| Heikki Silvennoinen | |
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Heikki Silvennoinen plays at Kiuruvesi, 2007 |
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| Born | Heikki Johannes Silvennoinen 27 April 1954 Kiviapaja, Savonlinna, Finland |
Heikki Johannes Silvennoinen (born 27 April 1954, Kiviapaja, Savonlinna) is Finnish musician and actor. He was guitarist and songwriter of several notable Finnish bands in 1970s and 1980s. He is also a singer on his solo albums. Even better Silvennoinen is known as a member of comedian group Kummeli which started their television show in 1991.
Heikki Silvennoinen owns his own production company Pirkka-Hämeen Apina & Gorilla Oy ("Ape and gorilla of Pirkka-Häme Inc."). With his fellow comedian Timo Kahilainen he owns Porkkana Ryhmä Oy ("Carrot Group Inc.") that produces Kummeli output.
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As young boy Silvennoinen fell in love with music of Eric Clapton (especially Cream) and Jimi Hendrix. He learned to play guitar and formed his own rock band named Tabula Rasa. The group was one of the most important 1970s progressive rock bands in Finland. When the group published their debut album, Silvennoinen started to realize that music is likely to be his primary occupation also in the forthcoming years. During his later career Silvennoinen's name has not associated to progressive rock, but during Tabula Rasa years he composed almost all the songs that group recorded. After Tabula Rasa disbanded Silvennoinen joined Juice Leskinen's band.
Silvennoinen became a professional music producer and he collaborated in this role with many significant bands throughout the decade. He played guitar in bands Frendz and Catwalk and in 1987 he formed a broup called Q.Stone with singer Mikko Kuustonen. This band was English singing blues-rock outfit and published four relatively well received albums. Kuustonen decided to leave the group and concentrate on his solo career. Silvennoinen continued to play guitar on his albums.
In the beginning of the 1990s Silvennoinen released his first solo album, Mature And Cool. It included his own songs and cover of Blind Willie Reynolds song "Outside Woman Blues" (popularized by Cream). Second solo album, Bobcat, was released in 1997. It includes Silvennoinen's own song "Sun Don't You Shine" and Jimi Hendrix cover "Fire". On the sleeve notes of the album he thanks his idols, not just Hendrix and Clapton but also Peter Green and Stevie Ray Vaughan (he has personally met Vaughan and Clapton). Next album, Sweet Surrender, was released two years later. In 2000 Silvennoinen founded his own label and released Blues Blue Sky album that mostly contains old blues songs. His latest album is Miehet kaatuu released in 2003. This is his only album that contains Finnish lyrics.
In the beginning of 1990s Silvennoinen became a better known celebrity in Finland due to television show Kummeli. Of four member group Silvennoinen had the largest number of different roles (including reporter Mauno Ahonen, summer cottage neighbour Martti Mielikäinen, Matti Näsä who complains about everything and officer Jaakko Parantainen who is concerned on environmental questions). Kummeli television show and comedian group got phenomenal success in Finland in 1994. During that year they made their first stage appearances making a full scale tour around the country. After that Kummeli has continued its existence in various forms. Silvennoinen has stated that their best gag was the one about Lada summit since it gave an inspiration for the real Lada summit event that still takes place yearly in Finland. The most lucrative song - from the point of view of royalties - Silvennoinen ever wrote was "Jumankauta juu nääs päivää" that he claims to have done in 20 minutes. It features a Kummeli character Matti Näsä singing about his car Toyota Mark II. Despite of the popularity of Kummeli Silvennoinen also worked as a janitor in the late 1990s. Kummeli is about to release their fourth movie in September 2008.
In 2002 Silvennoinen formed the group SF-Blues with well known Finnish musicians Pepe Ahlqvist (harp, vocal) and Dave Lindholm (guitar, vocal). Their first album featured new songs from each leading member. In the following year singer Erja Lyytinen replaced Lindholm for next album. In 2005 guitarist Jukka Tolonen and singer Mikko Kuustonen joined the group in order to make their second album, Joutomailla. Other musicians that have been involved with the band include singer Eero Raittinen and keyboardist Jukka Gustavson. In 2000s Silvennoinen has also been a voice actor for some children movie characters in Finnish overdubs.
On these movies Silvennoinen appears as writer, actor or voice actor