Kari Tapio

Born Kari Tapani Jalkanen on November 22, 1945, in Suonenjoki, Finland, Kari Tapio built a long career as one of the country’s most enduring iskelmä vocalists. He first appeared on local stages during the 1960s, performing with modest ensembles such as ER-Quartet and Jami & the Noisemakers. Although his debut solo release, the 1972 single “Tuuli Kääntyköön,” introduced him to a wider audience, much of the early 1970s found him taking miscellaneous music-industry work, among them handling snakes for Danny’s Snake, Rattle and Roll tour. Between 1973 and 1974 he traveled and cut recordings with the country-tinged group Aikapommi, yet it was the 1976 single “Laula Kanssain,” a Finnish rendering of Al Martino’s “Sing My Love Song,” that finally established his reputation. Another translated hit, “Olen Suomalainen” from 1983—originally Toto Cutugno’s “L’Italiano”—became his first gold-certified record and remains the customary closing number at his concerts; while he has supplied lyrics for several of his own successes, Tapio is chiefly recognized for his interpretive singing. Steady popularity kept him in the public eye, and throughout the 2000s he was repeatedly cited as Finland’s foremost schlager artist. The 1990s alone brought him six additional gold discs plus a platinum award for the album Myrskyn Jälkeen. Country stylings color many of his performances, including Finnish-language versions of material by Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson. His son Jiri Jalkanen helped form the well-known heavy metal band Stone.