Albert Järvinen

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Pekka "Albert" Johannes Järvinen (born October 25, 1950 in Lahti, Finland, died March 24, 1991 in London, England) was a Finnish guitarist. He is most well known as a fast-fingered and skilled guitar player of Finnish rock band Hurriganes. He got his stage-name Albert from one of his idols, blues guitarist Albert King.

Career

Järvinen started playing acoustic guitar at the age of eight. He studied classic guitar playing under the teaching of Ivan Putilin before switching to electric guitar. He got his first electric guitar (Gretsch) in 1965. He played in numerous bands, including blues band The Harp, Poison, the background band of singer Kristian, and later Eero Raittinen and Kalevala before replacing Ile Kallio as a guitarist of Hurriganes in May 1972. He also worked as a studio guitarist for many Finnish singers in that time.

In 1975 Järvinen left Hurriganes and played with Rock-Jerry before founding a new blues rock band, Royals which tried to challenge the success of Hurriganes. In 1979 Royals was broken up and Järvinen was planning to continue his career in England. Elvis Costello and many others wanted him to became their guitarist. This was result as a contacts with Nick Lowe, who had earlier come to Finland to record Järvinen's guitar solos. However Järvinen came back to Finland and played in the band of Dave Lindholm before joining back to Hurriganes in 1979. His second spell in Hurriganes lasted two years. In that time the band recorded two albums.

In 1981 Järvinen joined Sleepy Sleepers but was sacked due to his heavy alcohol drinking. Together with former Sleepy Sleepers drummer Harri Lemola Järvinen formed a new band The Quips which lasted only a year. In 1984 Järvinen published a maxi-single Countdown under the name of Albert Järvinen Band. The single was produced and also signed by Lemmy Kilmister from English band Motörhead. In the middle of 1980s Järvinen kept low profile practising his guitar skills. At the end half of the decade he played with various artist and recorded a solo album Braindamage – Or Still Alive together with Albert King and William Clarke.

Death

Järvinen died on a concert trip in London in the Spring of 1991, in the same London quarter in which Jimi Hendrix had died. The official cause of death was myocardial infarction. No illegal drugs were found in his body. Järvinen is buried in Honkanummi cemetery in Vantaa.

Partial discography

Solo albums

• Ride On (1974)
• Braindamage - Or Still Alive (1988)
• Guitar (1990) (compilation album)
• Mirror Tower (1991)
• Aspects Of Albert Järvinen (1995) (compilation album)
• Patchy Moss – 30 Big Ones (2000) (compilation album)
• Let It Roll: Rocks & Rarities (2004) (compilation album)

With Hurriganes

• Rock And Roll All Night Long (1973)
• Roadrunner (1974)
• Sixteen Golden Greats (1977) (compilation album)
• Hurrigane By The Hurriganes (1977) (compilation album)
• Jailbird (1979)
• 10/80 (1980)

External links

• Videos of Albert Järvinen Band in YLE Elävä arkisto