Jan Johansson

Born on September 16, 1931 in Söderhamn, Hälsingland, Sweden, Jan Johansson was a Swedish jazz pianist. He isn’t well-known outside of Scandinavia but his album Jazz på svenska is the best-selling jazz album in Sweden’s history. His best-known song is “Here Comes Pippi Longstocking”, the theme to the popular Swedish television series. He is also known as the father of Hammerfall drummer Anders Johansson and Stratovarius keyboardist Jens Johansson. Jan Johansson’s musical career began as a child when he studied classical piano. He would later become proficient on guitar, accordion, and organ. After meeting Stan Getz while attending university, he chose to pursue playing music full time. He worked with many American jazz musicians and was the first European musician to be invited to play with Jazz at the Philharmonic. He began recording as a bandleader in 1959 and 1960, which were later gathered together on the Younger Than Springtime release. His albums include 8 Bitar (1961), Rörelser (1963), In Pleno (1964), Jazz på svenska (1964), Jazz på ryska (1967), and Jazz på ungerska (1968). Jan Johansson died on November 9, 1968 in a car accident on his way to play concert in Jönköping, Sweden.

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