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Björn Afzelius | |
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 Björn Afzelius, May 1994 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1947-01-27)27 January 1947 Huskvarna,Jönköping County, Sweden |
| Died | 16 February 1999(1999-02-16) (aged 52) Gothenburg, Sweden |
| Genres | Rock, pop,progg |
| Occupation | singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 1970–1999 |
| Labels | Rebelle Records, MNW, Nackswing, Amalthea, Norske Gram, Transmission, Not On Label, CMC Entertainment, PolyGram, Plateselskapet, Diesel Music, Premium Publishing |
| Past members | Hoola Bandoola Band |
| Website | bjornafzelius |
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Björn Svante Afzelius (27 January 1947 – 16 February 1999) was a Swedish singer-songwriter and guitar player. He was an outspokensocialist, known for his support forOlof Palme. His songs are about love, politics and joys and sadness in life.
Björn Svante Afzelius was born on 27 January 1947 inHuskvarna,Jönköping County. His father Svante Arnold Afzelius (1923–1976) was an engineer and his mother Ulla Afzelius (1926–1971) was a housewife. His only sibling is his brother Bengt (b. 1952) who is a music teacher. He came into contact with music from a very young age, because his mother and her side of the family were largely into music. In 1970, Afzelius formed theprogg groupHoola Bandoola Band together withMikael Wiehe. Wiehe and Afzelius became very close friends and worked together long after Hoola Bandoola had dissolved in 1975.
Afzelius released his first solo album in 1974, his last one in 1999. Some of his most popular songs are "Ikaros", "Tusen bitar" (Thousand pieces – which was originally recorded by DanishAnne Linnet as "Tusind Stykker"), "Sång till friheten" (Song for Freedom – which was originally recorded by CubanSilvio Rodríguez as "El Día Feliz Que Está Llegando"), "Kungens man" (The king's man), "Tankar i Havanna" (Thoughts in Havanna) and "Till min kära" (For my dear). He died from lung cancer in 1999, 52 years old,[1] but he remains one of the most beloved artists inScandinavia.
He wrote about 150 songs and sold over two-and-a-half million albums.
Afzelius died on 16 February 1999 inGothenburg.
The Björn Afzelius International Culture Foundation (BAIK) was set up in his honour. The foundation has in the past sponsored a prize known as the Freemuse Award, which recognises an individual or organisation that "has worked for freedom of musical expression in a remarkable way".[2] The award is given byFreemuse [de]. Winners of the Freemuse Award include:
In 2021, the Freemuse Freedom of Artistic Expression Award was opened for nominations.[10][8]
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