Hootenanny Singers
For the first decade of Polar’s existence, no group was more successful than the Hootenanny Singers. Counting ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus among its members, the group started out as a folk music combo, branching out into light-pop, and even some 1960s-style beat music.
Hootenanny Singers were the first signings to Polar, being discovered by label founders Stig Anderson and Bengt Bernhag in 1963. The band was an immediate hit act, touring constantly, and achieving major hits with Swedish folk-style songs. They also hit the charts with cover versions of foreign material and pop songs such as Baby Those Are The Rules, written by Björn Ulvaeus in 1966. So important was the band to the label that they continued recording, with Björn as a member, even after ABBA had won the Eurovision Song Contest with Waterloo in 1974.
Photo: Bengt H. Malmqvist © Premium Rockshot