Ken Forssi
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Kenneth Raymond Forssi, known as "Kenny" early in life and then "Ken" (born March 30, 1943, died January 5, 1998), was an American musician. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the oldest child of Raymond B. and Lola G. Forssi. When he was about 9 years old, his family moved to Siesta Key, on the Florida west coast, and then, shortly moved on to the nearby city of Sarasota. Ken Forssi's formative years were spent there, and he attended Sarasota High School where he demonstrated considerable talent in engineering drawing. Several pen and ink drawings, of the complex, multi-geared transmission of a helicopter and of the intricacies of a large jet aircraft engine, won local prizes, and he was encouraged to follow a career in that field. He also proved to be mechanically skilled as a teenager, working on both motorcycles and cars, sometimes as a paid part-time employee of local businesses. He eventually was employed as a draftsman at a large Sarasota aerospace engineering company.
Music was a modest part of his life then, but as his skill on the bass guitar increased, he was hired for a number of engagements with local groups.
Ken was a good enough artist that he obtained a scholarship to the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, California. Along with several Sarasota friends, he migrated to Anaheim, California in 1964, and began commuting to the school. At this time, his interest in music became much more intense. His natural ability was substantial, and he learned new techniques very rapidly. In fact, his ability was soon sufficient to earn him a position as bass player with "The Surfaris", a group that rose to fame with their first record "Wipeout", which according to "The Illustrated Book of Rock Records" is the number one surf hit of all time (based on record sales and chart positions).
[edit] Love
Forssi continued to attend college and study art, using his earnings from The Surfaris Japan Tour to rent an apartment closer to the school. He found a roommate, Alban "Snoopy" Pfisterer, who was also a student there. In 1965 he met Arthur Lee, who then had a band called "Grass Roots" (a name which would rapidly move to another group for legal reasons) and was greatly impressed. Lee hired Ken as bassist, and soon officially formed Love. Shortly, Snoopy Pfisterer could also be found with the group, as an occasional substitute drummer. Ken was a true believer, along with many new fans, in the artistic talent of Lee, and in the quality of the band.
Love proved to be quite popular and successful in 1966-68, especially in California, and Ken was now a rock star. The band released three albums in rapid succession (Love, Da Capo, and Forever Changes), and had a number of modest hits. Ken Forssi's work on some of these has been highly praised, particularly the hit "7 and 7 is".
[edit] After Love
The success of Love was short-lived, though, and the original group broke up. For a time, his considerable talent as a bassist gained him studio session work and offers to join various other rock groups. He played briefly with a band called "The Elves Themselves" and worked on a record with Jimi Hendrix. During that time Ken had no steady job. It is widely rumored, although unconfirmed, that Ken and Love guitarist Johnny Echols became the "doughnut bandits", possibly armed with water pistols, robbing local doughnut shops for heroin money, being caught and convicted, and spending time in jail for the offenses.
Ken Forssi never again reached any level of fame.
After the original members of Love scattered, he moved back to Sarasota in the early 1970s, where he found fewer and fewer opportunities to use his musical talents. He mostly worked at various odd jobs over the years, his employment usually hampered by long-term substance-abuse problems which seem to have started during the years of fame.
During Ken's last years, he became very concerned about the possible existence of world political conspiracies. In the early 1990s he moved to the little town of Greenville, in north Florida, where his mother then lived. Ken died in nearby Tallahassee on January 10, 1998 (according to his "Tallahassee Democrat" obituary), due to a brain tumor.
[edit] Sources
- Michael Stuart-Ware (2003). Behind the Scenes on the Pegasus Carousel with the Legendary Rock Group Love. London: Helter Skelter Pub.
- Andrew Hultkrans (2003). Forever Changes. New York, London: Continuum International Pub. Group.
- "Kenneth R. Forssi", Obituary, 13 January 1998, The Tallahasse Democrat.
- An untitled Interview with "Snoopy" Pfisterer regarding "Love". Retrieved on 1 January 2006.
- Kenny Forssi (Wikipédia francophone). Retrieved on 2 January 2006.
- Personal communications from Charles Forssi (Ken Forssi's younger brother) and from three long-term friends of Ken Forssi, in 2004-2005.
