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Wigwam
Biography
Wigwam have the rare distinction of being the only '70s band from Finland to have made any impact outside the country, as well as being an incubator for the country's top prog musicians -- the only catch was that the anticipated massive breakthrough never happened. The group came together in the late '60s, when drummer Ronnie Österberg, expat English singer/keyboard player Jim Pembroke, guitarist Nikke Nikamo, and bassist Mats Hulden, all of whom had been in Blues Section, decided to form a new band. They drafted in keyboardist Jukka Gustavson, and Wigwam was born. Their first album, 1969's Hard'n'Horny, had Gustavson's work on one side, Pembroke's on the other. For their second album, Tombstone Valentine, both Hulden and Nikamo had vanished, having experienced disputes with the producer, American scenester Kim Fowley. But the record did see the debut of virtuoso bass player Pekka Pohjola. While well received, it still didn't sell many copies, which was also true of their next disc, Fairyport. Following that, both Pembroke and Pohjola made solo albums, leaving Gustavson to put together the next band effort, the dark and prog-ish Being, which won Album of the Year in Finland.