It’s Friday!
Meet Erkki Liikanen (pronounced Ree-kee Lik-on,) Finland’s greatest musician, here performing his biggest hit, Meiä Veera (My Cauliflower.) Discovered while eating a herring sundae at Schwab’s Drug Store in Helsinki, he went on to become the biggest selling singer in Finnish history. In 1970 alone, he had more number one hits than The Beatles and Elvis Presley had in their entire careers…combined.
On May 23, 1975, he married Princess Marjatta, the only daughter of Frederick I, king of Finland only to file for divorce from her three weeks later after a very public fight between the two on the red carpet at The Holkkies, the Finnish version of the Oscars. In the divorce settlement, he walked away with half the Crown Jewels of Finland and the title “Archduke of Northern Savonia,” an honor he holds to this day.
And groovy? Well, just take a look. He started an international fashion craze by combining a sleeveless t-shirt with high-waisted pants, a look that is still popular today in some rural areas of Scandinavia. In addition, his back-up dancers, The Erliiks (pronounced Ree-liks) have been credited with influencing the choreography of everyone from Michael Jackson to Paula Abdul to Psy. One look and it will be obvious.
Have a great April and a groovy Friday!
- Groovy Friday Remembers Burt Bacharach - February 9, 2023
- Groovy Friday remembers GF alumnus Olivia Newton John - August 8, 2022
- The Day I Married Shirley MacLaine - November 21, 2021
