Kärki and Helismaa, Lännen lokarin veli and Lentävä kalakukko, both of which also became known as the theme tunes of the films. Both were filmed immediately after the premiere of Rovaniemen markkinoilla, starring the new popular favorite Esa Pakarinen. During the 1950s and 60s, Esa Pakarinen was involved in a total of 20 films. In 1953, Rantasalmen sulttaani, directed by Eddie Stenberg under the nickname Outsider (Aarne Haapakoski), was completed, filmed mainly in North Africa in Tunisia. The first of the thirteen films in that series, So the character Severi Suhonen, who was so popular, also turned out to be remarkably long-lived. Esa's film career had begun as Severi Suhonen, and that role also ended. In this film, Esa is seen as aging in the role of Severi Suhonen. The music in the film was provided by Toivo Kärki and Jaakko Salo, the lyrics were by Lauri Jauhiainen. During the 1960s, the time of traditional evening culture came to an end, and this could not have affected Pakarinen's work situation either. He started working as a baker in the department stores as Severi Suhonen, although he didn't particularly like this kind of activity. The pace of concert touring slowed down after he was diagnosed with both asthma and cardiac arrhythmias, and in 1974 he was awarded a sickness pension.

At the age of 63, in 1974, Esa Pakarinen once again made a bold conquest by singing rock. Esa Pakarinen's comeback culminated in a seminar held in 1978 in her hometown of Varkaus, which also featured his old buddies. As early as the early 1980s, Pakarinen continued to perform mainly on small occasions.

Esa Pakarinen died of cancer in his hometown of Varkaus on 28 April 1989.

Filmography

Rovaniemen markkinoilla (1951) Lännen lokarin veli (1952) Se alkoi sateessa (1953), in English It Began in the Rain Rantasalmen sulttaani (1953), in English Adventure in Morocco Lentävä kalakukko (1953), in English Esa Flies to Kuopio Pekka Puupää (1953) Pekka Puupää kesälaitumilla (1953), in English Pekka and Pätkä on a summer holiday Hei, rillumarei! (1954) Pekka ja Pätkä lumimiehen jäljillä (1954), in English Pekka and Pätkä tracing The Abominable Snowman Pekka ja Pätkä puistotäteinä (1955), in English Pekka and Pätkä as playground supervisors Kiinni on ja pysyy – Pekan ja Pätkän uusia seikkailuja (1955), in English Fixed and last aka the new adventures of Pekka and Pätkä Pekka ja Pätkä pahassa pulassa (1955), in English Pekka and Pätkä in big trouble Pekka ja Pätkä ketjukolarissa (1957), in English Pekka and Pätkä in a pile-up Pekka ja Pätkä salapoliiseina (1957), in English Pekka and Pätkä as private eyes Pekka ja Pätkä sammakkomiehinä (1957), in English Pekka and Pätkä as frogmen Pekka ja Pätkä Suezilla (1958), in English Pekka and Pätkä on Suez Pekka ja Pätkä miljonääreinä (1958), in English Pekka and Pätkä as millionaires Pekka ja Pätkä mestarimaalareina (1959), in English Pekka and Pätkä as master painters Pekka ja Pätkä neekereinä (1960), in English Pekka and Pätkä as negroes Mullin mallin (1961) Meiltähän tämä käy (1973)

Discography

Albums Esa Pakarinen – Severi Suhonen (1966) Severi Suhonen Ala-Tölöviöstä (1967) Lonkalta (with Irwin Goodman; 1971) Vihonviimeiset tangot (1972) Esa & Eemeli (with Esko Toivonen; 1972) Pakarock (1974) Pakarock 2 (1976) Maailman paras levy (1977) Severi kylymässä mualimassa (1979) Beat (1988) Savolaesta sanarrieskoo – Lauluja Kalle Väänäsen runoihin (1988)

Collections Esa Pakarinen (1968) Severin parhaat 1 (1972) Severin parhaat 2 (1974) Esa Pakarinen (1990) Unohtumattomat (1992) Rokki on poikaa (1997) Meiltähän tämä käy! Kaikki levytykset 1951–1988 (2011) Meiltähän tämä käy! 48 ikimuistoisinta kappaletta (2011)