Kaj Tapio Rautavaara (8 March 1915 – 25 September 1979) was a Finnish singer (bass-baritone), athlete and film actor.
Life
Early years
Tapio Rautavaara was born in the municipality of Pirkkala (now
Nokia
Nokia Corporation (natively Nokia Oyj, referred to as Nokia) is a Finnish multinational telecommunications, information technology, and consumer electronics corporation, established in 1865. Nokia's main headquarters are in Espoo, Finland, i ...
), a suburb of the industrial city of
Tampere
Tampere ( , , ; sv, Tammerfors, ) is a city in the Pirkanmaa region, located in the western part of Finland. Tampere is the most populous inland city in the Nordic countries. It has a population of 244,029; the urban area has a population o ...
, as the son of Henrik Kerttula and Hilda Rautavaara. Just three weeks later, his mother moved to the
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...
suburb of
Oulunkylä
Oulunkylä ( sv, Åggelby, also known as ''Ogeli'') is a suburb and a neighbourhood of Helsinki, the capital of Finland. It is located north from the center of the city.
It has been inhabited since the 13th century. Earlier an independent munic ...
, where she had lived before. Rautavaara's father was rarely at home, and soon left the family permanently. In 1921, Tapio and his mother moved to Tampere. Rautavaara used to have conflicts with his conservative teachers due to his working-class background. Tapio earned pocket money by selling socialist papers for local workers of the Finlayson textile factory. Four years later, the family returned Oulunkylä, where Rautavaara lived the rest of his life.
In the late 1920s, Rautavaara joined the local working-class sports club Oulunkylän Tähti (″Oulunkylä Star″) for practicing athletics. Rautavaara's formal education ended at the elementary level. By the outbreak of the Finnish
Winter War
The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...
in 1939, he had worked as a newspaper boy, roadworker, lumberjack and as a storeman at a co-operative mill. His national military service was with the
Finnish Navy
The Finnish Navy ( fi, Merivoimat, sv, Marinen) is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. The navy employs 2,300 people and about 4,300 conscripts are trained each year. Finnish Navy vessels are given the ship prefix "FNS", short f ...
in the mid 1930s.
War time
When the
Winter War
The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...
broke out the Navy was not very active in the war and Rautavaara was allowed to continue working at the Osuustukkukauppa (OTK) mill. However, when the
Continuation War
The Continuation War, also known as the Second Soviet-Finnish War, was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1944, as part of World War II.; sv, fortsättningskriget; german: Fortsetzungskrieg. A ...
broke out he was called to the
army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
and he was assigned to the front line for the first year of the war. In the summer of 1942, Rautavaara was transferred to the war entertainment corps and worked for two years as a radio journalist in the frontier based Aunus Radio. During this time he became a known figure to the serving troops. In the summer of 1944 the Finns had to pull out from East Karelia and Rautavaara's radio career ended.
Sports career
Rautavaara was a talented
javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's decathlon and the wom ...
er and
archer
Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In m ...
. In 1937, he represented the
Finnish Workers' Sports Federation
The Finnish Workers' Sports Federation ( fi, Suomen Työväen Urheiluliitto, ''TUL'', sv, Arbetarnas Idrottsförbund i Finland, ''AIF'') is a Finnish amateur sports organization founded in 1919. In addition to the competitive sports, TUL focuses o ...
at the Workers' Olympiads in Antwerp, finishing second in the javelin throw after his countrymen Erkki Autonen. After the World War II, Rautavaara won a European bronze medal in 1946, an Olympic gold medal in 1948, and five national titles in 1944–45, and 1947–49. He placed fifth at the 1950 European Championships. In archery Rautavaara won a team gold medal at the 1958 World Championships and a national title in 1955.
Music and acting career
After the war Rautavaara met
Reino Helismaa
Reino Vihtori "Repe" Helismaa (12 July 1913, Helsinki – 21 January 1965) was a Finnish singer-songwriter, musician and scriptwriter, mainly known for his humorous, yet homely songs. One of his best-known interpreters was Tapio Rautavaara. He ...
, who composed and made the lyrics to ''Reissumies ja kissa'' (The Traveler and the Cat), which became Rautavaara's first hit. Composer
Toivo Kärki
Toivo Pietari Johannes Kärki (; 3 December 1915 – 30 April 1992) was a Finnish composer, musician, music producer and arranger. He is especially remembered for his collaboration with Reino Helismaa.
Kärki composed approximately 1400 reco ...
joined this team, which produced over the next ten years many popular songs. In addition, Rautavaara composed and wrote the lyrics for many of his records. Rautavaara received gold records for the songs ''Isoisän olkihattu'' (Grandpa's Strawhat), ''Vain merimies voi tietää'' (Only a Sailor Could Know) and ''Häävalssi'' (The Wedding Waltz). The first song was written and composed by Rautavaara, the second one was composed by him and the lyrics were written by Heikki Saari.
Rautavaara, Helismaa and
Esa Pakarinen
Feeliks Esaias "Esa" Pakarinen (9 February 1911 – 28 April 1989) was a Finnish actor, singer, accordionist and comedian, best known for the role of Pekka Puupää in the '' Pekka and Pätkä'' films from 1953–1960. He was also a skilled, self ...
toured Finland together at the end of the 1940s and the beginning of the 1950s. The touring stopped due to personal problems, but Rautavaara continued to record songs with Helismaa's lyrics until Helismaa's death in 1965. By the time of his death in 1979 Rautavaara had recorded about 300 songs.
Rautavaara became one of the most beloved singers in Finland. Some of his famous songs include ''Isoisän olkihattu'' (Grandfather's Straw Hat), ''Reppu ja reissumies'' (The Backpack and the Traveler), ''Korttipakka'' (
The Deck of Cards
"The Deck of Cards" is a recitation song that was popularized in the fields of both country and popular music, first during the late 1940s. This song, which relates the tale of a young American soldier arrested and charged with playing cards dur ...
), ''Lapin jenkka'' (The Lappland Schottische), ''Juokse sinä humma'' (Run, Horse, Run), ''Kulkuri ja joutsen'' (The Tramp and the Swan), ''Tuopin jäljet'' (Marks of the Tankard), ''Sininen uni'' (Blue Dream) and ''Anttilan keväthuumaus'' (Anttila's Spring Fever).
Rautavaara was cast as the protagonist in numerous Finnish films, and was also supposedly a candidate for the part of
Tarzan
Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...
after
Johnny Weissmuller
Johnny Weissmuller (born Johann Peter Weißmüller; June 2, 1904 – January 20, 1984) was an American Olympic swimmer, water polo player and actor. He was known for having one of the best competitive swimming records of the 20th century. H ...
had quit his career.
Later years
The peak of Rautavaara's popularity was in the 1950s, stretching into the early years of the 1960s. After that, his music was left in the shadow of rautalanka and tango music and the popularity of the television. He continued to perform regularly, however, right up until his death, even though his gigs in the 1970s were for smaller audiences, such as in
department store
A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic app ...
s and
topping out
In building construction, topping out (sometimes referred to as topping off) is a builders' rite traditionally held when the last beam (or its equivalent) is placed atop a structure during its construction. Nowadays, the ceremony is often parlaye ...
ceremonies.
Death and tributes
On 25 September 1979 Tapio Rautavaara had been at the
Tikkurila
Tikkurila (; sv, Dickursby) is a district and major region of the municipality of Vantaa, Finland. Located in the eastern half of the Helsinki conurbation, some north of the capital's downtown district, it is the administrative and commercial h ...
Swimming Center in
Vantaa
Vantaa (; sv, Vanda, ) is a city and municipality in Finland. It is part of the inner core of the Finnish Capital Region along with Helsinki, Espoo, and Kauniainen. With a population of (), Vantaa is the fourth most populated city in Finland ...
taking photographs for the book ''Kultaa, kunniaa, kyyneleitä'' (
Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
for "Gold, glory, tears") along with photographer Pentti Pekkala. After he had gone to the
sauna
A sauna (, ), or sudatory, is a small room or building designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these facilities. The steam and high heat make the bathers perspire. A thermometer in a ...
, Rautavaara slipped and hit his head on the floor. He was taken to a nearby health center, where his injuries were not taken seriously, as staff believed him to be drunk. His head was bandaged and he was sent home. His wife and daughters laid him on a mattress on the floor of his office room at his home in
Oulunkylä
Oulunkylä ( sv, Åggelby, also known as ''Ogeli'') is a suburb and a neighbourhood of Helsinki, the capital of Finland. It is located north from the center of the city.
It has been inhabited since the 13th century. Earlier an independent munic ...
Malmi Cemetery
The Malmi Cemetery ( fi, Malmin hautausmaa; sv, Malms begravningsplats) is a large cemetery located at the corner between Ring I and the Lahti Highway ( E75) in the Malmi district in Helsinki, Finland. It is the largest cemetery in Finland in ...
in
Malmi, Helsinki
Malmi (; sv, Malm) is a regional center and a major district on the north-eastern part of Helsinki, Finland. It has a population of 24,312 (2008).Veikko Myller entitled ''Kulkurin uni'' ("A Vagabond's Dream") to the memory of Rautavaara is located in the market square in central
Oulunkylä
Oulunkylä ( sv, Åggelby, also known as ''Ogeli'') is a suburb and a neighbourhood of Helsinki, the capital of Finland. It is located north from the center of the city.
It has been inhabited since the 13th century. Earlier an independent munic ...
, the district of Helsinki, where Rautavaara lived most of his life.
TV documentary and film
Peter von Bagh
Kari Peter Conrad von Bagh (29 August 1943 – 17 September 2014) was a Finnish film historian and director. Von Bagh worked as the head of the Finnish Film Archive. He was the editor-in-chief of '' Filmihullu'' magazine and co-founder and dire ...
created a TV documentary on Rautavaara entitled ''Tapsa'' at the time of Rautavaara's death in 1979.
Timo Koivusalo
Timo Johannes Koivusalo (born 31 October 1963) is a Finnish actor, director, writer, composer and musician. His most successful film to date was '' Rentun Ruusu'', released in 2001.
Life and career
Koivusalo was born in Pori, and trained as a ...
used Rautavaara's and Helismaa's tours as the basis for his film '' Kulkuri ja joutsen'' in 1999.
Play
In spring 2007 the Nokia Workers' theatre presented a play entitled ''Sininen uni'' (The Blue Dream), which was based on his life.
Rautavaara's influence on later groups
Ville Valo
Ville Hermanni Valo (; born 22 November 1976) is a Finnish singer, songwriter and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the gothic rock band HIM.
Born and raised in Helsinki to a Hungarian mother and Finnish father, Valo began hi ...
, the frontman of the Finnish rock band HIM, regards Rautavaara as his greatest idol in Finnish music.
Rautavaara's most renowned recordings
* ''Päivänsäde ja menninkäinen'' (The Sunbeam and the Troll), 1949/1965
* ''Reissumies ja kissa'' (The Tramp and the Cat), 1949
* ''Kulkuri ja joutsen'' (The Tramp and the Swan), 1950
* ''Isoisän olkihattu'' (Grandfathers Strawhat), 1951/1963
* ''Ontuva Eriksson'' (Limping Eriksson), 1951
* ''Sininen uni'' (Blue Dream), 1952
* ''Juokse sinä humma'' (Run, Horse), 1953
* ''Kulkuriveljeni Jan'' (My Drifter Brother Jan), 1956
* ''Yölinjalla'', (I Walk the Line), 1962
* ''Tuopin jäljet'' (The Marks of My Tankard), 1963
* ''En päivääkään vaihtaisi pois'' (I Wouldn't Change A Day), 1979
Rautavaara's filmography
* ''Vain sinulle'' (1945) (Only for you)
* ''Synnin jäljet'' (1946) (Marks of sin)
* ''Kuudes käsky'' (1947) (Sixth order)
* ''Kultamitalivaimo'' (1947)
* ''Sinut minä tahdon'' (1949) (I Want You)
* ''Aila, Pohjolan tytär'' (1951) (Aila, Daughter of North)
* ''Rion yö'' (1951) (Night of Rio)
* ''Salakuljettajan laulu'' (1952) (Song of smuggler)
* ''
Pekka Puupää {{Unreferenced, date=August 2020
Pekka Puupää is a Finland, Finnish text comics, text comic and film character, created by Ola Fogelberg, Ola "Fogeli" Fogelberg. The character appeared 1925–1975 in the popular comic ''Pekka Puupää'' and 1 ...
List of best-selling music artists in Finland
These are the lists of the music artists that have the highest certified record sales in Finland (and/or sales explicitly confirmed by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland in their database). The lists consist of albums and singles (vinyl, CD, ...