Olavi Virta

(born Oskari Olavi Ilmén; 27 February 1915 – 14 July 1972) was a Finnish singer, acclaimed during his time as the "King" of Finnish tango.

Life and career

Virta was born on 27 February 1915 in Sysmä, Grand Duchy of Finland. Between 1939 and 1966 he recorded almost 600 songs, many of which are classics of Finnish popular music, and appeared in many films and theatrical productions. Of his most acclaimed tangos are "Punatukkaiselle tytölleni" ("For My Red Haired Girl"), "Ennen kuolemaa" ("Before Death"; French: Avant de Mourir) and "Täysikuu" ("Full Moon"), while standouts from his other popular songs are "Poika varjoisalta kujalta" ("Boy From a Shady Alley"; Italian: Guaglione), "Hopeinen kuu" ("Silver Moon"; Italian: Guarda Che Luna), "Eva" and "Kultainen nuoruus" ("The Golden Youth"). He was also the second tenor of the quartet Kipparikvartetti in the early 1950s.

At the beginning of his career he received three gold records for the songs "Ennen kuolemaa", "Tulisuudelma" (El Choclo) and "La Cumparsita". Virta also acted in sixteen different Finnish films, including ones of the then-popular Pekka Puupää series. When he began his career in 1939, he was marketed as the "Bing Crosby of Finland." He has also been compared to the American singer-actor Frank Sinatra.

Film career Virta played in various films:Rikas tyttö (1939) (band's lead vocalist) (1940) (1943) (1948) (1950) (1950) (1952) (1952)Pekka Puupää kesälaitumilla (1953) (1954)Pekka ja Pätkä lumimiehen jäljillä (1954 (1954)Pekka ja Pätkä puistotäteinä (1955) (1957) (1959) (1960)

Documentary films featuring Virta:Iskelmäparaati (1939) (band's lead vocalist)Olavi Virta (1972, dir. Peter von Bagh)Olavi Virta (1987, dir. Peter von Bagh)

Discography

(Post-mortem compilations) 1997: Suomiviihteen legendat2005: Mestari - legendan ääni elää2011: Arkistojen aarteita vol. 12013: Laulaja - Kaikki levytykset''