Biography
Ted Gärdestad was a Swedish singer and songwriter. First he was a promising tennis player. Gärdestad broke through as a singer when he was 15 years old. He wrote the music for his songs, while brother Kenneth Gärdestad usually wrote the lyrics. Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus produced Gärdestads his debut LP, Undringar. Some of Gärdestad’s best-known songs are “I Want a Own Moon” (1972), “Sun, Wind and Water” (1973), “Angela” (1976) and “For Love’s sake” (1993). He represented Sweden in the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Sattelit”.
Gärdestad worked with Michael B. Tretow in the studio project Caramba. They released a record in 1981 and got a hit with the song “Hubba Hubba Zoot Zoot”. In the same year, he got in touch with the spiritual teacher Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh , which eventually led to him entering Bhagwan’s sect and renouncing his former life. He changed his name to Swami Sangit Upasani in 1983, dressed in burgundy red like other Bhagwan disciples. In 1985 he moved to Oregon where he had previously made many trips to the movement’s headquarters, where he was, among other things, disc jockey. In 1986 he moved back to Sollentuna, started composing again in 1990. In 1994 released the album “Finally on the road”, his first since 1981 and this became his last. His last appearance was in December 1996 at the nightclub Blå Grottan in Gävle together with the Swedish musician Harpo. In addition to the band was brother Kenneth.
In recent years, Ted suffered from schizophrenia. Ted Gärdestad took his life, 41 years old, by jumping down the track in front of a passing train on June 22, 1997.
