Vexi Salmi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vexi Salmi
Vexi Salmi in 2009
Background information
Birth name	Veikko Olavi Salmi
Also known as	Bertil Berg, Bill Black, Lars Luode, Leo Länsi, Antero Ollikainen, PA, Pasi Penttilä, Rudolf Van Pornoff, Emil Retee, Emil von Retee, Irja Tähde
Born	(1942-09-21)21 September 1942 Hämeenlinna, Finland
Died	8 September 2020(2020-09-08) (aged 77) Helsinki, Finland
Occupation(s)	Lyricist
Years active	1965–2020

Veikko Olavi "Vexi" Salmi (born September 21, 1942 – died September 8, 2020) was a famous lyricist from Finland. He wrote the words for many popular songs. These songs were sung by well-known artists like Irwin Goodman, Jari Sillanpää, and Katri Helena.

Vexi Salmi started his career in the 1960s. He continued writing lyrics until he passed away. He wrote over 4,000 songs during his career. More than 2,400 of these songs were recorded. Besides song lyrics, he also wrote several books and a poetry collection. He even worked as a judge on a TV show about music lyrics called Biisikärpänen.

In 1993, Salmi received the Juha Vainio Writer's Award. This award honored his long and successful work as a lyricist. Another music writing award, the Vexi Salmi Award, was named after him in 2003.

Biography

Early Life

Vexi Salmi was born in Hämeenlinna, Finland. His birthday was on September 21, 1942. His father worked as a carpenter, and his mother worked in a factory. Vexi was their second child. His older sister was five years older than him.

When he was young, Vexi became good friends with Antti Hammarberg. They grew up on the same street. As children, they wrote their first song together. It was a funny song about their neighbor. Antti Hammarberg later became a popular singer known as Irwin Goodman. Vexi Salmi wrote the lyrics for most of Goodman's songs. He also helped manage Goodman's career. Their friendship lasted until Goodman's death in 1991.

Career Highlights

In the mid-1960s, Vexi Salmi worked for the Musiikki-Fazer record company. He became a professional lyricist. This meant he wrote song lyrics for a living. He also translated popular international songs into Finnish. The company's manager, Toivo Kärki, helped him learn. Kärki taught him for five years. He even made Salmi read a book about poetry and learn musical notes.

While at Fazer, Salmi wrote many hit songs. He wrote two winning songs for the Syksyn sävel song contest. These songs were for Irwin Goodman. In 1974, he also wrote lyrics for three songs hoping to enter the Eurovision Song Contest. One successful song was "Anna kaikkien kukkien kukkia."

Yleisradio, Finland's broadcasting company, sometimes did not allow some of Goodman's songs on the radio. This was because of their lyrics, often written by Salmi. For example, the song "Ei tippa tapa" was not allowed. Yleisradio thought its lyrics were not suitable for everyone.

Salmi left Fazer in 1977. He wanted to be a production manager but did not get the job. So, he started his own record company, Levytuottajat Oy. Many famous artists recorded music for his company. In the 1980s, his company produced several albums that sold very well. These albums earned "gold record" awards.

When Irwin Goodman became popular again in 1984, Salmi wrote lyrics for his songs once more. In 1988, Goodman's album Rentun ruusu became very popular. In the same year, Salmi also worked on Kirka's album Surun pyyhit silmistäni. This album sold 210,000 copies. It was the best-selling album in Finland at that time.

The early 1990s were tough for Salmi's companies. Both Levytuottajat Oy and Flamingo Music went out of business in 1996. After that, Salmi worked as a freelance writer. He wrote many books, biographies, and a book of poems.

Later Years

Vexi Salmi passed away on September 8, 2020. He was 77 years old. He died from a fast-moving illness.

Famous Songs

Vexi Salmi wrote and translated lyrics for hundreds of songs. Here are some of his popular hits:

• "Seine" (Tarja Lunnas)
• "Rentun ruusu" (Irwin Goodman)
• "Surun pyyhit silmistäni" (Kirka)
• "Elämän valttikortit" (Ahti Lampi)
• "Ruusu joka vuodesta" (Reijo Taipale)
• "Sydämeeni joulun teen" (Vesa-Matti Loiri)
• "Kaduilla tuulee" (Jari Sillanpää)
• "Ei tippa tapa" (Goodman)
• "St. Pauli ja Reeperbahn" (Goodman)
• "Poing poing poing" (Goodman)
• "Ryysyranta" (Goodman)
• "Lievestuoreen Liisa" (Goodman)
• "Huilumies" (Loiri)
• "Eviva Espanja" (Marion Rung)
• "Mahtava peräsin ja pulleat purjeet" (Solistiyhtye Suomi)
• "Vaskikellot" (Antti Huovila)
• "Yksinäinen pitkä tie" (Janne Tulkki)
• "Prinsessa" (Laura Voutilainen)
• "Asfalttiviidakko" (Anne Mattila)
• "Katson sineen taivaan" (Katri Helena)
• "Nainen, poliisi ja taksi" (Leo Jokela)
• "Kung Fu taistelee" (Frederik)

See also

In Spanish: Vexi Salmi para niños