80 years old | Eero Raittinen curses his heart attack: “I was active until I was 75, I surfed and skied”

Eero Raittinen and his spouse Desk have been together since 1967. They live in Lohja, they have been entertained in the same house for 50 years. Now coffee and wines are laid out on the kitchen table.

It will be discussed Eero Raittinen 80th anniversary concert at Tavastia on October 7. Sinne is Raittinen’s partner for the last few years Knucklebone Oscar gathered an impressive group of performers, which includes, among others Tuure Kilpeläinen…

Tiski Raittinen interrupts.

“Don’t say anything! Eero doesn’t want to know in advance.”

“Yes, I want everything to be a surprise,” says Raittinen.

TEDIOUS a surprise hit Raittinen in 2019. He had a cerebral infarction. Now he speaks slowly and occasionally searching for words. However, he is able to give an interview alone, to tell even long stories coherently from beginning to end. After drinking the coffee, Tiski goes about his own chores – he is familiar with Eero’s stories.

First, Raittinen tells about when he woke up in the “Hilton”, Hus tower hospital, after a heart attack. Speech was lost. However, he could write – and sing.

“Then I called Haaviston for JanneI performed and sang The hare was sitting on the ground“, he laughs.

The doctor forbade writing and refused to speak. Exercising has helped.

“

“You have to give up everything. It is a law of nature.”

Sober curses the heart attack and the troubles that came with it in his life.

“I was brisk until I was 75 years old. I surfed and skied. But everything has to be given up. It is a law of nature.”

And even though he’s retired from professional singing and touring, “the tinkering of an amateur” interests and inspires. It is possible that Raittinen will also sing at his birthday concert – although that will be determined by the condition of the day. Now my condition is also limited by the broken ribs as a result of a fall a couple of months ago.

They say that slow songs go better than fast ones.

“Uptempo songs must be chosen carefully.”

Far Raittinen has done many things in his career as a singer and musician. He played drums in The Sounds and The Esquires, which were part of Finland’s first iron wire bands, in the early 1960s. In 1964 came a breakthrough hit, together Jussi-recorded with my brother A beautiful woman.

Raittinen appeared in 1966 as part of the first Danny show, and at the end of the decade he recorded ambitious blues interpretations Eeron to Elpe as well as his most famous hits, iskelmällie The old vaulted church mixed Let’s hope, let’s hope. Songs that Raittinen stopped performing publicly years ago.

Styles changed, and convictions also had to be revised during the so-called crazy years.

“I went to RUK in the army, and a few years later I called myself a hippie.”

In the year 1972 Raittinen joined Tasavallan Presidenti, who played progressive rock, as a soloist during the recording of the band’s third album. However, the songs were in a difficult key for Raittinen, and the record company and the record producer did not agree to make changes.

of Lambertland came “Pressa’s” breakthrough album, which was noticed in Britain, among others. Now at home in Lohja, however, Raittinen only remembers the criticism he received in the New Musical Express magazine.

“That was my 15 minutes in the international spotlight.”

It started making music with the Jussi brothers: as early as 1960 the Eero and Jussi Rock-Yhtyeineen ensemble recorded the songs are you sure and Babysitter rockwhich had lyrics Reino Helismaa. The band Eero and Jussi & The Boys was founded in 1964, and Eero was part of it for four years. He returned to his brother’s side again in 1980, until they parted ways professionally at the turn of the millennium.

In addition to regular gigs, Boys did unique teaching work. It toured all over the country teaching rock’n’roll in schools.

“Those 20 years were just about making money. A professional musician has to support his family somehow. We had a bad relationship with Juss. We made a reconciliation, but there was little contact during the past 23 years”, says Eero Raittinen.

Jussi Raittinen died last February at the age of 80.

“Fortunately I started a solo career alongside Boys,” says Raittinen. “I had that comfort.”

In the years 1992–1996, Finnish musicians and songwriters who were inspired by American roots music Mikko Kuustosen to Timo Kiiskinen and Esa Kaartamoo wrote Raittinen songs for three albums. Raittinen says he is still proud of them. Likewise for the English-language recordings he made in the 2000s with, among others, The Noisy Kinda Men.

“I have reached the closest thing to myself, American roots music. It’s great when you don’t have to be ashamed of anything.”

What would you tell your 20-year-old self?

“Courageously, just face the fire. Yes, even at the age of 20 I had a good idea of ​​what it was all about.”

Correction October 5, 2024 at 8:43 p.m.: Raittinen received an artist’s pension in 2007, not 1987, as was erroneously written in the story at first.