SStigtStigiStigkStigkStigaStignStig StigStigStigStigSStigtStigiStiggStigStigStigStig StigAStignStigdStigeStigrStigsStigoStignStig (Stikkan Anderson)

Stikkan “Stig” Anderson

Musicial Producer, Businessman. Born in Hova, Sweden, a small town 200 miles south-west of Stockholm. After leaving school at 13, he went to night classes and became a primary school teacher. Of the 2,000 songs he claims to have penned, the most memorable are the hilarious “The Girls Who Know Are Found In The Country and Rockin’ Billy”, a 1960 hit for Lill-Babs in Scandinavia and Holland. He used his royalties wisely to finish his schooling and graduated from the National Training College of Teachers in Stockholm. By the late 1960s, he was the manager and producer of Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, who would become the two main songwriters of ABBA. Prior to ABBA’s formation, Björn and Benny were living in a Volkswagen bus and had decided to leave music and gain regular jobs; however, Anderson persuaded them to start a new band, investing considerable money in the group. He also advised the quartet to shortened their name to Abba, using the initials of their first names (they also had to ask the permission of the largest fish-canning factory in Sweden which shared the same name). Stig married Gudrun Anderson, and together they had two sons, and a daughter. In 1989, he made a substantial financial endowment to found the Polar Music Prize from money he made when he sold the multi-million-dollar record company Polar Records. In this deal nearly all utilisation and license rights, and the registered ABBA trademark, were sold for an unknown sum of money to PolyGram shortly before the ABBA members took him to court over royalty back payments. His funeral was broadcast live by Sveriges Television, an honor generally only reserved for distinguished statesmen or royalty. He died of a heart attack at the age of 66. (bio by: Shock)

Born

  • January, 25, 1931
  • Sweden

Died

  • September, 09, 1997
  • Sweden

Cemetery

  • Galärvarvskyrkogården
  • Sweden

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