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An aerial photo of Skrekarhyttan taken in 1950, two years before I was born. The village is situated between Nora och Karlskoga.Skrekarhyttan in the late '50's. A lot of snow as usual in the Bergslagen area and a fancy Opel Olympia Rekord in the background.Åke Wellanders Speceri & Diversehandel. Mother works and Father smokes! Nails, horseshoes, petrol etc. was sold besides groceries.As a youngster I played the accordion and also alto recorder. Here during a rehearsal with a baroque ensemble in the Parish house in Nora. I'm sitting 4th from the right in the second row.Accordion competition in Peoples Park in Nora 1962, I'm in the lower-left corner with my Hagström Castello-accordion.My friend Hans Kvarnbrant and me in Nora. My first elctric guitar was an Egmond, a hopeless thing. It's a wonder that I kept on playing!The Eminents on a rockers party. The name was taken from Dynacord's amplifiers. A classic Gösta Bäckström-amp can also be seen.A heavy gig with Relaction on the back of a truck in a schoolyard in Nora. The local police thought that there was no need for riot fences.Relaction wins a pop competition in Lindesberg. From the left: Håkan Stockhaus, Nisse Berg, me, Kjell Ringström, the awarder of prize.Persistent practising youngster some time during the spring 1968, also the proud second owner of a newly bought Gibson Les Paul 1957. Photo: Bosse SkoglundThe first owner of the Les Paul, guitarist Harry Brickman from Hallstahammar, together with the band Stig-Rolands.Linkin’ Louisiana Peps in the blues club Power House in Örebro, probably sometime during the summer of -68. Me in the background.Peps & Blues Quality at Rigoletto in Jönköping. From the left: Peps, Sjunne Ferger (hidden), Magnus Tingberg and me. I was for some reason, which I have forgotten, playing the bass on that gig.Modern clothing. Check out those boots! Photo: Bosse SkoglundPeps & Blues Quality, probably in the beginning of 1969. From the left: Pär David Johnson, Mats Strömberg, Bosse Skoglund, me and Peps.Sweet Mary Jane - Peps & Blues Quality 1969. From the top: me, Mats Strömberg, Bosse Skoglund, Peps, Pär David Johnson and Magnus Tingberg.Sometimes you maybe want some things to be undone. But without this article from från Vecko-Revyn this gallery wouldn't be as funny!Nature in the early '70's. Note all the old yellow Fender-amps. It was a small club, so there were more of the same left in the trailer.Every mother-in-law's dream! From the left: Pär David Johnson, Bosse Skoglund, Mats Ronander and me in the foreground. Photo: Lars LarssonOn stage at Universum in Umeå. The slogan on the T-shirt says "Eat more porridge"!The covers of some of the first albums on which I participated as session musician, released 1970-71. From a proposal from EMA-Telstar Nature did a tour with Dave Greenslade from Colosseum in the beginning of 1972. A great musician!"Nature" 1972, produced by Pugh Rogefeldt. The record label was Gump, a sub-label of Metronome.Promotion photo, 1972.Nature on stage again. We used heavy Marshall or Sound City-amps with double 4x12-cabinets. This was before the PA-system age.A single with Pugh & Nature in 1972.Pugh & Nature, soundcheck in Club 7 in Oslo. Erik "Kapten" Dahlbäck had replaced Bosse Skoglund on the drums."Fregatten", with address Kajplats 21 at Stadsgården in Stockholm, was during the early 70's a stronghold for progressive music.
Our band Nature played there quite a lot, sometimes together with Pugh Rogefeldt. These flyers from 1972 are made by Lojsa af Geijerstam.Pugh & Nature worked together during the major part of 1972. The new drummer Thomas Rydberg on the far right.Newspaper advertisment for a concert with Pugh & Nature in Piteå in november 1972.Another single with Pugh & Nature in 1972.In 1973 Nature was engaged as the backing group for Ted Gärdestad. A rewarding cooperation that continued in 1974 and 1976.Ted & Nature on stage at the amusement park Liseberg in Gothenburg in June 1973.The summer tours lasted from the end of April until August. Two or three three gigs Fridays and Saturdays, Midsummer's Eve even more.In the popular TV show "Opopoppa", broadcasted live from Skansen in Stockholm, probably in 1974.Another picture from the same occation. Musicians from Lasse Samuelsson's Orchestra in the background. Photo: Torbjörn Calvero.Ted & Nature. From the left: me, Thomas Rydberg, Ted, Mats Ronander and Pär David Johnson.TV apperance with Ted & Nature. The band reinforced with Malando Gassama on percussion and a three piece choir with Kerstin Dahl, Annica Risberg and Liza Öhman.On one occassion, when a video with the song "Ring, Ring" was recorded, parts of Nature acted as playback band behind ABBA.
If my memory serves me right the recording took place in "Club Fattighuset" in Stockholm, and according to YouTube (where the video can be seen) it should have been in 1973.Nature-single 1974, produced by Claes "Clabbe" af Geijerstam. Record label Sonet.Promotion photo, Nature 1974. Photo: Bengt H. MalmqvistAnother picture taken during the same session as the earlier one.Deep concentration during a club gig somewhere, some time during the mid 70's"Earthmover" 1974, produced by Clabbe, Lasse Åberg produced the cover.Nature-single 1974, "Summer in the city"/"Going home".I did my first recording session with ABBA in October 1974. Here is a collage of the albums I performed on during the '70's.The ABBA tour in 1975, a production of impressive size at the time. The backing group Beatmakers lacked a guitarist, so I was called in.Soundcheck in Skellefteå Folkets Park. Note the PA-system from Hagström, up until then probably the strongest/biggest ever in Sweden.Hagström Musik also supplied the backline on the tour and modified this BT-100 according to my wishes (twin channels, overdrive etc.).ABBA concert at the amusement park Gröna Lund in Stockholm 1975.Bad visibility on stage! Note that the two B's in ABBA are still facing the right way.A newspaper ad from Masten in Kristianopel, a big and very well known Peoples park in those days.In the summer of 1975 Nature did a tour together with singer/guitar player Göran Fristorp.My first solo album from 1976, produced by Clabbe. Record label Sonet.
There's more info about my solo albums under Discography.
During the spring of 1976 i worked with Björn Skifs show "Högtryck och galaxer".A typical touring carriage in those days, a Chevrolet Suburban with trailer. One year we drove over 120.000 km!ABBA tours in Europe and Australia in 1977.Photos of all swedes in ABBA's tour gang 1977, probably for work permit purposes in connection with the tours.Chief engineer "Clabbe" af Geijerstam and an english assisting sound engineer at work during an indoor concert sometime in 1977.The outdoor venues of course hosted far bigger audiences. I think this picture is taken at West Lakes Football Stadium i Adelaide.The PA systems had grown over the years.The airline Ansett had decorated the plane we used during the domestic flights with the name ABBA.A newspaper cutting with a photo from a concert in Australia. The article seems to be all about the becoming film, ABBA - The Movie.During a soundcheck before a concert in Australia. Probably in the beginning of the tour, judging from the total lack of suntan.Promotion photo, Ulf Lundell & Nature."Natten hade varit mild och öm", Ulf Lundell & Nature 1977."Natten hade varit mild och öm", back cover (CD-remaster 2000)."Natten hade varit mild och öm", back cover (CD-remastering 2000)."Wellander & Ronander" 1978, record label Polar. Photo: Hans GeddaPromotion photo, Wellander & Ronander 1978.Sheet music was still printed and sold in those days. Anders Eljas did the transcripts for this book.Wellander & Ronander Band, single 1978.During a gig with Wellander & Ronander in Norrköping in May 1979 the band was joined by both Björn Skifs and ABBA. The audience was totally surprised,
everything was prepared in strict secrecy. Photos by: Michael SvenssonSome more pictures from the same occasion. The place in Norrköping was called Paradiset and the audience really got good value for money that evening.Wellander & Ronander Band on an outdoor gig in Hagaparken in Stockholm, probably in the summer of 1979. From the left: me, Rutger Gunnarsson and Mats Ronander.
The rest of the band: Rolf Alex - drums and Kaj Söderström - keyboards.
Ulf Lundell together with Wellander & Ronander Band during a gig at a very crowded Prisma in Örebro in August 1978.
From the left on the first photo: Mats Ronander, Rutger Gunnarsson, Ulf Lundell and me. Kaj Söderstöm - organ or Rolf Alex - drums is unfortunately not to be seen on any of the photos.
Photo: Anders ErkmanSingle with Björn Skifs & Vision 1979, later also released under the name of Zkiffz. The band consisted of Björn Skifs, Mike Watson, Anders Eljas, Roger Palm, Haldor Palsson, Johan Stengård,
Nisse Landgren and me.Björn Skifs & Vision, the tour gang: Palsson, me, Watson, Stengårdh, our busdriver Eva, Piffen, Björn, Beime, Strumpan, Landgren, Eljas & Palm.ABBA tours in North America and Europe in 1979.A funny picture taken during a rehersal before the upcoming tours. Photo: Keith HammettAgnetha, me, Anders Eljas and Åke Sundqvist on stage with ABBA in 1979. Photo: Anders HanserOn a bus ride somewhere in the US. A nice pause from all air travels. Photo: Anders HanserChanging strings and adjusting the guitar behind the stage before an outdoor gig somewhere in the US. The backline tehnicians usually handled this, but this time I did it myself. Photo: Anders HanserA little relaxation on a well-used trunk before soundcheck. Photo: Anders HanserGuitar tuning and checking effects settings during a soundcheck.On stage with ABBA 1979. As you can see a very troublesome and trying working environment for a guitarist trying to do a good job! Photo: Anders HanserA lot of bureaucratic red tape in those days, especially in some countries. Here a work permit concerning a "Top of the Pops"-recording.There was a lot of touring with ABBA during the later part of the '70's, until the last coming tour in Japan in March 1980.
