Urmas Alender (22 November 1953 – 28 September 1994) was an

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also

...

singer and musician, the vocalist of popular Estonian bands

Ruja Ruja was one of the foremost Estonian rock bands of the 1970s and 1980s. The name of the band comes from a neologism "ruja", for science fiction, though there are people who believe that "ruja" is actually made up of the first letters of the b ...

and

Propeller A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...

. Born in

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ' ...

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

,Urmas Alender Biography
/ref> Alender began his musical career in the rock band Shades in 1969 but left the following year to become the vocalist for Andromeeda. In 1971, Alender fronted the

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

band Ruja with pianist

Rein Rannap Rein Rannap (born 6 October 1953 in Tallinn) is an Estonian composer and pianist. Since 1968, Rannap has given numerous public piano performances. Rannap has been active in management and composition for Ruja, Noor-Eesti and Hõim. Pianist c ...

. The band was influenced by Western acts such as

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * YES (Your Extraordinary Saturday), a learning program from the Minnesota Institute for Talente ...

Emerson, Lake & Palmer Emerson, Lake & Palmer (informally known as ELP) were an English progressive rock supergroup formed in London in 1970. The band consisted of Keith Emerson (keyboards), Greg Lake (vocals, bass, guitar, producer) and Carl Palmer (drums, percus ...

and

King Crimson King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...

, and often incorporated the poetry of Estonian writers

Juhan Viiding Juhan Viiding (1 June 1948 – 21 February 1995), also known under the pseudonym of Jüri Üdi was an Estonian poet and actor. Personal life Juhan Viiding was born on 1 June 1948 in Tallinn to Paul Viiding, a well-known poet in Estonia who h ...

and

Ott Arder Ott Arder (26 February 1950 in Tallinn – 26 June 2004 in Kassari) was an Estonian poet, children's writer and translator. He was also the author of several popular songs and written texts. From 1990, he was a member of the Estonian Writers' U ...

into the lyrics.Central European Review:''Estonia's Purveyors of Prog''
/ref> The band were nationally commercially successful. Alender would remain with the band until its demise in 1988. From 1979 until 1980, Urmas Alender also fronted the Estonian punk rock band Propeller. Other bands Alender performed with were Teravik (1973–1976), Data (1988–1989), and in 1983, he briefly played in an outfit called Kaseke. In 1987, Alender appeared in the Estonian

rockumentary A concert film, or concert movie, is a film that showcases a live performance from the perspective of a concert goer, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert by either a musician or a stand-up comedian. Early history The ...

''Pingul keel'' (''Tightened String'') alongside popular Estonian musicians

Tõnis Mägi Tõnis Mägi (born 18 November 1948 in Tallinn) is an Estonian singer, guitarist, composer and actor. He is one of the most influential and remarkable names in Estonian rock music of the past 40 years. More recently, he is known for his polit ...

Ivo Linna Ivo Linna (born 12 June 1949 in Kuressaare) is an Estonian singer. Eurovision Song Contest and Eesti Laul He represented Estonia alongside Maarja Liis Ilus in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996 in Oslo with the song " Kaelakee Hääl" (The Sound ...

and

Anne Veski Anne Veski (born Anne Vaarmann; 27 February 1956) is an Estonian pop singer who has recorded music in both her native language as well as Russian. Biography Anne Veski was born as Anne Vaarmann in Rapla, Estonia. She graduated from the musica ...

. After years of being harassed by the Soviet

KGB The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...

and other local authorities, Alender temporarily emigrated to Sweden in 1989. On 28 September 1994, while en route from Tallinn to

Stockholm, Sweden Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropoli ...

, Urmas Alender died when the cruiseferry ''Estonia'' sank in the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...

. He was survived by a daughter, Yoko Alender and son, Ion Alender. In 2003, Liia Sakkos made a documentary about Alender, titled ''Teisel pool vett'' (English: ''On the Other Side of the Water'', also a title of a song by Ruja).

Discography (solo)

* ''

Vana kloun Urmas Alender (22 November 1953 – 28 September 1994) was an Estonian singer and musician, the vocalist of popular Estonian bands Ruja and Propeller. Born in Tallinn, Estonia, Alender began his musical career in the rock band Shades in 196 ...

'' (1992) * ''

Hingelind Urmas Alender (22 November 1953 – 28 September 1994) was an Estonian singer and musician, the vocalist of popular Estonian bands Ruja and Propeller. Born in Tallinn, Estonia, Alender began his musical career in the rock band Shades in 196 ...

'' (1994) * '' Kogutud teosed. 1968-1980. Esimene osa.'' (2000) * '' Kogutud teosed. 1981-1993. Teine osa.'' (2000) * ''

Kui mind enam ei ole Urmas Alender (22 November 1953 – 28 September 1994) was an Estonian singer and musician, the vocalist of popular Estonian bands Ruja and Propeller. Born in Tallinn, Estonia, Alender began his musical career in the rock band Shades in 196 ...

'' (2001) * '' Kohtumine Albertiga'' (2-CD, 2003) * '' Kohtumine Albertiga'' (2003) * '' Armastuse ämblik'' (2003)

References

External links

*
RujaUrmas Alender Biography''Postimees: Mitmekülgne Urmas Alender saanuks laupäeval 50'' 21.11.2003
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alender, Urmas 1953 births 1994 deaths Singers from Tallinn Deaths due to shipwreck at sea MS Estonia Estonian rock singers 20th-century Estonian male singers Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre alumni