Per Håkan Gessle (; born January 12, 1959, in Halmstad) is a Swedish pop Singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonica player. He is the lead singer of the Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider and formed Roxette with Marie Fredriksson.

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Music career

Early work

He was a founding member of Gyllene Tider, in 1977. They quickly became a popular group in Sweden, but after their fourth album, The Heartland Café (1984), sold poorly compared to their previous albums, the group disbanded. Gessle wrote. "We decided to put Gyllene Tider to rest... until further notice." ^[1]

In 1982, Per released his first solo album, Per Gessle and after Gyllene Tider split-up his second album, Scener , quickly appeared in 1985.

Roxette

Per and Marie Fredriksson, had been friends for some years before they come together as Roxette, in 1986. After the success of their first hit "Neverending Love", which was written by Gessle, they quickly recorded an album, using material which was originally intended for Per's third solo album. ^[2]

Roxette went on to achieve 4 U.S. #1's and 2 #2's, with their albums Look Sharp! and Joyride attaining platinum status in a number of Countries. After Roxette's early nineties success, Per released a demo compilation album in 1992, Demos, 1982-86 .

The World According to Gessle

In 1996, after a reunion and subsequent tour of Gyllene Tider, Per recorded his first English solo album, using Brainpool and Gyllene Tider as backing musicians. Christoffer Lundquist from Brainpool would also come to collaborate with Per on later releases.

The World According to Gessle , released in 1997, produced three singles, "Do You Wanna Be My Baby?", "Kix" and "I Want You To Know". The videos to all three songs were directed by Jonas Åkerlund. The World According to Gessle was re-released in 2008, with extra bonus material and demos.

In 1997 Hjärtats trakt - en samling was released, as a best-of album.

Mazarin

After Roxette released Have a Nice Day (1999) and Room Service (2001) to moderate success, Per contiuned with his solo work.

The subsequent album Mazarin (2003), was very successful in Sweden, going five times platinum in 2004. ^[3] This was his first album involving singer Helena Josefsson, and brought Gessle numerous awards; four Grammis awards: Best Artist, Best Male Pop Performer, Best Composer and Best Song ("Här Kommer alla Känslorna (På en och Samma Gång)"). ^[4] He also won three Rockbjörnen awards: Best Swedish Male Artist, Best Swedish Album and Best Swedish Song — and a Guldälgen (The Golden Moose) Award for Best Song.

Also in 2004, saw Gessle and Gyllene Tider reunited for a 25th-anniversary celebration that included the band's first album in 20 years, Finn 5 fel! , and another wildly successful tour in Sweden. They beat the Ullevi attendance record, previously held by Bruce Springsteen ^[5], and the band played to almost half a million fans. As a result, the group was honored with four awards in Sweden.

Son of a Plumber

With Son of a Plumber , he continued his association with other Swedish artists. Helena Josefsson and Jens Jansson helped Per create his second English album. Released in November 2005, The album contains all of Gessle's musical heritage. His father was a plumber and the 2-disc album contains a song dedicated to him, "Kurt - The Fastest Plumber In The West". In Sweden, the album sold platinum on the first day of release. The album was also released in several other European countries in April 2006.

En händig man and Party Crasher

In June 2007, he released another solo album in Swedish with the name En händig man , which shipped three times platinum. A single of the same name was released; "En händig man". Later on October a book of "Att vara Per Gessle" was released, telling some of the unknown facts about Gessle and his 30-years career.

In late 2008, Per Gessle released Party Crasher , his seventh solo album and third in English. The first single off the album "Silly Really" was released on October 29, 2008, which achieved critical acclaim from Expressen, who called Per a "pop genius". ^[6] After that, Per went to Party Crasher Tour 2009 with Helena Josefsson and Marie Fredriksson, who joined him on stage in Amsterdam and Stockholm, eight years after their last live performance during Room Service tour 2001.

Collaborations

In 1990 Per Gessle wrote a single, The Sweet Hello The Sad Goodbye , for Thomas Anders (of Modern Talking fame). He has also participated with the Swedish singer Nisse Hellberg in the project The Lonely Boys.

In 1996 he worked with Belinda Carlisle and wrote two songs for her album, A Woman and a Man ; "Always Breaking My Heart" and "Love Doesn't Live Here". The former was released as a single, becoming a UK top 10 hit. Gessle also recorded a demo song for Carlisle, called "Liberty", which also was intended for the same album, but Carlisle turned down, asking for something more guitar-oriented. ^[7] So Gessle come up with "Always Breaking My Heart".

Nordic Rox

Per Gessle also serves as the guiding creative force for Nordic Rox, SIRIUS XM Radio’s exclusive Scandinavian music show. On January 25 and February 1, 2009, Per, along with music journalist Sven Lindstrom, hosted a two part special celebrating the 100th episode of Nordic Rox, showcasing the 50 best Swedish songs of all time.

Personal life

He married his long-time girlfriend Åsa Nordin in 1993 at Borgholm Castle, Öland Island, Sweden. The wedding took place in the same Swedish castle which was the setting for Roxette's highly successful "Listen To Your Heart" and "Dangerous music hits. Together they have one son, Gabriel Titus.

Trivia

Per Gessle is also one of three people (also including Björn Ulvaeus) who own NoteHeads, a Swedish company which publishes the music notation program Igor Engraver. ^[8]

Discography

Albums

s of }} 2008 ^[], he has released seven solo albums:

• Per Gessle (1983)
• Scener (1985)
• The World According to Gessle (1997)
• Mazarin (2003)
• Son of a Plumber (2005)
• En händig man (June 2007)
• Party Crasher (November 26, 2008)

Live Albums

• Gessle Over Europe (TBC 2009)

Compilations

• Demos, 1982-86 (1992)
• På väg, 1982-86 (1992)
• Hjärtats trakt (1993)
• Hjärtats trakt - en samling (1997)
• Kung av sand - en liten samling 1983–2007 (August 30, 2007)

Singles

• "Om du har lust" (1983)
• "Blå december" (1985)
• "Galning" (1985)
• "Inte tillsammans, inte isär" (1986)
• "Do You Wanna Be My Baby?" (1997)
• "Kix" (1997)
• "I Want You To Know" (1997)
• "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" (2002)
• "Här kommer alla känslorna (På en och samma gång)" (2003)
• "På promenad genom stan" (2003)

• "Tycker om när du tar på mej" (2003)
• "När det regnar över botswana" (2004)
• "C'mon"/"Jo-Anna Says" (2005)
• "Hey Mr. DJ" (2006)
• "I Like it Like That" (2006)
• "En händig man" (2007)
• "Jag skulle vilja tänka en underbar tanke" (2007) [radio promo only]
• "Pratar med min müsli (hur det än verkar)" (2007)
• "Silly Really" (October 29, 2008)
• "Sing Along" (February 4, 2009)

References

1. ''The Heartland Café'' 1990 re-release CD liner notes
2. "Pearls of Passion album re-release intoduction by Gessle.
3. IFPI Sweden
4. Aftonbladet's report on Grammis awards
5. Aftonbladet article on GT concert record
6. Expresson review of "Silly Really" (In Swedish)
7. Gessle's official homepage
8. Noteheads.com