Hep Stars  

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The Hep Stars  (1963 - 1969) was a Swedish pop group that was the hottest rock band of the middle-to-late 1960s in Sweden.^[1] Considered by some to be Sweden's equivalent of the Beatles, the Hep Stars charted 20 singles in their own country and had hits in the Netherlands, as well as a following in Germany. The name Hep Stars means "Stars in the know".^[1]

Fast Facts
The Hep Stars
Origin	Sweden
Years active	1963-1969
Label(s)	Olga Records
Website	thehepstars.se
Members
Svenne Hedlund Benny Andersson Janne Frisk Christer Pettersson Lelle Hegland

Hep Stars: Speedy Gonzales  (Video credit: Tubertsson)

2.   The Hep Stars was formed in 1963 by Lennart "Lelle" Hegland (bass) and Christer "Krille" Petterson (drums) who met while serving together in the Swedish Air Force. The pair initially played at supper clubs but soon started playing rock music. Jan "Janne" Frisk (guitar) and Hans "Hasse" Östlund (organ) later joined the group. Frisk was initially the lead singer but was soon replaced by Sven "Svenne" Hedlund. The group, however, was dissatisfied with Ostlund and soon, Benny Andersson, a friend of Hedlund, replaced him.

3.   From the very first recording session with Andersson, the hits came. The Hep Stars were influenced by English and American rock and roll, with their early recordings driven by Andersson's wailing electric organ. Its 1965 Folkpark recording, The Hep Stars on Stage, was akin to Beatlemania, with all the screaming and excitement. From the group's very first LP album, Andersson wrote the songs and his skills became better and better with each song he wrote. In June 1966, the Hep Stars started "Hep House," their own record label and production company. While the label had a couple of hits, it subsequently went the way of the Beatle's ill-managed Apple Records, causing the Hep Stars to lose a lot of money.

4.   Also in June 1966, the Hep Stars and the Hootenanny Singers met while on the road in southern Sweden. Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, the lyricist and singer of Hootenanny, quickly became friends and sharing the passion for writing, they found in each other a composing partner. Together they composed their first song, Isn't It Easy to Say, during their second encounter that same summer, a song later recorded by the Hep Stars. Hootenanny's manager, Stig Anderson, saw potential in the collaboration and encouraged them to compose more. Ulvaeus and Andersson eventually began playing occasionally in each other's bands, both on stage and on record.

5.   In 1968, African-American singer, Charlotte "Lotta" Butler Walker, joined the Hep Stars after marrying Hedlund that year. Both Hedlund and Walker wanted to continue the easy listening hits and pursue the supper club/cabaret scene. Andersson agreed with them, but the rest of the band members wanted to return to the rock and roll of the earlier days. The disagreement led to the departure of Hedlund and Walker the following year to form the duo, Svenne & Lotta. By this time, Andersson had met a jazz vocalist, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, and Ulvaeus had married pop singer Agnetha Fältskog. Andersson and Ulvaeus decided to form a group together with their women and in 1969, the Hep Stars faded into obscurity.   more... at Wikipedia