Swedish pop star and actor Ted Gärdestad was born February 18, 1956. His show business career began early, appearing on television as an accordionist at age 6, and playing his own songs just two years later. He found success as a ten-year-old acting in the program A Small Town at the Turn of the Century. A child star as well as a promising young tennis player, Gärdestad decided instead to try a career in music. He sent homemade demos, co-written by his brother Kenneth who would remain a creative partner throughout his career, to Polar Music, who teamed him with their producers Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, half of the future superstar group ABBA. At 15 he recorded and released his first singles, “Hela världen runt” and “Jag vill ha en egen mane”. Coupled with his appealing looks, he became a teen idol in Sweden. His 1972 debut album, Undringar, was a success, and his sophomore effort, 1973’s Ted, produced one of the biggest hits of his career, “Sol, vind och vatten”. An attempt to break him in America, 1977’s English language Blue Virgin Isles, failed to connect with a broader audience and fizzled quickly in Sweden. Gärdestad’s 1979 soft rock love song “Satellit” became the Swedish entry at that year’s Eurovision contest and became a top ten hit in his home country. He retired in the early 80s, though he made occasional live appearances in the 90s. He died June 22, 1997 when he jumped in front of a train. His music was rediscovered by a new generation years later, and he became an so iconic that a biopic was made of his life in 2018.
