Early life
Ted Arnbjörn Gärdestad was born to Arne (1923–2016) and Margit Gärdestad (née Sjöholm; 1921–2008) on 18 February 1956 in Sollentuna, Stockholm County. He was the youngest of three siblings and had two older brothers; Kjell (1944–2000) andCareer
1962–1974
Ted Gärdestad began his career as a musician in 1962, playing accordion on Swedish television at the age of six years. His debuted as an actor in 1966 when he landed a part in the televisionDebut single
1975–1979
By 1975, Ted had become a noted star in Sweden. He was prominently featured in teen magazines ''Starlet'', ''Mitt Livs Novell'' and ''Poster'', his love life was covered by the national newspapers, he had a fan club, and all of his albums were certificated gold and sold well in the rest of Scandinavia. Aside from Bjorn, Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid/ABBA and Anni-Frid Lyngstad he was Polar Music's best-selling artist. Stikkan had plans to launch him internationally and Ted recorded both Swedish and English versions of "Rockin' 'n' Reelin'" as well as an English version of an earlier hit, "Jag ska fånga en ängel" ("I'm Going to Catch An Angel"), with the title "Gonna Make You My Angel," the latter with lyrics by Gary Osborne; neither were a significant hit. Australian pop singerInternational career
Stig Anderson still thought Gärdestad had some international potential, and he and his brother Kenneth travelled to Hollywood in late 1977 to record Gärdestad's first English-language album '' Blue Virgin Isles''. The west coast rock orientated album featured contributions from American and English musicians including1980s
In early 1979, Ted andLater work
Having left the music business, Gärdestad made a brief and unsuccessful attempt at acting and shortly thereafter began exploring meditation and Eastern religions. He became involved with the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (also known as Osho) movement and publicly renounced his earlier life. In an interview with Swedish newspaper ''Aftonbladet'' in mid-1983, he said he no longer wanted to be addressed as "Ted Gärdestad," his name was now Swami Sangit Upasani. Like all Bhagwan disciples, he wore clothes in a specific shade of orange. Gärdestad distanced himself from his friends in the music business and his family as his involvement in the movement gradually took over his life, affecting his personality. In June 1983, one month before his second child with actress Ann Zacharias was born, he unexpectedly left his family and friends and moved to the movement's headquarters inPalme assassination rumours
Shortly after Gärdestad's return to Sweden in 1986, the Prime Minister of Sweden,1990s
In the early 1990s, Gärdestad was briefly coaxed out of retirement by his friend and fellow Swedish pop singer Harpo. He joined Harpo on a concert tour and made guest appearances. In 1992, they released the duet "Lycka" ("Happiness") as a single; it garnered little attention but marked Gärdestad's return to music. Early that year he embarked on his first tour since 1978 and played a series of dates withLast years and death
The following year, Gärdestad released a full-length album of new material titled '' Äntligen på väg'' (''Finally on the Road'') on Polar, which was produced by the longtime friendHealth problems
After Gärdestad's death, his brother Kenneth spoke to the press and in a book about Gärdestad's mental health problems during the last decade of his life. In the biography ''Jag vill ha en egen måne'', published eight years after his brother's death, Kenneth said Gärdestad had had anxiety since his late teens, and that Kenneth had become convinced that as an adult Gärdestad hadMusicianship
Songwriting
Musically Ted's songs combined the heritage of the Scandinavian acoustic and narrative ''visa'' tradition with influences from the British-American singer-songwriter wave of the late 1960s and early 1970s, but his repertoire also included a wide variety of genre exercises including pastiches of swing,Legacy
A scholarship was set up in Gärdestad's name in 1997 to promote unsigned singer-songwriters and is awarded annually along with a tribute concert. In 2005, a musical based around Gärdestad's songs called ''Sol, vind och vatten'' opened in Stockholm. Also in 2005, Gärdestad's brother Kenneth wrote a biography about Ted's life called ''Jag vill ha en egen måne'', named after his breakthrough single. It includes extensive interviews with Gärdestad's family and close friends, including tennis player Björn Borg, actorIn popular culture
On 11 September 2012, Sweden's central bank, the Riksbank, announced a new series of coins to replace the 1 and 5 kronor coins which came into circulation in October 2016. The design of the coins follow the theme of Gärdestad's song, " Sol, vind och vatten" ( English: "Sun, wind and water"), with the designs depicting the elements on the reverse side of the coins. This included the reintroduction of the 2 kronor coin. The coins also have a new portrait of King Carl XVI Gustaf. On 3 January 2018, theRe-releases, compilations and covers
Fifteen years after his death, Gärdestad's music became increasingly popular in Sweden. Many of his songs were included on compilations and were covered by other artists and are now considered modern Swedish pop classics. His original studio albums and compilations still sold well; 2001s ''Droppar av solregn'' reached No. 2 and spent 47 weeks on the Swedish albums chart, and the 2004 2-CD set ''Sol vind och vatten – Det bästa'' peaked at No. 3 and charted for 60 consecutive weeks. In 2000, "Jag vill ha en egen måne," "Så mycket bättre" and "Come Give Me Love" were featured in Swedish film directorCaramba
In 1981, Gärdestad and ABBA's sound engineer Michael B. Tretow had a surprise hit single with the novelty track "Hubba Hubba Zoot Zoot" in Sweden, released under the anonymous group moniker Caramba on the record label Trash Records (#1 June 1981, 26 weeks on the singles chart). The liner notes to Tretow's 1999 CD compilation ''Greatest Hits'' carry the following dedication: "This album is dedicated to Ted Gärdestad, who should be here now, rolling on the floor in paroxysms of laughter as usual."Discography
Singles
* "Hela världen runt" / "Sommarlängtan,"Studio albums
* '' Undringar'', Polar Music POLS 234, 1972 * '' Ted'', Polar Music POLS 241, 1973 * '' Upptåg'', Polar Music POLS 253, 1974 * ''Compilation albums
* ''Spotlight'', Sonet SPCD-32, 1989 * ''Ted Gärdestad Collection'', Polar Music/PolyGram 511 969-2, 1992 * '' Kalendarium 1972–93'', Polar Music/PolyGram 519 052-2, 1993 * ''Svenska Popfavoriter'', Karussell/PolyGram 552 270-2, 1996 * ''Solregn'' (4-CD box set), Polar Music/Filmography
* 1966 – ''En småstad vid seklets början'' (Translated: ''A Small Town at the Turn of the Century''. TVCitations
Bibliography *Further reading
* ''Ted Gärdestad och musiken'', Kenneth Gärdestad, Ehrlingförlagen Sweden 2005. * ''Topplistan: The Official Swedish Single & Album Charts'', Wille Wendt, Premium Publishing 1993, * Liner notes ''Greatest Hits'', Michael B. Tretow, Anderson Records 1999 {{DEFAULTSORT:Gardestad, Ted Swedish pop singers 1956 births 1997 deaths 1997 suicides People from Sollentuna Municipality Musicians from Stockholm County Melodifestivalen winners Eurovision Song Contest entrants Suicides by train Suicides in Sweden 20th-century Swedish male singers People with schizophrenia Rajneesh movement