The Spotnicks
The Spotnicks arose as a pair called "The Rebels" (1956), which was created by Bo Starander (11 March 1942 – 3 May 2020 rhythm guitar, vocals) and Björn Thelin (27 June 1942 – 24 January 2017; bass guitar). They were joined by lead guitarist Bo Winberg (born 27 March 1939 in Gothenburg, Sweden; died 3 January 2020) and formed "Rock-Teddy and the Blue Caps" in 1957 in Gothenburg. In 1958, they added Ove Johansson (drums) (born March 30, 1940), changed their name to "The Frazers", and began playing in local bars on a regular basis. In 1961, they obtained a recording deal and renamed themselves "The Spotnicks", a play on the Russian satellite Sputnik, as proposed by their manager, Roland Ferneborg. Strander was renamed Bob Lander later in life.
They quickly became the first Swedish group to achieve substantial worldwide success, following in the footsteps of The Shadows and The Ventures. They toured Europe, and one of their early singles, "Orange Blossom Special", became their first significant international hit, hitting the Top 30 in the UK Singles Chart on the Oriole label in 1962 and reaching #1 in Australia. They started donning their characteristic "spacesuits" on stage about this period. In 1962, they released their debut album, The Spotnicks in London, Out-a Space.
Website: spotnicks.net
They quickly became the first Swedish group to achieve substantial worldwide success, following in the footsteps of The Shadows and The Ventures. They toured Europe, and one of their early singles, "Orange Blossom Special", became their first significant international hit, hitting the Top 30 in the UK Singles Chart on the Oriole label in 1962 and reaching #1 in Australia. They started donning their characteristic "spacesuits" on stage about this period. In 1962, they released their debut album, The Spotnicks in London, Out-a Space.
Website: spotnicks.net
