Born: November 3rd, 1911, Fristad (Sweden)
Died: April 14th, 1995, Bollnäs (Sweden)
Nationality: Swedish
In due course, the short impression below will be replaced with a more extensive career overview
BIOGRAPHY
William Lind’s debut in the world of music was when he started playing the piano in a bar at age 13. Four years later he first conducted an orchestra at the Borås Revue. Between 1933 and 1936, he studied at the Stockholm Conservatory. In 1939, he got a job as the pianist of the Radiotjänst Orchestra.
In 1945, he became the musical director of the Kabaretorkester. Several years later he took over the baton of the SR Underhållningsorkester. For decades, Lind was a household name in Sweden with radio music programmes, in which he featured nearly on a daily basis. His orchestra was always introduced by a radio speaker with the lines: ‘Ute blåser sommarvind, inne spelar William Lind’ (or, in English, 'Summer wind is blowing outside, William Lind is playing music inside'), after which the orchestra played Lind’s signature melody ‘Life Is Nothing Without Music’. In 1959, Lind combined his work for the radio orchestra with the function of Head of Music at ST, Swedish Television.
Meanwhile, William Lind worked as an arranger and conductor in the record studio with many artists, such as the Finnish singer Maire Ojonen. He composed hit melodies, amongst which ‘Jag är så glittrande glad’ by Sickan Carlsson, and scores for films, which include Utan gränser (1957) and Tillsammans (1964). ‘Sir William’, as he was nicknamed, was pensioned in 1976.
EUROVISION SONG CONTEST
In 1961 and 1963, Lind shared the musical directorship of the Swedish Eurovision preselections, ‘Eurovisionschlagern’, with Göte Wihelmson. Lind led his Underhållningsorkester, while Wilhelmson was responsible for the quintet which played all songs in different arrangements. On both occasions, William Lind also conducted the winning song of the heats in the international contest. In 1961, ‘April april’, sung by Lill-Babs, came 14th in Cannes; two years later, in London, he accompanied Monica Zetterlund in her intriguing rendition of ‘En gång i Stockholm’, one of the 4 entries that year not to win any votes.
Two years later, in 1965, Lind together with Mats Olsson and Hans Wahlgren arranged the six songs performed by the classically trained vocalist Ingvar Wixell in the Swedish preselection. One of the two entries for which he was responsible as both orchestrator and conductor, ‘Annorstädes vals’, won, as a result of which Lind for the third and last time made an appearance in the Eurovision finals, this time in Naples. This time, Wixell sang the entry in English, ‘Absent Friend’, but it made little impact on the international juries, placing 10th in a field of 18.
EUROVISION INVOLVEMENT YEAR BY YEAR
Country – Sweden
Song title – “April, april”
Rendition – Lill-Babs
Lyrics – Bo Eneby
Composition – Bobbie Ericsson
Studio arrangement – Bengt Hallberg
Live orchestration – Mats Olsson
Conductor – William Lind
Score – 14th place (2 votes)
Country – Sweden
Song title – “En gång i Stockholm”
Rendition – Monica Zetterlund
Lyrics – Beppe Wolgers
Composition – Bobbie Ericsson
Studio arrangement – Mats Olsson
(Philips Studio Orchestra conducted by Georg Riedel)
Live orchestration – Mats Olsson
Conductor – William Lind
Score – 13th place (0 votes)
Country – Sweden
Song title – “Absent Friend (Annorstädes vals)”
Rendition – Ingvar Wixell
Lyrics – Alf Henrikson
Composition – Dag Wirén
Studio arrangement – Dag Wirén
(studio orchestra conducted by Hans Wahlgren)
Live orchestration – Dag Wirén
Conductor – William Lind
Score – 10th place (6 votes)
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