Logo
Company name	Cadillac Motor Car Division
Company type	Division of GM
Foundation	August 22, 1902
Location city	Warren, Michigan, U.S.
Key people	Henry M. Leland, founder Henry Ford, original founder (Henry Ford Company)
Industry	Automobiles
Products	Luxury vehicles
Parent	General Motors Company
Homepage	cadillac.com
Footnotes	}}

Cadillac (, is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors (GM). Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest automobile brands in the world. Depending on how one chooses to measure, Cadillac is arguably older than Buick.

Cadillac was founded in 1902 by Henry Leland, a master mechanic and entrepreneur, who named the company after his ancestor, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, the founder of the city of Detroit. The company's crest is based on a coat of arms that Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac had created at the time of his marriage in Quebec in 1687. General Motors purchased the company in 1909 and within six years, Cadillac had laid the foundation for the modern mass production of automobiles by demonstrating the complete interchangeability of its precision parts while simultaneously establishing itself as America's premier luxury car. Cadillac introduced technological advances, including full electrical systems, the clashless manual transmission and the steel roof. The brand developed three engines, one of which (the V8 engine) set the standard for the American automotive industry. Cadillac is the first American car to win the prestigious Dewar Trophy from the Royal Automobile Club of England, having successfully demonstrated the interchangeability of its component parts during a reliability test in 1908; this spawned the firm's slogan "Standard of the World." It won that trophy a second time, in 1912, for incorporating electric starting and lighting in a production automobile.

History

Founding

thumb|left|125px|1903 CadillacCadillac was formed from the remnants of the Henry Ford Company when Henry Ford departed along with several of his key partners and the company was dissolved. With the intent of liquidating the firm's assets, Ford's financial backers William Murphy and Lemuel Bowen called in engineer Henry M. Leland of Leland & Faulconer Manufacturing Company to appraise the plant and equipment before selling them.

Instead, Leland persuaded them to continue the automobile business using Leland's proven single-cylinder engine. The company after Henry Ford left needed a new name, and on 22 August 1902 the company reformed as the Cadillac Automobile Company. Leland & Faulconer Manufacturing and the Cadillac Automobile Company merged in 1905.

The Cadillac automobile was named after the 17th-century French explorer Antoine Laumet de la Mothe, Sieur de Cadillac, who founded Detroit in 1701.

Contributions to the automotive industry

From its earliest years Cadillac aimed for precision engineering and stylish luxury finish, causing its cars to be ranked amongst the finest in the US. Utilization of interchangeable parts was an important innovation in 1908. Cadillac was the first volume manufacturer of a fully enclosed cab in 1910, and in 1912 was first to incorporate an electrical system enabling starting, ignition, and lighting.

In 1915 it introduced a 90-degree flathead V8 engine with at 2400 rpm and of torque, allowing its cars to attain 65 miles per hour. This was faster than most roads could accommodate at this time. Cadillac pioneered the dual-plane V8 crankshaft in 1918. In 1928 Cadillac introduced the first clashless Synchro-Mesh manual transmission, utilizing constant mesh gears. In 1930 Cadillac implemented the first V-16 engine, with a 45-degree overhead valve, 452 cubic inches, and , one of the most powerful and quietest engines in the United States. The development and introduction of the V8, V16 and V-12 helped to make Cadillac the "Standard of the World."

A later model of the V8 engine, known as the overhead valve, set the standard for the entire American automotive industry in 1949.

Body design

Cadillac introduced designer-styled bodywork (as opposed to auto-engineered) in 1927. It installed shatter-resistant glass in 1926. Cadillac also introduced the 'turret top,' the first all-steel roof on a passenger car. Previously, car roofs were constructed of fabric-covered wood.

Tailfins were added to body shape in 1948. The Eldorado Brougham of 1957 offered a 'memory seat' function, allowing seat positions to be saved and recalled for different drivers. The first fully automatic heater/air conditioning system was introduced in 1964, allowing the driver to set a desired temperature to be maintained by 'climate control'. From the late 1960s, Cadillac offered a fiber-optic warning system to alert the driver to failed light bulbs. Driver airbags were offered on some Cadillac models from 1974 to 1976.

Early vehicles

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Their first car was completed in October 1902, the Cadillac. It was practically identical to the 1903 Ford Model A. Many sources say the first car rolled out of the factory on 17 October; in the book ''Henry Leland – Master of Precision'', the date is 20 October; another reliable source shows car number 3 to have been built on 16 October. In any case, the new Cadillac was shown at the New York Auto Show the following January, where it impressed the crowds enough to gather over 2,000 firm orders. The Cadillac's biggest selling point was precision manufacturing, and therefore, reliability; it was simply a better-made vehicle than its competitors. Cadillac participated in an interchangeability test in the United Kingdom 1908, when it was awarded the Dewar Trophy for the most important advancement of the year in the automobile industry.

General Motors

Cadillac was purchased by the General Motors (GM) conglomerate in 1909. Cadillac became General Motors' prestige division, devoted to the production of large luxury vehicles. The Cadillac line was also GM's default marque for "commercial chassis" institutional vehicles, such as limousines, ambulances, hearses and funeral home flower cars, the last three of which were custom-built by aftermarket manufacturers. Cadillac does not produce any such vehicles in their factory.

In July 1917, the United States Army needed a dependable staff car and chose the Cadillac Type 55 Touring Model after exhaustive tests on the Mexican border. 2,350 of the cars were supplied for use in France by officers of the American Expeditionary Force during World War I. General Motors of Canada built Cadillac 1923 to 1936 and saved it from A. P. Sloan from his wanting to stop the build. Pre-World War II Cadillacs were well-built, powerful, mass-produced luxury cars aimed at an upper class market. In the 1930s, Cadillac added cars with V12 and V16 engines to their range, many of which were fitted with custom coach-built bodies;. these engines were remarkable at the time for their ability to deliver a combination of high power, silky smoothness and quietness.

Automobile stylist Harley Earl, whom Cadillac had recruited in 1926 and who was to head the new Art and Color section starting in January 1928, designed for 1927 a new, smaller "companion marque" car to the Cadillac which he called the La Salle, after another French explorer, René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle. That marque remained in production until 1940..

The Great Depression

In 1932, after Cadillac suffered from record low sales and charges of discrimination against black customers, Alfred Sloan created a committee to consider the discontinuation of the Cadillac line. Cadillac managed to survive the Great Depression by being part of GM. By 1940 Cadillac sales had risen tenfold compared to 1934.. 1934 brought about a revolution in assembly-line technology. Henry F. Phillips introduced the Phillips screw and driver to the market. He entered into talks with General Motors and convinced the Cadillac group that his new screws would speed assembly times and therefore increase profits. Cadillac was the first automaker to use the Phillips technology in 1937, which was widely adopted in 1940. For the first time in many years all cars built by the company shared the same basic engine and drivetrain in 1941.

Postwar

Postwar Cadillacs, incorporating the ideas of General Motors styling chief Harley J. Earl, innovated many of the styling features that came to be synonymous with the classic (late-1940s and 1950s) American automobile, including tailfins, wraparound windshields, and extensive exterior and interior bright-work (chrome and polished stainless steel). Fledgling automotive magazine ''Motor Trend'' awarded its first "Car of the Year" to Cadillac in 1949; the company turned it down. On 25 November 1949, Cadillac produced its one millionth car, a 1950 Coupe de Ville. It also set a record for annual production of over 100,000 cars, Cadillac's first tailfins, inspired by the twin rudders of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, appeared in 1948; the 1959 Cadillac, designed by Peter Hodak, was the epitome of the tailfin craze, with the most recognizable tailfins of any production automobile. From 1960 thru 1964, the fins decreased in size each year and disappeared with the 1965 model year (except for the 1965 series 75 chassis which was a carry over from 1964). The use of extensive bright-work on the exterior and interior also decreased each year after 1959 and accelerated with the 1966 model year when even the rear bumpers were no longer all chrome with large portions painted and the headlight bezels were painted.

Cadillac's other distinctive styling attribute was its front-bumper designs which became known as Dagmar bumpers or simply ''Dagmars''. What had started out after the war as an artillery shell shaped bumper guard became an increasingly important part of Cadillac's complicated front grille and bumper assembly. As the 1950s wore on, the element was placed higher in the front-end design, negating their purpose as bumper guards. They also became more pronounced and were likened to the bosom of 1950s television personality Dagmar. In 1957 the bumpers gained black rubber tips which only heightened the relationship between the styling element and a stylized, exaggerated bumper design. For 1958 the element was toned down and then was completely absent from the 1959 models.

In 1966, Cadillac would mark up its best annual sales yet, over 192,000 units (142,190 of them de Villes), an increase of more than 60%. This was exceeded in 1968, when Cadillac topped 200,000 units for the first time.

The launch of the front-wheel drive Eldorado in 1967 as a personal luxury coupe, with its simple, elegant design – a far cry from the tail-fin and chrome excesses of the 1950s – gave Cadillac a direct competitor for the Lincoln and Imperial, and in 1970, Cadillac sales topped Chrysler's for the first time. The new engine that debuted in the 1968 model year, designed for an ultimate capacity potential of , was increased to for the 1970 Eldorado. It was adopted across the model range beginning in 1975.

Low points, and recovery

The 1970s saw vehicles memorable for their dimensions. The 1972 Fleetwood was some longer in wheelbase and overall, compared to the 1960 Series 75 Fleetwood; the entry-level 1972 Calais was longer than the equivalent 1960 Series 62, on the same wheelbase. Growth in weight and standard equipment demanded increases in engine displacement before the downsizing era set in later in the decade. Performance waned after peaking at (gross) and of torque in the first year and further declined in 1971 and later years due to reductions in compression ratios necessitated by the advent of low-octane unleaded fuel and increasingly stringent emission requirements. Despite record sales in 1973 and again in the late 1970s, Cadillac suffered from the malaise that set in to the American auto industry in the late 1970s to the late 1980s, driven by a failure to respond effectively to new government mandates on safety and emissions and the high fuel prices of the time.

The Art and Science Era

Cadillac has resisted the trend towards producing "retro" models such as the revived Ford Thunderbird or the VW New Beetle. It has instead pressed ahead with a new design philosophy for the 21st century called "art and science" which it says "incorporates sharp, sheer forms and crisp edges – a form vocabulary that expresses bold, high-technology design and invokes the technology used to design it." This new design language spread from the original CTS across the line all the way up to the XLR roadster. Cadillac's model line-up mostly includes rear- and all-wheel-drive sedans, roadsters, crossovers and SUVs. The only exceptions are the front-wheel drive Cadillac BLS (which is not sold in North America) and the Cadillac DTS. Many of these actively compete with respected high-end luxury cars produced by German and Japanese manufacturers. The flagship of these efforts is the second-generation CTS-V, which is a direct competitor to the vaunted BMW M5.(http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/comparison/2009-cadillac-cts-v-vs.-2008-bmw-m5-smg) An automatic version of the CTS-V lapped the Nürburgring in 7:59.32, at the time a record for production sedans.

Despite Cadillac's re-invention, little work has been done with the Cadillac brand towards the end of the decade due to GM's bankruptcy. A range topper based on the Cadillac Sixteen had been cancelled along with the Northstar engine replacement. With the STS and DTS scheduled to end production, Cadillac would be left without a proper range topper. A small RWD sedan was in the works but reports suggested it would move to the Epsilon II platform and position below the CTS range. However, Cadillac did commence with the second generation SRX in 2009. The SRX is now based on the Theta Premium platform and is offered in either FWD or AWD.

Reports suggested the Escalade would move the Lambda platform in 2014 but it has since been revealed the Escalade will continue on its body-on-frame architecture with a redesign in 2013. A Lambda-based Cadillac will join the line to complement the next Escalade, which could possibly cost more than the current model. Cadillac showcased the XTS Platinum concept in 2010 and announced intentions to build the FWD/AWD sedan on the Super Epsilon platform. Also, in late 2009, GM announced the upcoming 3-Series competitor, the ATS, will go into production on the RWD/AWD Alpha platform in 2013. Reports have surfaced that GM had green lighted not only a Zeta based 7-Series competitor, but another Zeta based full-size based on the Sixteen concept. The reports suggest the latter will carry a price tag of as much as $125,000 and will be positioned as Cadillac's halo. It has also been revealed the next CTS, scheduled for 2013, will move to a long-wheelbase version of the upcoming Alpha platform. It is expected to grow in size and price and lose its coupe and wagon options. With that said, this would leave Cadillac with a full range of vehicles by the mid 2010's.

Cadillacs in art and sculpture

Cadillac Ranch is a public art installation and sculpture in Amarillo, Texas, US It was created in 1974 by Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez and Doug Michels, who were a part of the art group Ant Farm, and it consists of what were (when originally installed during 1974) either older running used or junk Cadillac automobiles, representing a number of evolutions of the car line (most notably the birth and death of the defining feature of early Cadillacs; the tail fin) from 1949 to 1963, half-buried nose-first in the ground, at an angle corresponding to that of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. The piece is a statement about the paradoxical simultaneous American fascinations with both a "sense of place" – and roadside attractions, such as ''The Ranch'' itself – and the mobility and freedom of the automobile. A tribute to the ''Cadillac Ranch'' was featured in the Walt Disney and Pixar film ''Cars''. The fictional town of Radiator Springs sits at the edge of an area referenced on a map as the "Cadillac Range", and throughout the movie, rock formations shaped like the upended cars can be seen as a horizon backdrop. General Motors is eying to launch Cadillac in the Indian market soon, as per a statement given by a top company official "We are looking at introducing our premium brand, Cadillac over the next couple of years."

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See also

Cadillac Northstar engine

Cadillac V8 engine

Cadillac V-Series

LaSalle, companion make to Cadillac, 1927–1940

List of car brands

Cadillacs & Dinosaurs

Dolan's Cadillac

Footnotes

References

External links

Official links

Cadillac.com – official site

mycadillacstory.com – official video site of Cadillac

Cadillac.GM.ca – official site of Cadillac in Canada

CadillacEurope.com – official site of Cadillac in Europe

Official ''Generations of GM Wiki'' site: Cadillac

Other

American Classic: The Cadillac – slideshow by ''Life magazine''

Category:Car manufacturers of the United States Category:Cadillac Category:Companies established in 1902 Category:Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Michigan Category:Companies based in Detroit, Michigan Category:General Motors marques

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Name	Danko Jones
Background	group_or_band
Origin	Canada
Genre	Hard rock
Years active	1996–present
Label	Aquarius (Canada)Bad Taste (Europe)
Website	Official Website
Current members	Danko Jones - Vocals/GuitarJohn Calabrese - BassAtom Willard - Drums
Past members	Damon Richardson - DrumsNiko Quintal - DrumsGavin Brown - DrumsMichael Cari Cari - DrumsDan Cornelius - Drums
Notable instruments	}}

Danko Jones is a Canadian rock band from Toronto, Ontario. The band consists of Danko Jones (vocals/guitar) and JC (also known as John Calabrese) (bass guitar). Atom Willard has replaced drummer Dan Cornelius in the band, though his status is unclear as of August 2011.

History

Formation

Formed in 1996, they played consistently for two years in and around the north-eastern United States and Canada, opening for The New Bomb Turks, Nashville Pussy, Blonde Redhead, The Make-Up, The Dirtbombs, The Chrome Cranks and The Demolition Doll Rods. Originally they didn't even want to release an album opting to have the band's live reputation spread via word of mouth. Eventually, the trio relented and put out a self-titled six song e.p. on Sonic Unyon records in 1998. In 1999 they released the self-produced ''My Love Is Bold'' E.P. and achieved national exposure with the single "Bounce". They were nominated for a Juno in 2000 for Best Alternative Album.

In 2001 Bad Taste Records released a compilation of the band's early recordings, demos, and b-sides entitled, ''I'm Alive and On Fire''. A 5 week European tour followed to promote the release including shows at the Roskilde festival in Denmark and Hultsfred festival in Sweden. By the end of the year they had returned 2 more times, most notably as main support for the Backyard Babies.

''Born A Lion''

In 2002 they released their first full-length album, ''Born A Lion'', produced by Bill Bell, on Bad Taste Records in Europe and on Universal in Canada. The band did several European tours and two Canadian tours to promote the record including an unprecedented repeat performance at Roskilde and the now legendary return to Hultsfred as well as notable stops to Pukkelpop in Belgium and The Lowlands festival in the Netherlands. They also managed to grab the opening slot with The Rolling Stones on their "40 Licks" World tour kick-off show at the Palais Royale in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on August 16, 2002.

''We Sweat Blood''

2003 saw the release of ''We Sweat Blood'', produced by Matt DeMatteo, and the group taking a heavier approach to their hard-rock sound. More touring followed that included Europe and Japan. They were also nominated for two Junos: Best Rock Album (''Born a Lion'') and Best video (''Lovercall'').

While success was happening abroad, home relations with Universal Canada had soured and the band was dropped mid-album run. Explanations from the label were vague, but speculations point to Jones' February 2004 appearance on CBC Sunday where Jones appeared as a pro-downloader opposite then CRIA president, Brian Robertson. Getting dropped from Universal Canada did little to stop the group as they continued to tour heavily for the rest of the year well into 2004 with bands like Turbonegro, Sepultura and The Bronx. While touring they managed to pick up another Juno nomination for Best Rock Album (''We Sweat Blood'') and tour Australia as well as more European dates including Rock Am Ring and Rock Im Park in Germany and Download, Leeds and Reading in England.

''Sleep Is The Enemy''

Early 2005 was taken up by recording the follow-up to ''We Sweat Blood'', but not without a series of tours amidst recording that brought the band to the Netherlands, Germany and South Africa. In April, American label, Razor & Tie released ''We Sweat Blood'' and the band set out to America in support as well. Working two releases simultaneously on both sides of the Atlantic proved quite hard and the worldwide release for the upcoming album, ''Sleep Is The Enemy'', produced by Matt DeMatteo, was pushed back to 2006. thumb|left|Bass player John Calabrese, live 2008.During the summer and fall of 2005 the band toured America heavily with two of ''We Sweat Blood'''s singles being second most added to active rock radio in America ("Lovercall" and "Forget My Name"). Stateside tours with Flogging Molly, Our Lady Peace, The Supersuckers, and The (International) Noise Conspiracy followed. Prior to the release of ''Sleep Is The Enemy'' drummer Damon Richardson left the band, citing fatigue as a reason for leaving. He was replaced by Dan Cornelius.

In January and February 2006, under new Canadian label, Aquarius Records, the band set out to do their first Canadian tour in almost 4 years opening up for Nickelback. With the release of ''Sleep Is The Enemy'' came more touring including America and a headlining European club tour with support from Brant Bjork & The Bros. The summer saw them perform at Rock Am Ring, Rock Im Park, With Full Force and Wacken Open Air in Germany; Hellfest and Furiafest in France, Metaltown in Sweden, Pinkpop and Lowlands in The Netherlands, Tuska Festival, Ruisrock and Ankkarock in Finland, Gampel in Switzerland and Wireless in the UK among at least a dozen more. In October 2006, a 2 week tour of Norway saw the band play with ex-Kyuss front-man, John Garcia who appeared on the song "Invisible" off ''Sleep Is The Enemy''.

''Never Too Loud''

Their fourth album, Never Too Loud was released on February 27, 2008 and produced by Nick Raskulinecz. The album yielded three singles, "Code Of The Road" followed by "Take Me Home" and "King Of Magazines". A major city tour of Europe in April 2008 was followed by a Canadian tour in May and a three month stint in Europe playing almost 30 dates on the festival circuit that included Rock Am Ring, Rock Im Park and With Full Force in Germany; Bospop and Lowlands in The Netherlands; Sziget Festival in Hungary; Rabarock in Estonia; Provinssi Rock in Finland; and Eurockeennes and Hellfest in France, where Jones got to sing on stage with one of his favorite bands, Death Angel for the song, "Bored". In the fall/winter of 2008 Danko Jones toured England, Germany, France and Benelux opening for Motörhead.

''B-Sides''

On February 3, 2009 B-Sides was released in Europe only - a collection of previously released b-sides from European singles and unreleased tracks that spanned 1996 to 2008. On February 24 they commenced a 7 week tour in support of the release that spanned The Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, France and the UK with support coming from The Backyard Babies, Winnebego Deal and The Black Spiders. The CD yielded the singles "Sugar High" and "My Problems (Are Your Problems Now)". A greatest hits compilation titled ''This Is Danko Jones'' was released on April 7 the same year in Canada only.

In the summer the band managed a few festival appearances, most notably, the Sziget Festival in Hungary on the main stage with Faith No More and The Offspring, as well as Huntenpop in The Netherlands, Wintherthur and Gampel Open Air in Switzerland, Parken Festival in Norway and Jurassic Rock in Finland. In January and February 2010 the band toured across Canada with Guns N' Roses and Sebastian Bach. In March the same year they toured the United States with Clutch.

''Below the Belt and departure of Dan Cornelius''

Their fifth album ''Below the Belt'' was released on May 11, 2010 and produced by Matt DeMatteo. The album's first single, "Full Of Regret", features Elijah Wood, Lemmy Kilmister, Selma Blair and Mike Watt in the accompanying video. It debuted at #36 on ''Billboard'' Mainstream Rock Tracks in November. It is also featured on EA's NHL '11. soundtrack. The second single, "Had Enough", has Ralph Macchio appearing in the accompanying video.

On June 8, 2011 Danko Jones announced on the band's website that drummer Dan Cornelius was no longer with the band. No reason was given for his departure. In the same statement Danko Jones said drummer Atom Willard would join the band for its European summer tour, which was scheduled to begin one week after the announcement was made. It is unclear whether Willard is a full time replacement for Cornelius or a temporary fill in.

Radio, Spoken Word and Columns

Jones hosts a syndicated radio show called "The Magical World Of Rock" broadcast out of 95.3 Rocket FM in Stockholm (Sweden) and syndicated to Power 97 in Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada), Pure Rock Radio in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (Canada), CT Das Radio in Bochum (Germany) and Radio Tango in Oslo (Norway).

He also released his first spoken word album in 2004 entitled ''The Magical World Of Rock'' and completed two spoken word tours that same year, including a show at the Crossing Borders festival in The Hague, Netherlands where he spoke alongside Nick Hornby, Ian Mackaye, Jim White, Michael Franti and Irvine Welsh.

Danko Jones currently writes four separate bi-monthly columns for Rock Hard (Germany), Guitar For The Practicing Musician (Germany), Rockstar Magazine (Switzerland), Close-Up Magazine (Sweden), RockZone Magazine (Spain) and Lángoló Gitárok (Hungary).

Jones is also one of the characters in the book Sex Tips from Rock Stars by Paul Miles published by Omnibus Press in July 2010.

He also records and releases Podcasts which can be obtained from the band's official website and from iTunes for free. These Podcasts mainly consist of Danko reading his written Columns out.

Discography

Albums

''Born a Lion'' (2002) (Bad Taste Records / Universal Canada)

''We Sweat Blood'' (2003) (Bad Taste Records / Razor & Tie)

''Sleep Is the Enemy'' (2006) (Bad Taste Records | Aquarius Records)

''Never Too Loud'' (2008) (Bad Taste Records / Aquarius Records)

''Below the Belt'' (2010) (Bad Taste Records / Aquarius Records)

EPs and Others

''Sugar Chocolate 7"'' (1998) (Sonic Unyon)

''Danko Jones EP'' (1998) (Sonic Unyon)

''My Love Is Bold'' (1999) (Sound King / Outside Music)

''I'm Alive and on Fire'' (2001) (Bad Taste Records)

''Ritual of the Savage 10"'' (split with Gluecifer & Peter Pan Speedrock) (2003) (Drunken Maria / Suburban)

''B-Sides'' (2009) (Bad Taste Records)

''This Is Danko Jones'' (2009) (Canadian-only greatest hits release) (Emd Int'l Records)

''Having Fun on Stage with Danko Jones 7'' (2009) (Yeah Right! Records)

Singles

rowspan="2"	Year	Title	Chart Peaks	Album
! style="width:30px;"
				''I'm Alive and on Fire''
			rowspan="4"

Compilations

"The Return of Jackie and Judy", from ''The Song Ramones the Same'' (2002) (White Jazz / MNW)

"Bounce" from ''How We Rock'' (2002) (Burning Heart)

"Dr. Evening" from ''Now We Are 5'' (1998) (Sonic Unyon)

"Samuel Sin" from ''Go! 50 Canadian Punk/HC Bands'' (1996) (Fans of Bad Productions)

"I Gotta Calm Down" 7"/CD with Prog Punk band Removal

Videography

"I Think Bad Thoughts" from the album ''Below the Belt'' (2010) - by the DiamondBrothers

"Had Enough" from the album ''Below the Belt'' (2010) - by the DiamondBrothers

"Full of Regret" from the album ''Below the Belt'' (2010) - by the DiamondBrothers

"Sugar High" from the album ''B-Sides'' (2009) - Director George Vale

"King of Magazines" from the album ''Never Too Loud'' (2008) - by Nick Cross and Steve Stefanelli w/ Dave Cooper

"Code of the Road" from the album "Never Too Loud" (2008) - Director George Vale

"Take Me Home" from the album ''Never Too Loud'' (2008) - Director George Vale

''Live in Stockholm'' DVD (2006) (Live Zone / Bad Taste)

"Don't Fall in Love" from the album ''Sleep Is the Enemy'' (2006) - Director Oskar Gullstrand

"First Date" from the album ''Sleep Is The Enemy'' (2006) - Director Micah Meisner

"Baby Hates Me" from the album ''Sleep Is the Enemy'' (2006) - Director Chris Grismer

"I Love Living in the City" from the album ''We Sweat Blood'' (2004) - Director Hanna Lejonqvist

"Dance" from the album ''We Sweat Blood'' (2003) - Director Kalle Haglund

"I Want You" from the album ''We Sweat Blood'' (2003) - Director Craig Bernard

"Lovercall" from the album ''Born a Lion'' (2002) - Director Craig Bernard

"Sound of Love" from the album ''Born a Lion'' (2002) - Director Craig Bernard

"Cadillac" from the album ''I'm Alive and on Fire'' (2001) - Director Jason Romilly

"My Love Is Bold" from the E.P. ''My Love Is Bold'' (2000) - Director Jason Romilly

"Bounce" from the E.P. ''My Love Is Bold'' (2000) - Director Jason Romilly

Honours

Juno Awards

2004 Nominated, Best Rock Album (''We Sweat Blood'')

2003 Nominated, Best Video ("Lovercall")

2003 Nominated, Best Rock Album (''Born a Lion'')

2000 Nominated, Best Alternative Album (''My Love Is Bold'')

See also

Canadian rock

List of Canadian musicians

List of bands from Canada

References

External links

Danko Jones Official Band Website

Danko Jones Official MySpace Website

Danko Jones Official Twitter Page

dankojones.net - Canadian Fan Page

City Sonic: Danko Jones Film

Rock! Shock! Pop! Danko Jones Live At The Studio At Webster Hall, New York City 2/24/2011

Category:Musical groups established in 1996 Category:Black Canadian musicians Category:Canadian indie rock groups Category:Canadian hard rock musical groups Category:Musical groups from Toronto Category:Musical trios

de:Danko Jones es:Danko Jones fr:Danko Jones it:Danko Jones nl:Danko Jones no:Danko Jones pl:Danko Jones pt:Danko Jones ru:Danko Jones simple:Danko Jones fi:Danko Jones sv:Danko Jones

name	The Hep Stars
background	group_or_band
origin	Sweden
genre	Beat, psychedelic rock
years active	1963–1969
label	Olga Records
website	thehepstars.se
past members	Svenne HedlundBenny AnderssonJanne FriskCharlotte WalkerChrister PetterssonLelle Hegland
notable instruments	}}

The Hep Stars was a Swedish rock group, formed in 1963. During 1965-1966 the band was the most successful of contemporary 1960s Swedish pop groups performing in English language. Outside the Nordic countries the band is best known as a launching point for keyboard player and composer Benny Andersson who went on to enjoy worldwide success with ABBA.

The band was founded by drummer Christer "Chrille" Pettersson (d.2006) and bass guitarist Lennart "Lelle" Hegland in 1963 with keyboardist Hans Östlund and guitarist-singer Jan "Janne" Frisk joining. At their height of popularity the line-up consisted of Hegland, Pettersson, Frisk and Sven "Svenne" Hedlund on lead vocals and Benny Andersson on keyboards.

The Beginning

Upon founding the band called themselves Quartet Yep. Their repertoire included various styles of music from Latin-dance to rock in order to get as many gigs as possible in varying venues. They started to get support gigs also closing in after the headline act. Typical gig could see them playing around four hours with one set of rock. Mainly on the influence by Jan Frisk their music started to veer towards rock 'n'roll and pop. The band decided a more intriguing name was in order and on Frisk's suggestion Hep Stars was chosen. The idea came from Bill Haley song "Razzle Dazzle" line "It's the hipster's dance" with slight alteration on written form.

Hegland called to Hedlund to fill in the singer's slot for Frisk who temporarily joined to a tour backing band for some extra money for new guitar amp. The band quickly noticed Hedlund's abilities as both singer and frontman. Upon Frisk's return they shared lead vocal duties for a period of time with Frisk singing the more straightforward rockers and Hedlund dealing with the ballads.

By summer 1964 they could be performing to audiences in size of 2000. The rock-scene took a note on them after one evening in Nalen which was the most important rock-club in Sweden during 1960's. The main act failed to appear at all and originally hired to be support act Hep Stars filled in going down a storm especially among rockers (or ''raggar'' as they were known in Nordic countries) and the reputation started to spread through word-of-mouth.

At this point Hegland managed to talk musicbusiness man and Olga-recordlabel owner Åke Gerhard over to be their manager.

After the group's first single "Kana Kapila" (1964) the original keyboardist Hans Östlund was asked to leave the relations growing sour especially with Hedlund and founder member Pettersson, who left the band being fed up with squabbles. He was asked to rejoin and the band continued as a fourpiece for a short time in autumn 1964.

Hedlund owed a van and occasionally drove other bands to gigs. One of these bands was Elverkets Spelmanslag where Hedlund saw Benny Andersson performing making an impression with his quick runs and fill-ins. On Hedlund's suggestion Andersson was called for audition. In turn Andersson had earlier read a tabloid article over Hep Star's camp car they used on touring and which could take in both band and the equipment ensuring him Hep Stars had it going along with their assuring comments on the current scene.

The band was now what is considered to be the classic line-up consisting of of Sven Hedlund vocals, Jan Frisk-guitar/vocals, Benny Andersson-keyboards, Lennart Hegland-bass and Christer Pettersson-drums. The fans were soon to absorb their nicknames Svenne, Janne, Benny, Lelle and Chrille.

Breakthrough

Hep Stars recorded their next three singles in one six hours session without overdubs on three-track equipment They got a chance to perform in TV-program "Drop In" in March 1965. In April they got three songs to radiolist top 4 at the same time namely "Cadillac", "Farmer John" and "Tribute To Buddy Holly". On the sales list "Cadillac" and "Farmer" peaked #1 for one week and four weeks respectively while "Tribute" peaked number five. Svenne Hedlund became the band's figure-head and first true pop-star in Sweden the band itself being headline material in tabloids and various youth oriented magazines.

Other Swedish bands such as Tages and Shanes who largely wrote their own songs made a remark on Hep Stars using coverversions. This motivated Benny Andersson to try and write songs for the band. Also it was a hard job to try and find fresh songs to the band's repertoire. The first song he introduced to band was "No Response" which became #3 in sales list. The band was at the height of popularity especially among rock audiences during 1965-1966 with both cover and original songs. In 1966 they did 150 gigs in Sweden only. The popularity echoed rapidly and the band was highly successful also in Norway and Finland making several tours in both countries.

Mainstream success, break up

"I Natt Jag Drömde" a Swedish version of "Last Night I Had A Strangest Dream" was a massive hit in Sweden but divided the band to a degree being a folk-song. It also caused confusion among rock-oriented fans. The band continued playing up to 200 gigs in 1967. However the back-up organisation made less than adequate job with taxman and in general running of the business and problems raised their ugly heads. Also general economic situation in the country started to stagnate towards the end of 1960's. Together they forced the band to navigate towards wider audiences and showband scene. American singer Charlotte Walker joined 1968.

The direction contradicted especially with Frisk who was eventually asked to leave early 1969 due to diminishing interest. Björn Ulvaeus from Hootenanny Singers stepped in. Original member going left the band in mixed feelings and the decision was made to call it the day after fulfilling the tour contracts. The band played their last gig August 1969 after which Andersson, Ulvaeus, Walker and Hedlund left the band. It went through several line-up changes finally breaking up in early 1970s with Hegland the only original member.

Afterwards

Andersson and Ulvaeus continued with Hedlund and Walker making a show-tour with comedian Finn Alberth. After that Hedlund and Walker formed the duo Svenne & Lotta, who recorded the Swedish original of the ABBA song "Bang A Boomerang". They established themselves and enjoyed considerable success especially in Denmark and also in Mid-Europe. Having established their co-work in Hep Stars Andersson and Ulvaeus continued both as songwriting team to Polar- record company as well as duo Björn & Benny which eventually led to ABBA.

After a hiatus Frisk, Hegland and Pettersson formed Gummibandet that did three albums in the 1970s. In the 1980s, a wave of 1960s nostalgia swept Sweden and the members had a discussion about re-forming the Hep Stars. They hit onto successful tours Benneth Fagerlund replacing Andersson on keyboards. 1990 Lennart Hegland stepped down Fagerlund following the suit few years later.

For the 40th anniversary collection Cadillac Madness 40 years 40 hits 1964-2004 they re-recorded some of their hits as well as some new songs. Jan Frisk, Charlotte Walker and Sven Hedlund occasionally play concerts together with guest musicians under the Hep Stars flag.

Notes on songwriting

On the album ''The Hep Stars'' in 1966 there was "Isn't It Easy To Say", the first joint composition by Andersson and his new friend Björn Ulvaeus, then a member of the acoustic group Hootenanny Singers, who mainly sang in the Swedish language. On the same album there was another song, "No Time", written by Ulvaeus alone. "No Time" was also recorded by the Hootenanny Singers in an acoustic version. Andersson and Ulvaeus would also write two songs for the album "Hep Stars På Svenska". The songs were "Speleman" and "Precis Som Alla Andra".

Among the hits were "I natt jag drömde" (Swedish version of "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream"), Mike Berry's "Tribute to Buddy Holly" (#4, Sweden), "Malaika" (with lyrics in Swahili), "Wedding", "Consolation", "Cadillac" (#1, Sweden), "Farmer John" (#2, Sweden), "No Response" and "Sunny Girl". The group's last hit in 1969 was a cover of "Speedy Gonzales".

Discography

The Hep Stars released ten albums and 23 singles.

Albums

1965: ''We and Our Cadillac''

1965: ''Hep Stars on Stage''

1966: ''The Hep Stars''

1967: ''Jul med Hep Stars''

1968: ''Songs We Sang''

1968: ''It's Been a Long Long Time''

1969: ''Hep Stars På Svenska''

1970: ''How It All Started''

1971 ''California Maiden''

1983: ''Hep Stars, 1964-1969!''

1990: ''Bästa'' (CD only)

Singles

1964: "A Tribute to Buddy Holly" / "Bird Dog"

1964: "If You Need Me" / "Summertime Blues"

1965: "Donna" / "Farmer John"

1965: "Cadillac" / "Mashed Potatoes"

1965: "Bald Headed Woman" / "Lonesome Town"

1965: "No Response" (Andersson)/ "Rented Tuxedo"

1965: "So Mystifying" / "Young & Beautiful"

1965: "Should I" / "I'll Never Quite Get Over You"

1966: "Sunny Girl" (Andersson)/ "Hawaii"

1966: "Wedding" (Andersson-Hedlund)/ "When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again"

1966: "I Natt Jag Drömde" (Swedish version of "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream") / "Jag Vet"

1966: "Consolation" (Andersson)/ "Don't"

1967: "Malaika" / "It's So Nice To Be Back"

1967: "Christmas On my Mind" / "Jingle Bells"

1967: "Mot Okänt Land" / "Någonting Har Hänt"

1967: "She Will Love You" (Andersson-Hedlund)/ "Like You Used To Do" (Andersson-Hedlund)

1968: "It's Been A Long Long Time" / "Musty Dusty"

1968: "Det Finns En Stad" / "Sagan Om Lilla Sofi"

1968: "Let It Be Me" / "Groovy Summertime"

1968: "I Sagans Land" / "Tända På Varann"

1968: "Holiday For Clowns" / "A Flower In My Garden"

1969: "Speleman"(Andersson-Ulvaeus) / "Precis Som Alla Andra"

1969: "Speedy Gonzales" / "Är Det Inte Karlek, Säg"

With the book Cadillac Madness - den otroliga berättelsen om Hep Stars came a bonus-CD with four unpublished songs from years 1966-1967.

1. 1966 Someday Someone (Andersson-Hedlund) - Band version

2. 1966 Rag Doll (Bob Crewe-Bob Gaudio)

3. 1966 Someday Someone - spinett version

4. 1967 Massa's Mess (Benny Andersson, Lennart Fernholm, Jan Frisk, Christer Pettersson)

A stdudiojam with roadmanager Fernholm on bass

Notes

References

Hep Stars, 1964-1969 EMI Svenska AB/Olga 7C1 38-35956/7 double album liner notes

Carl Markus Palm ABBA ISBN 978-952-01-0260-9

Dan-Eric Landen, Carl Magnus Palm - Cadillac Madness, den otroliga berättelsen om Hep Stars Premium Publishing 2004 ISBN 91-89136-04-7

(In Swedish)

Jake Nyman - Onnenpäivät Suomen, Englannnin ja USA:n suosituimmat levyt vuosina 1955-1965 ISBN 951-9287-25-6 (In Finnish)

External links

Benny Before ABBA The Hep Stars International official website

Category:Musical groups established in 1963 Category:Beat groups Category:Swedish rock music groups Category:ABBA

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