Henry Olavi "Remu" Aaltonen (born 10 January 1948) is a Finnish drummer and singer. He is the lead musician of the band

Hurriganes Hurriganes was a Finnish rock band that was formed in the early 1970s. They were very popular in Finland, Sweden and Estonia in the 1970s and early 1980s, as well as a popular live act in Sweden during this time. Their classic line-up consisted ...

, but has also pursued a solo singing career. Aaltonen was born in Helsinki. He was the oldest child in a family of seven siblings and one foster child. He is of

Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnicities * Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia ** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule * Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...

descent. For a while the family lived in an abandoned train car near the construction of the

Helsinki Airport Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (; fi, Helsinki-Vantaan lentoasema, sv, Helsingfors-Vanda flygplats), or simply Helsinki Airport, is the main international airport of the city of Helsinki, its surrounding Greater Helsinki, metropolitan area, and the ...

. The family's father was not always around, and the mother sold

moonshine Moonshine is high-proof liquor that is usually produced illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of creating the alcohol during the nighttime, thereby avoiding detection. In the first decades of the 21st century, commercial dist ...

to support them. Aaltonen was 16 years old and already playing in various bands when he received his first prison sentence for burglaries and other property crimes in 1964. He has also received convictions for drug possession. In 1974, Hurriganes had to pause their tour for a few months while Aaltonen was in prison. Aaltonen has said that his music career saved him from a life of crime. In 2018, Aaltonen was awarded the Suomi-palkinto (Finland Award) by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture as a recognition of an impactful career in the field of arts.

Discography

Solo albums

* ' (1978) * ' (1981) * ' (1982)) * ' (1983)) * ' (1985, EP) * ' (1985, live) * ' (1987) * : ' (1994) * ' (1995) * ' (1999) * ' (2004) * ' (2013)

Other albums

* ' (2007) * ' (2008) * Remu and His All Stars: ''Live at Tullikamari'' (2018)

Collections

* ''Parhaat'' (1987) * ''Collection'' (1990) * ''Mad About You'' (1992) * ''Suomen Parhaat – Remu'' (1994) * ' (1995) * Remu & Hurriganes: ' (1997) * ' (2008) * ' (2008)

Singles

* "" (1986) * "" (2009)

Bibliography

* * * * *

References

External links

* * 1948 births Living people Finnish musicians Finnish people of Romani descent Musicians from Helsinki Romani singers {{Finland-musician-stub