Artist's albums
Elämän Virta
2001 · album
40 Suosituinta
2001 · album
Tangot
2001 · album
Musiikin tähtihetkiä 12 - Reijo Taipale
2001 · album
Kulkukoirat
2000 · album
Jäi Yöstä Muisto Vain
1998 · album
Orvokkiseppele
1997 · album
Saapuuko Hän
1996 · album
Elämän virta - 15 unohtumatonta sävelmää
2012 · album
Tähtisarja - 30 Suosikkia / Tangomestarit
2012 · album
Taipaleen tie
2010 · album
Muistojen Polku
2008 · album
Elämän lanka
2008 · single
Kymmenen ruusua
2008 · single
Collections
2008 · album
Tähtisarja - 30 Suosikkia
2008 · album
40 Unohtumatonta Laulua - Tangot & Valssit
2007 · album
Sateen hiljainen ääni
2006 · single
Sateen Hiljainen Ääni
2006 · album
Nostalgia
2005 · album
Unohtumattomat 3
2005 · album
Unohtumattomat 2
2004 · album
Suomi Huiput
2003 · album
Suomi Huiput
2003 · album
Ihan Kuin Nuo Toiset
2003 · album
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Biography
Reijo Taipale is a popular Finnish iskelmä (schlager) performer, best known and most loved for his tangos. Finnish schlager music, unlike its Central European cousin, is often represented by melancholy and melodramatic ballads and frequently includes elements of both Nordic folk music and Argentine tangos. Reijo Taipale was born March 9, 1940, to a farming family. He started singing at age 12, and in the following decade he was very successful in local singing competitions. His idol was Olavi Virta, perhaps the finest tango singer ever from Finland. One of Taipale's first hits was the quintessential 1962 recording of the classic Finnish tango "Satumaa" (Dreamland). This Unto Mononen song was even covered by Frank Zappa later on, and popular songs referencing the song were successfully released in the 2000s by Maija Vilkkumaa and Tuomari Nurmio. Taipale has said he has performed the song over 6,000 times in concert since his initial recording. The singer was very successful for most of the '60s, but during the following decade, his studio recordings started losing sales. Taipale has always been, regardless of his chart success, in high demand for group dance events. Dancing is a traditional and very popular pastime in Finland, and these ballroom dances (in name, mostly, as the events are also held on large outdoor stages in the summer) often feature tangos, waltzes, foxtrot, jive, samba, rhumba, and many other styles, as well as variations and combinations of the above. Taipale consistently continues to tour around Finland, performing at usually a dozen or more monthly events. Since the '80s his main collaborator has been accordionist Erkki Friman. Taipale's bad luck with studio material held until the mid-'80s, at which time his collection Ruusu Joka Vuodesta (A Rose for Each Year) sold gold and was then followed by a series of highly popular recordings. He has recorded with the Shadows-like instrumental band Mustangs, and he made a platinum-selling duet album, Kulkukoirat (Stray Dogs), with the modern schlager singer Topi Sorsakoski. He has also ventured into pop music by recording a translation of the popular Swedish band Kent's song "Dom Andra." For decades now, Reijo Taipale has been a strong proponent of Finnish tango and has performed his style of traditional Finnish music all over the world, from South America to Russia. ~ JT Lindroos, Rovi