Mikael Rickfors (born 4 December 1948) is a Swedish singer and songwriter. From 1968, he was the lead singer and bass guitarist in
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
band Bamboo. The band released two singles before breaking up in 1970. Rickfors later performed with the British rock group
The Hollies
The Hollies are a British pop rock band, formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Allan Clarke and Graham Nash founded the band ...
for about two years.
The Hollies: Band Profile – Past Members – Mikael Rickfors
, accessed 24 May 2010 At this period he displayed a wide vocal range and powerful chest voice. In later decades he took on a deliberate, slightly raspy tone. After his time in The Hollies, he started a somewhat successful solo career. The commercial highlight was the 1988 hit "Vingar" in Sweden.
The Hollies
Rickfors joined popular British rock group the Hollies
The Hollies are a British pop rock band, formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Allan Clarke and Graham Nash founded the band ...
in early 1972, replacing lead singer Allan Clarke who had left to pursue a solo career. Rickfors's richer baritone voice contrasted with Clarke's distinctive, piercing tenor. One of their hits that both performed was "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother
"He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" is a ballad written by Bobby Scott and Bob Russell. Originally recorded by Kelly Gordon in 1969, the song became a worldwide hit for the Hollies later that year and also a hit for Neil Diamond in 1970. It h ...
". Rickfors performed this ballad with more dramatic tone and a slight vibrato, such as that displayed on '' The Midnight Special'' in 1973. His first single with the group, "The Baby", reached No. 26 in the UK as well as charting in various other territories.
The band followed up by releasing the album '' Romany'', with one song, "Touch", written by Rickfors. Mikael also sang the band's hit "Magic Woman Touch" and the European 45 "Don't Leave The Child Alone" which he also wrote. The group received an unexpected boost when a single extracted from the group's previous album (featuring Clarke's vocals) shot up the American charts. The Hollies undertook their first major US tour without their signature vocalist. The tour was not a commercial success. The band then recorded a second album, ''Out on the Road'' which featured a major songwriting contribution from Rickfors. On both albums and on stage, Rickfors sang and played guitar, bass, congas and keyboard. ''Out on the Road'' was originally only released in Germany and Spain, but later was included in the multi-album Hollies box-set ''Changin’ Times'' released in 2015. Clarke rejoined the Hollies in July 1973, and Rickfors left the group.
Solo
In 1975 Rickfors released the first of eleven solo albums. 1988 saw the release of his hugely successful ''Vingar'' album. In 1990, he embarked on his first collaboration as part of the Swedish supergroup Grymlings (named after Rickfors' farm).
Among the artists who have recorded songs Mikael has written, in addition to the Hollies, are: Carlos Santana ("Daughter of the Night"), Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...
("Yeah Yeah" on her multi-million selling debut album), Percy Sledge
Percy Tyrone Sledge (November 25, 1940 – April 14, 2015) was an American R&B, soul and gospel singer. He is best known for the song " When a Man Loves a Woman", a No. 1 hit on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and R&B singles charts in 196 ...
("Blue Night", "Misty Morning", "Shining Through the Rain", "Road of No Return"), Richie Havens, Jim Capaldi
Nicola James Capaldi (2 August 1944 – 28 January 2005) was an English singer-songwriter and drummer. His musical career spanned more than four decades. He co-founded the progressive rock band Traffic in 1967 with Steve Winwood with whom he co ...
, Carla Olson, and Paul Jones (on his 2009 solo album ''Starting All Over Again''). The title track of Chubby Tavares's first solo album, released on 17 July 2012, is the Rickfors song "Jealousy".
Discography
Solo
* ''Mikael Rickfors'' – 1975
* ''The Wheel'' – 1976
* ''Kickin' a Dream'' – 1979
* ''Tender Turns Tuff'' – 1981
* ''Rickfors Live'' – 1981
* ''Skin Is Thin'' – 1982
* ''Blue Fun'' – 1983
* ''Hearthunters'' – 1985
* ''Rickfors'' – 1986
* ''Vingar'' – 1988
* ''Judas River'' – 1991
* ''Happy Man Don't Kill'' – 1997
* ''Greatest Hits'' – 1999
* ''Lush Life'' – 2004
* ''Away Again'' – 2009
With bands
The Hollies
*''Romany'' (1972)
*''Out on the Road'' (1973)
* "Rarities" (1988; includes "If It Wasn't For The Reason That I Love You").
* "The Mikael Rickfors Years" (2000; the ''Out On The Road'' album plus tracks from ''Romany'' and four additional songs).
* ''The Very Best Of The Hollies'' (1992; includes "Magic Woman Touch" and "The Baby").
* ''Changin' Times'' (2015) 5-CD box set featuring both Hollies albums on which Rickfors was the featured lead vocalist, plus the non-LP tracks "Papa Rain", "Witchy Woman", and "If It Wasn't For The Reason That I Love You".
Grymlings
*''Grymlings'' (1990)
*''Grymlings vol. 2'' (1992)
*''Grymlings vol. 3'' (2005)
Mobile Unit
*''Road Songs'' (2008)
References
External links
Mikael Rickfors official homepage
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rickfors, Mikael
1948 births
The Hollies members
Singers from Stockholm
Living people
English-language singers from Sweden
Swedish-language singers
Swedish male singers
Swedish bass guitarists
Melodifestivalen contestants
Male bass guitarists