Rising from the Stockholm suburbs underneath their authentic moniker Power, the Swedish rock collective that will ultimately turn out to be often known as Europe has undergone quite a few lineup transformations since their inception in 1979. The band obtained a significant breakthrough in Sweden in 1982 by successful the televised competitors Rock-SM (Swedish Rock Championships), launching a profession that has spanned over 4 many years. Since their formation, Europe has launched eleven studio albums, three reside albums, three compilations and twenty-four music movies.
Europe rose to worldwide fame within the Nineteen Eighties with their third album, 1986’s The Ultimate Countdown, which turned a worldwide phenomenon and established their place in rock historical past. Europe has offered over 25 million data worldwide and achieved important chart success with two prime 20 albums on the Billboard 200 chart (The Ultimate Countdown and Out of This World) and three prime 30 singles on the Billboard Scorching 100 chart.
Europe went on hiatus in 1992, reunited quickly for a one-off efficiency in Stockholm on New 12 months’s Eve 1999 and introduced an official reunion in 2003. The band has continued to evolve musically whereas sustaining their core id, proving their lasting energy within the worldwide rock scene.
Joey Tempest
Born Rolf Magnus Joakim Larsson on August 19, 1963, Joey Tempest has remained the fixed vocal drive of Europe all through their total profession. He created the stage title “Joey Tempest” in 1979, impressed by William Shakespeare’s tragicomedy The Tempest in addition to the track “Sparks of the Tempest” by American progressive rock band Kansas. Tempest fashioned the band Power with guitarist John Norum, bassist Peter Olsson and drummer Tony Reno within the Stockholm suburb of Upplands Väsby.
Throughout Europe’s early years, Tempest wore a number of hats as each vocalist and keyboardist. He performed the keyboards on the primary two Europe albums earlier than the band determined to recruit keyboardist Mic Michaeli in April 1984. This transformation allowed Tempest to focus completely on his vocal efficiency and stage presence, which turned essential to the band’s reside attraction.
Tempest’s songwriting prowess turned evident early within the band’s profession and would outline their biggest successes. “The Ultimate Countdown” turned their signature achievement, topping the gross sales chart in 26 international locations and promoting 15 million copies. The track was performed on the closing ceremony of the 1987 EuroBasket and 1988 Summer time Olympics and have become the musical theme of the millennium celebrations.
Past his work with Europe, Tempest maintained a profitable solo profession through the band’s hiatus interval from 1992 to 2003. His debut solo effort, A Place to Name Residence, was launched in 1995 and went platinum in Sweden whereas promoting properly internationally. This was adopted by Azalea Place in 1997 and a self-titled album in 2002, with a number of songs on the third album co-written by Europe bandmate Mic Michaeli.
Lately, Tempest has expanded his collaborative efforts past Europe and his solo work. In 2024, he appeared on Swedish progressive rock and metallic band Opeth’s album The Final Will and Testomony, offering visitor backing vocals. He at present resides in London together with his household and stays actively concerned in Europe’s ongoing actions.
John Norum
John Norum stands as one of many founding members and the unique guitarist who helped form Europe’s distinctive sound throughout their most commercially profitable interval. Born on February 23, 1964, Norum co-founded Power alongside Joey Tempest in 1979 and remained with the band by means of their transformation into Europe and their rise to worldwide stardom.
The band’s early success was constructed on Norum’s guitar basis. In 1982, when Tempest’s girlfriend entered Power within the Swedish rock expertise contest Rock-SM, they competed towards 4000 bands and received thanks to 2 songs, “Within the Future to Come” and “The King Will Return.” Norum received the person award for Finest Guitarist, establishing his repute early in his profession.
His guitar work was instrumental in defining Europe’s sound on their first three albums, together with the breakthrough success of The Ultimate Countdown. Nonetheless, inventive variations led to his departure in October 1986. “I didn’t actually just like the route the band was getting into,” Norum defined. “We turned this teeny-bopper, bubblegum band and I hated that entire picture, the spandex, poodle-rock kind of factor. I used to be extra into the heavier, guitar-oriented stuff and it appeared just like the keyboards had been taking on increasingly more.”
Following his departure, Norum pursued a profitable solo profession, releasing a number of albums and collaborating with varied artists. His solo work showcased a heavier, extra blues-influenced fashion that mirrored his private musical preferences. He maintained some connection to his Europe roots by means of collaborations, together with working with Tempest on the one “We Will Be Robust” from Norum’s album Face the Fact in 1992.
When Europe reunited in 2003, Norum returned as the only guitarist, and the band switched again to The Ultimate Countdown lineup. His return marked a brand new chapter for the band, contributing to their continued success and inventive evolution into the twenty first century.
Peter Olsson
Peter Olsson served as Europe’s authentic bassist throughout their adolescence as Power, taking part in an important function within the band’s early improvement from 1979 to 1981. The primary incarnation of the band got here collectively in Upplands Väsby, Stockholm, with Olsson becoming a member of vocalist Joey Tempest, guitarist John Norum, and drummer Tony Reno because the founding quartet.
Throughout his tenure with the band, Olsson contributed to their early sound and helped set up their presence within the Stockholm rock scene. Nonetheless, because the band’s ambitions grew and their musical requirements advanced, limitations in Olsson’s taking part in turned obvious. As John Levén later defined when discussing his becoming a member of the band, “Peter Olsson had performed a giant half in placing Power collectively. The difficulty was that he wasn’t an excellent musician. Power had turn out to be actually in style, regardless that that they had a bassist that couldn’t play.”
Olsson left the band in 1981 and was changed by John Levén. He briefly returned for a brief interval when Levén quickly joined Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Power, however this association lasted solely three months earlier than Levén returned completely to Power/Europe.
Following his time with Europe, Olsson stepped away from the music trade highlight. Little info is accessible about his subsequent musical endeavors or profession path outdoors of his foundational contribution to what would turn out to be certainly one of Sweden’s most profitable rock bands.
Tony Reno
Tony Reno, born Tony Niemistö, served as Europe’s authentic drummer throughout their early years as Power and into their preliminary transformation as Europe from 1979 to 1984. As one of many founding members alongside Joey Tempest, John Norum, and Peter Olsson, Reno was instrumental in establishing the band’s early sound and serving to them construct their repute within the Stockholm rock scene.
Reno carried out with the band throughout their essential developmental interval, together with their participation in and victory on the Rock-SM competitors in 1982 that launched their skilled profession. This victory was important not just for the band’s future but in addition established the person skills inside the group, with each Tempest and Norum receiving particular person awards.
Nonetheless, because the band advanced and their dedication ranges intensified, points arose with Reno’s dedication to the group. Tony Reno was fired in 1984 due to his lack of motivation and alleged slacking off on rehearsals. Based on bassist Peter Olsson, Reno was even changed by a drum machine on some album recordings, suggesting that his drumming contributions had turn out to be problematic earlier than his official departure.
His substitute was Ian Haugland in 1984, who introduced the vitality and dedication that the band required as they ready for his or her worldwide breakthrough. After leaving Europe, Reno largely disappeared from the general public music scene, and there’s restricted info accessible about his subsequent profession or musical actions.
Marcel Jacob
Marcel Jacob had a short however notable stint as Europe’s bassist throughout a transitional interval in 1981, serving as a short lived substitute when the band was nonetheless working underneath the title Power. Jacob’s involvement with the band occurred throughout a interval of great lineup modifications, when John Levén had quickly left to hitch Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Power.
Jacob stepped in when the band wanted a bassist, as Malmsteen’s former bassist stuffed the function that Levén had vacated. Nonetheless, this association proved to be short-lived. After solely three months, Levén apparently had points with Malmsteen and determined to return to Power, main Jacob to commerce locations again to Malmsteen’s band.
Throughout his transient time with Power, Jacob contributed to their continued improvement as they ready for what would turn out to be their breakthrough interval. Though his tenure was brief, it demonstrated the fluid nature of the Swedish rock scene on the time and the interconnected relationships between varied bands and musicians.
Following his transient interval with Europe, Jacob went on to have a profitable profession within the Swedish and worldwide metallic scene, changing into significantly well-known for his work with the band Talisman and varied different initiatives. His legacy in Swedish rock music was substantial, incomes him recognition as certainly one of Sweden’s premier bass gamers within the arduous rock and metallic genres.
Tragically, on July 21, 2009, Marcel Jacob dedicated suicide on the age of 45. His dying was a big loss to the Swedish rock and metallic group, the place he was revered as a proficient musician who had contributed to quite a few profitable recordings and reside performances all through his profession.
John Levén
John Levén has served as Europe’s bassist since 1981 and represents one of many band’s most constant and enduring members, having carried out on each studio album within the band’s catalog. Born John Gunnar Levén on October 25, 1963, in Stockholm, he joined the band in 1981, changing Peter Olsson throughout their Power period. When he was seven years outdated, his household moved to the suburb Upplands Väsby, the place a number of members of Europe grew up.
Levén’s musical journey started early, and his childhood influences formed his taking part in fashion. His first albums had been from Kiss and The Candy, and he later found Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Rush, Black Sabbath, UFO, and Skinny Lizzy. He initially performed guitar in varied native bands earlier than transitioning to bass when John Norum and Joey Tempest requested him to hitch their group.
One in all Levén’s most important contributions to Europe’s legacy got here in 1985 when he recommended that Tempest ought to write a track based mostly on an outdated keyboard riff that the vocalist had written round 1981-82. The end result was “The Ultimate Countdown,” which turned the band’s signature track and largest worldwide hit.
Throughout Europe’s hiatus from 1992 to 2003, Levén remained lively within the music scene, working with varied initiatives that helped him develop as a musician. He recorded and toured with bands like Brazen Abbot, Clockwise, Final Autumn’s Dream, Southpaw, fellow Europe colleague John Norum, and former Black Sabbath/Deep Purple vocalist Glenn Hughes.
When Europe reunited in 2003, Levén expanded his function within the band’s inventive course of. He co-wrote the one “At all times the Pretenders” from the 2006 album Secret Society with Tempest, demonstrating his progress as a songwriter. His regular presence and musical consistency have been instrumental in sustaining Europe’s id by means of their varied evolutionary phases.
Mic Michaeli
Mic Michaeli, born Gunnar Mathias Michaeli on November 11, 1962, joined Europe in 1984 and has since turn out to be an integral a part of the band’s sound and songwriting course of. Like most of the different Europe members, he grew up in Stockholm suburb Upplands Väsby, which created a pure connection to the band’s core.
Michaeli joined the band for his or her Wings of Tomorrow tour in 1984, taking vocalist Joey Tempest’s place behind the keyboards. His addition to the band marked a big evolution of their sound, permitting Tempest to focus completely on vocals and stage presence whereas including subtle keyboard preparations to their compositions.
His most important songwriting contribution got here with the creation of certainly one of Europe’s largest hits. Michaeli co-wrote the hit ballad “Carrie” from the album The Ultimate Countdown with Tempest, and it turned Europe’s largest hit within the U.S., reaching quantity 3 on the Billboard Scorching 100 chart. Past “Carrie,” Michaeli has contributed to quite a few different Europe compositions, serving to to outline their melodic sensibilities and harmonic complexity.
Throughout Europe’s hiatus interval from 1992 to 2003, Michaeli pursued varied musical initiatives that expanded his creative horizons. He recorded and toured with bands like Brazen Abbot, Final Autumn’s Dream, and former Black Sabbath/Deep Purple vocalist Glenn Hughes. His work with Glenn Hughes was significantly notable, because it allowed him to discover totally different musical kinds and work with a legendary vocalist.
Michaeli additionally maintained his inventive partnership with Joey Tempest through the band’s inactive interval. He co-wrote three songs on Tempest’s third solo album, Joey Tempest, which was launched in 2002, demonstrating their continued musical chemistry even outdoors the Europe framework.
Since Europe’s reunion in 2003, Michaeli has remained a driving drive of their inventive course of. He has contributed to their continued evolution and helped them preserve their relevance within the modern rock scene, together with his keyboard work remaining central to the band’s distinctive sound.
Ian Haugland
Ian Haugland, born Jan-Håkan Haugland on August 13, 1964, in Norway, turned Europe’s drummer in 1984 and has been a cornerstone of the band’s rhythm part ever since. When he was eight months outdated, his household moved to the Stockholm suburb of Märsta, Sweden, the place he developed his musical pursuits and ultimately turned a part of the Swedish rock scene.
Haugland joined Europe in the summertime of 1984, changing Tony Reno at an important time because the band was getting ready for his or her worldwide breakthrough. His timing was excellent, as his vitality and dedication aligned with the band’s rising skilled calls for and ambitions.
Earlier than becoming a member of Europe, Haugland had gained worthwhile expertise with different notable bands and initiatives. He had performed in a number of bands, together with Trilogy, the place Candlemass bassist Leif Edling sang, and Yngwie J. Malmsteen’s band Rising Power. This expertise with high-profile musicians helped put together him for the calls for of working with Europe throughout their most profitable interval.
His drumming fashion and vitality turned integral to Europe’s sound through the recording of The Ultimate Countdown and subsequent albums. Haugland’s highly effective and exact taking part in offered the rhythmic basis that supported the band’s more and more subtle compositions and preparations.
Throughout Europe’s hiatus from 1992 to 2003, Haugland remained extremely lively within the music trade. He recorded and toured with bands like Brazen Abbot, Clockwise, Final Autumn’s Dream, fellow Europe colleague John Norum, and former Black Sabbath/Deep Purple vocalist Glenn Hughes. In 1998, he recorded a canopy model of the Black Sabbath track “Modifications” for the Ozzy Osbourne tribute album Ozzified.
Past his drumming profession, Haugland has diversified his skilled actions. When he’s not on the street or within the studio, he works as a number on the radio channel 106.7 FM Rockklassiker in Stockholm. This radio work has allowed him to remain related to the music trade and share his data and fervour for rock music with audiences in Sweden.
Kee Marcello
Kee Marcello, born Kjell Hilding Lövbom on February 20, 1960, served as Europe’s guitarist from 1986 to 1992, changing John Norum through the band’s business peak and contributing to a few of their most profitable albums. His arrival got here at a essential juncture when the band wanted to take care of their momentum following Norum’s departure.
Earlier than becoming a member of Europe, Marcello had established himself within the Swedish rock scene by means of varied bands. He performed in teams equivalent to Stetson Cody Group, Norbom Hilke, and Noice earlier than forming Simple Motion in 1982. Simple Motion achieved important success, changing into the primary Scandinavian band to signal a worldwide main label take care of a US label by means of Warner’s Sire Information in 1983.
Marcello’s connection to Europe predated his membership within the band. He had beforehand collaborated with Europe vocalist Joey Tempest on the vastly profitable single “Give a Helpin’ Hand” for the charity undertaking Swedish Steel Assist. He additionally produced this platinum-selling report, which gave Tempest his first hit single and sure influenced the choice to ask Marcello to turn out to be the brand new guitarist.
When Kee Marcello was requested to interchange Norum, he joined the band at its business peak. With Europe, Marcello recorded two studio albums that achieved important business success: Out of This World and Prisoners in Paradise. His guitar work on these albums helped preserve Europe’s business momentum and showcased his skill to mix with the band’s established sound whereas including his personal musical persona.
Following Europe’s hiatus in 1992, Marcello pursued an intensive solo profession and varied musical initiatives. He launched into his solo profession in 1995 with the discharge of his first solo album Shine On, and has continued releasing solo materials, together with his fifth album Scaling Up launched by Frontiers Information in October 2016.
When Europe reunited in 2003 with John Norum, Marcello determined to not be a part of the reunion, selecting as an alternative to give attention to his solo profession and different musical endeavors. Since leaving Europe, he has remained lively within the music trade by means of varied initiatives, collaborations, and solo releases, establishing himself as a revered guitarist past his affiliation with Europe.
