Gunnar Graps
| Gunnar Graps | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Gunnar Graps-Grāfs |
| Born |
November 27, 1951 Tartu, Estonian SSR |
| Died | May 17, 2004 (aged 52) Tallinn, Estonia |
| Genres | Jazz, Pop rock, Beat music, Rock, Blues, Heavy metal |
| Instruments | Vocals, Cello, Drums, Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Piano, Harmonica |
| Years active | 1963–2004 |
| Associated acts | Satelliidid, Mikronid, Ornament, Magnetic Band, GGG, Compromise Blue (guest) |
Gunnar Graps-Grāfs (27 November 1951 – 17 May 2004) was a popular Estonian musician and one of the pioneers of hard rock in Estonia and Soviet Union. He has sold hundreds of thousands of records all over the world and in 2004 Graps was given a lifetime award at Estonian Music Awards. He has been compared to Mick Jagger and Alice Cooper, both who were his own personal idols, and is often called Raudmees (Iron man).
Gunnar Graps was born to Latvian conductor, cellist and musical pedagogue Igors Graps and his Estonian wife Salme in Tallinn. Graps was inspired to turn to music by his father at the age of six when he started to learn cello. In 1964, being only 13, he joined his first band Satelliidid as a guitarist. In spring of 1967 Graps joined Mikronid, where he played drums for the next six years. In 1970–1972 he was in the army and during that period he performed with Ivo Linna. He spent another year behind the drums in Mikronid after his return from military service. In spring 1968 Jüri Lina recorded about ten Mikronid's songs which also included Graps' creation for his show "Pobifo Revüü".
After leaving the group Mikronid Graps created Ornament in 1973, which was one of the pioneers of hard rock in Estonia and the Soviet Union (Estonia was part of the USSR at the time). Ornament's music was influenced by Led Zeppelin and psychedelic rock. In 1976 Graps put together a new outfit called Magnetic Band which was Jazz-rock oriented, with reggae and funk-soul influences.
...
Wikipedia