Vikingarna

Vikingarna were formed in 1958 in Arvika, Sweden, as Ji-Coo and the Vikings, a rock-and-roll and skiffle group. By the 1973, the band had changed both line-up and style several times, and settled on the new Swedish sound: dansband. The band released their first album that same year and their second the year after, before securing a record deal with Mariann Records in 1975. In 1975 they released "Kramgoa Låtar 1", the first album in a series of more than twenty records. After that, the band released a new album on a yearly basis, whilst touring between recording sessions. In 1992, after the release of "Kramgoa Låtar 20", the band went on hiatus, but returned in 1995 for new albums. In December 2003, they announced their retirement, and played their final concert on July 7, 2004 in Arvika to a record audience. By then, the band had sold more than 11 million records. The bands first lead singer, Stefan Borsch, left the group in 1978, and was replaced by Christer Sjögren, who remained with the band until they retired. The rest of line-up saw many changes, with the only long-time members being Tony Eriksson (saxophone/keyboards, 1965-2004), Tord Sjöman (keyboards/accordion, 1969-1988) and Anders Erixon (drums, 1977-1997, his death).