Joey Tempest facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joey Tempest
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Tempest performing in 2018
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Rolf Magnus Joakim Larsson |
| Born | 19 August 1963 Upplands Väsby, Stockholm, Sweden |
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| Years active | 1979–present |
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Joey Tempest, whose real name is Rolf Magnus Joakim Larsson, is a famous Swedish musician. He was born on August 19, 1963. He is best known as the lead singer of the rock band Europe. Joey wrote many of the band's biggest hits. These include "The Final Countdown", "Rock the Night", and "Carrie".
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Growing Up
Rolf Magnus Joakim Larsson was born in Stockholm, Sweden. When he was eight, he loved listening to music. He would record songs from the radio or TV. Then he would listen to them again and again.
He learned to play the piano. A friend of his dad's taught him three basic chords on his sister's guitar. These chords were A, D, and E.
Joey also played sports like football and ice hockey. He even raced go-karts! He once finished fourth in a big Swedish championship. Like other members of Europe, Joey grew up in Upplands Väsby. This is a suburb of Stockholm.
His favorite bands were Thin Lizzy and Led Zeppelin. As a teenager, Joey played in several bands. Some of these were Jet, Blazer, and Roxanne. He sang and also played rhythm guitar or bass in these early bands.
Music Career
Forming Europe
In 1979, Rolf Larsson started performing. He chose the stage name "Joey Tempest". This name was inspired by a play called The Tempest by William Shakespeare. It also came from a song by the band Kansas.
He formed a band called Force with guitarist John Norum, bassist Peter Olsson, and drummer Tony Reno. They quickly became popular in Stockholm. In 1982, they changed their name to Europe. They won a music contest called Rock-SM. The prize was a record deal.
With Joey as the lead singer, Europe released their first album in 1983. It was called Europe. Their second album, Wings of Tomorrow, came out in 1984. Joey played keyboards on these first two albums. Later, the band decided to get a full-time keyboard player, Mic Michaeli.
Europe's Big Hits
Joey Tempest wrote many international hit songs for Europe. "The Final Countdown" was their biggest hit. It reached number one in 26 countries. It sold 15 million copies worldwide.
This song was played at the closing of the 1987 EuroBasket and the 1988 Summer Olympics. It even became the theme song for millennium celebrations. Many people used it as a ringtone on their phones.
After The Final Countdown, Europe released two more albums. These were Out of This World (1988) and Prisoners in Paradise (1991). The band then stopped performing together in March 1992. They did not play again until New Year's Eve, 1999.
Solo Music
In 1995, Joey Tempest released his first solo album. It was called A Place to Call Home. He described it as his "singer/songwriter album." The album was recorded in Stockholm and London. John Norum, his bandmate from Europe, played on one song. Joey also played guitar on the album.
A Place to Call Home sold very well in Sweden and other countries. It went platinum in Sweden. Joey then went on his first solo tour in Europe. He was even nominated for a Grammy award in Sweden.
His second solo album, Azalea Place, came out in 1997. This album was recorded in Nashville, USA. Joey wrote songs for this album with other musicians. He said Azalea Place was more experimental. The song "The Match" from this album was played a lot on Swedish radio. The album also achieved gold status.
In 2002, Joey released his third solo album. It was simply called Joey Tempest. He worked with different producers and musicians on this album. Some songs on this album were inspired by his time living in London. He also wrote about his home country, Sweden.
Europe's Return
After almost 12 years, Europe announced they were getting back together. The same members who made The Final Countdown reunited. In 2004, they released a new album called Start from the Dark.
Since then, Europe has released several more albums. These include Secret Society (2006), Last Look at Eden (2009), Bag of Bones (2012), War of Kings (2015), and Walk the Earth (2017).
Personal Life
Joey Tempest lives in London with his wife, Lisa Joy Worthington. They have two sons, James Joakim (born 2007) and Jack Johnston Larsson (born 2014).
In 2009, Joey talked about living in London with Bruce Dickinson on his radio show. Joey does not use social media pages himself. The only social media for him are the official pages for the band Europe.
When asked if he was embarrassed by his old hairstyles and clothes, Joey said no. He explained that they were young and part of the MTV generation. He just wanted to look like Robert Plant, a famous rock singer.
Albums
Solo Albums
- A Place to Call Home (1995)
- Azalea Place (1997)
- Joey Tempest (2002)
Albums with Europe
- Europe (1983)
- Wings of Tomorrow (1984)
- The Final Countdown (1986)
- Out of This World (1988)
- Prisoners in Paradise (1991)
- Start from the Dark (2004)
- Secret Society (2006)
- Last Look at Eden (2009)
- Bag of Bones (2012)
- War of Kings (2015)
- Walk the Earth (2017)
Images for kids
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Tempest performing in 2018
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