Björn Afzelius
Björn Svante Afzelius (27 January 1947 – 16 February 1999) was a Swedish singer-songwriter and guitar player. He was an outspoken socialist, known for his support for Olof Palme. His songs are about love, politics and joys and sadness in life.
Björn Afzelius

Julius AB · CC BY 3.0
- Name
- Björn Afzelius
- Born
- 27 January 1947
- Birthplace
- Huskvarna, Jönköping County, Sweden
- Died
- 16 February 1999
- Place of death
- Gothenburg, Sweden
- Occupation
- singer-songwriter
- Full name
- Björn Svante Afzelius.
- Nationality
- Sweden.
- Fields
- rock and pop.
- Languages
- Swedish.
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Documentary summary
Björn Svante Afzelius (27 January 1947 – 16 February 1999) was a Swedish singer-songwriter and guitar player. He was an outspoken socialist, known for his support for Olof Palme. His songs are about love, politics and joys and sadness in life.
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Note VALÉORINE
Björn Afzelius (1947–1999) was a composer, guitarist and singer, among other activities, of Swedish nationality. The composer was born Björn Svante Afzelius in Huskvarna and died in Gothenburg. Björn Afzelius was a member of Björn Afzelius band and Hoola Bandoola Band.
The work spans pop and rock. Languages used include Swedish.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 27 September 2026
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Authority files
gnd · 3001647-2 · wikidata · Q2427845 · wikipedia · Björn Afzelius
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Björn Afzelius • Born — 27 January 1947 • Birthplace — Huskvarna, Jönköping County, Sweden • Died — 16 February 1999 • Place of death — Gothenburg, Sweden • Genre — Rock, pop, progg • Occupation — singer-songwriter • Years Active — 1970–1999 • Label — Rebelle Records, MNW, Nackswing, Amalthea, Norske Gram, Transmission, Not On Label, CMC Entertainment, PolyGram, Plateselskapet, Diesel Music, Premium Publishing • Website — bjornafzelius.com • Past Members — Hoola Bandoola Band • Illustration — Björn Afzelius grave at Västra kyrkogården in Gothenburg.
Career
Career
Björn Svante Afzelius was born on 27 January 1947 in Huskvarna, Jönköping County. His father Svante Arnold Afzelius (1923–1976) was an engineer and his mother Ulla Afzelius (1926–1971) was a housewife. His only sibling is his brother Bengt (b. 1952) who is a music teacher. He came into contact with music from a very young age, because his mother and her side of the family were largely into music. In 1970, Afzelius formed the progg group Hoola Bandoola Band together with Mikael Wiehe. Wiehe and Afzelius became very close friends and worked together long after Hoola Bandoola had dissolved in 1975. Afzelius released his first solo album in 1974, his last one in 1999. Some of his most popular songs are "Ikaros", "Tusen bitar" (Thousand pieces – which was originally recorded by Danish Anne Linnet as "Tusind Stykker"), "Sång till friheten" (Song for Freedom – which was originally recorded by Cuban Silvio Rodríguez as "El Día Feliz Que Está Llegando"), "Kungens man" (The king's man), "Tankar i Havanna" (Thoughts in Havanna) and "Till min kära" (For my dear). He died from lung cancer in 1999, 52 years old, but he remains one of the most beloved artists in Scandinavia. He wrote about 150 songs and sold over two-and-a-half million albums.
With Hoola Bandoola Band
With Hoola Bandoola Band
• 1971: Garanterat individuell • 1972: Vem kan man lita på? • 1973: På väg • 1975: Fri Information • 1975: "Stoppa matchen" (single)
Solo albums
Solo albums
• 1974: Vem är det som är rädd? • 1976: För kung och fosterland • 1978: Johnny Boy (with Björn Afzelius Band) • 1979: Bakom kulisserna (with Björn Afzelius Band) • 1979: Another Tale to Tell (with Björn Afzelius Band) • 1980: Globetrotter (with Globetrotters) • 1982: Innan tystnaden (with Globetrotters) • 1982: Danska nätter (live) (with Globetrotters) • 1984: Exil (with Globetrotters) • 1984: Afzelius; sång & gitarr (live) • 1985: Nio liv (with Globetrotters) • 1986: Grande Finale (live) (with Globetrotters) • 1986: Björn Afzelius & Mikael Wiehe (with Mikael Wiehe) • 1987: Riddarna kring runda bordet • 1988: Don Quixote • 1988: En man, en röst, en gitarr • 1990: Tusen bitar • 1991: Nidaros (live) • 1992: Afzelius, Bygren och Råstam (live) • 1994: Nära dig • 1997: Tankar vid 50 • 1999: Elsinore • 2004: Björn Afzelius & Mikael Wiehe 1993 – Malmöinspelningarna (with Mikael Wiehe) • 2011: Tusen bitar – Sånger om kärlek & rättvisa
Compilations
Compilations
• 1988: Björn Afzelius Bästa Vol I • 1988: Björn Afzelius Bästa Vol II • 1995: Björn Afzelius Bästa Vol III • 1995: Afzelius Box (Bästa Vol 1, 2, 3) • 1998: Den röda tråden – Definitivt • 2002: Den röda tråden Vol 1 • 2002: Den röda tråden Vol 2 • 2005: Björn Afzelius Bästa • 2006: Guldkorn vol.1
Identity
Identity
Björn Afzelius is recorded as composer, songwriter, singer, writer and guitarist.
Musikern mm Björn Afzelius grav på Västra kyrkogården i Göteborg. Grav nr K014, G00246.
Historiker
Musikern mm Björn Afzelius grav på Västra kyrkogården i Göteborg. Grav nr K014, G00246.
Historiker
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1999
Björn Afzelius died at Gothenburg.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Huskvarna.
Birth place
Gothenburg.
Death place
Death and legacy
Afzelius died on 16 February 1999 in Gothenburg. The Björn Afzelius International Culture Foundation (BAIK) was set up in his honour. The foundation has in the past sponsored a prize known as the Freemuse Award, which recognises an individual or organisation that "has worked for freedom of musical expression in a remarkable way". The award is given by Freemuse. Winners of the Freemuse Award include: • 2008: Tiken Jah Fakoly, Ivorian reggae singer exiled from Côte d'Ivoire owing to his outspokenness about political corruption • 2009: Pete Seeger, American folk singer and activist • 2010: Joint winners, Iranian singer Mahsa Vahdat and Turkish-Kurdish singer and activist Ferhat Tunç • 2011: Ramy Essam, who provided the soundtrack for the Arab Spring at Tahrir Square, Cairo, Egypt • 2013: Festival au Désert, founded and directed by Manny Ansar • 2016: Lavon Volski, Belarusian rock musician • 2017: Zohra, the first and only Afghan women’s orchestra In 2021, the Freemuse Freedom of Artistic Expression Award was opened for nominations.
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 3001647-2, Symposium in Honor of Björn Afzelius on the Occasion of His Sixtieth Birthday (1985 : Stockholm).
Unverified · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q2427845: Björn Afzelius
Unverified · Wikidata
reference work
- “Björn Afzelius”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Literature
Scholarly footprint
A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Björn Afzelius – Biography & History. AllMusic.
- 2.Freemuse Award winner: 'Festival in the Desert' in Mali. Mimeta. 6 February 2013.
- 3.Funkeson, Kristina. Freemuse: Freemuse Award to Tiken Jah Fakoly. Freemuse. 9 March 2008.
- 4.Moss, Mark D. Exiled Reggae Singer Awarded Freemuse Award. Sing Out!. 6 March 2008.
- 5.Moss, Mark D. Freemuse Award Winners 2010. Sing Out!. 26 March 2010.
- 6.Ramy Essam Receives Freemuse Award 2011. World Music Network. 21 November 2011.
- 7.Festival in the Desert Wins Freemuse Award. Afropop Worldwide. 11 February 2013.
- 8.CADAL nominates the Movimiento San Isidro for the Freemuse Award for Freedom of Artistic Expression 2021. CADAL.
- 9.Freemuse. Artists at Risk Connection (ARC). 14 July 2021.
- 10.Freemuse Freedom of Artistic Expression Award 2021 - call for nominations. ASEF culture360. 24 June 2021.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 3001647-2, Symposium in Honor of Björn Afzelius on the Occasion of His Sixtieth Birthday (1985 : Stockholm).Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Partially resolvedauthority record
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Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 15 August 2026.
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