Wigwam

Wigwam emerged in the late sixties as Finland's sole seventies export to register any real impression beyond its borders, while also serving as a training ground for several of the nation's premier progressive players, though the long-awaited commercial breakthrough remained elusive. Drummer Ronnie Österberg, English-born singer and keyboardist Jim Pembroke, guitarist Nikke Nikamo, and bassist Mats Hulden—each previously active in Blues Section—joined forces with keyboardist Jukka Gustavson to launch the group. Their debut, the 1969 release Hard'n'Horny, divided its sides between Gustavson's compositions and Pembroke's. By the follow-up, Tombstone Valentine, both Hulden and Nikamo had departed after clashing with producer Kim Fowley, while virtuoso bassist Pekka Pohjola made his first appearance. Despite favorable notices, sales stayed modest, a pattern that repeated with Fairyport. After Pembroke and Pohjola each issued solo projects, Gustavson assembled the darker, more progressive Being, which earned Album of the Year honors in Finland. Pohjola and Gustavson contributed to the performances documented on 1975's Live Music From the Twilight Zone—a blend of solo pieces and covers of the Beatles and the Band—before exiting. The band then entered a short hiatus. Upon reconvening with fresh members and Pembroke at the helm, Wigwam entered its most prosperous phase, issuing Nuclear Nightclub, which Virgin licensed for wider release and supported with an English tour that also yielded Lucky Golden Stripes and Starpose. Success appeared imminent, yet the group failed to break through internationally; when Virgin rejected the proposed Daemon Duncetan's Request, momentum collapsed. The material was reworked and issued in Finland in 1977 as Dark Album, by which time Wigwam had already staged an unofficial farewell concert and dissolved once more. Pembroke relocated to Kansas and pursued further solo work until the band reassembled in 1993 to record Light Ages, after which a handful of live shows preceded a quiet final disbandment. Singer and keyboard player Jim Pembroke died on October 9, 2021 at the age of 75.