Benny Andersson, born 1946 in Stockholm, Sweden, is a Swedish composer and musician best known as the keyboardist and accordionist of ABBA. After the group split in 1982, he focused on songwriting with Björnâ¯Ulvaeus and coâfounded the folk ensemble Orsaâ¯Spelmän in 1987. In 2001 he launched Benny Anderssons Orkester, a 16âmember band that blends traditional Swedish folk with dansband style, and released its selfâtitled debut album on 28â¯Juneâ¯2001, which entered the Swedish charts at Numberâ¯1 and remained there for more than a year before achieving platinum status. The followâup BAO! (25â¯Juneâ¯2004) replicated that success. The third studio effort, BAOâ¯3 (24â¯Octoberâ¯2007), featured more vocal tracks but did not match the commercial impact of its predecessors. In 2009 the band issued the international album Story of a Heart, reârecording earlier material in English and charting in Norway and the United Kingdom. In 2011 Oâ¯Klangâ¯Ochâ¯Jubeltid returned to the top of the Swedish charts, earning a third platinum certification and a Grammis award for Dansband of the Year. The 2012 live release BAOâ¯PÃ¥â¯Turné also received a Grammis. Subsequent releases include the 2012 Christmas album Tomtenâ¯Harâ¯Ã ktâ¯Hem, the 2016 studio album Mittâ¯Hjärtaâ¯Klapparâ¯Förâ¯Dig, and a boxed set of earlier work, all of which entered the Swedish Topâ¯5. The group continued to perform and record, maintaining a prominent position in Swedish popular music.
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