Benny Andersson(I)
- Music Artist
- Composer
- Music Department
Benny Andersson was born in 1946 outside of Stockholm, Sweden. His
father and grandfather both being musicians, Benny was introduced to
the accordion at an early age. With little patience for conventional
music lessons, Benny is known to pick up just about any instrument and
play it with ease. After he left high school, he was invited to become
a part of the popular Swedish beat group
The Hep Stars, with whom he played for
several successful years until the band disbanded in the late 1960s.
While touring with the band, he met another young songwriter named
Björn Ulvaeus, and the two released their
own LP after the breakup of The Hep Stars.
They were soon joined by their girlfriends,
Anni-Frid Lyngstad and
Agnetha Fältskog, in a touring act
"Festfolket", which was not much of a success. This foursome would,
however, find international stardom and astounding success under the
moniker ABBA. During his years with
ABBA, Benny co-wrote and co-produced the band's
entire output as well as touring the world. After the band split he,
along with Björn, wrote the music for
Tim Rice's "Chess", which was a huge
success. In recent years, Benny has divided his time between producing
(for such successful Swedish performers as
Josefin Nilsson) and his love for birds.
More success followed with the premiere of he and Björn's latest
musical, "Kristina från Duvemåla". Several concerts celebrating the
contribution he and Bjorn have made to the music industry in Sweden
have been staged in 1998.