Roine Stolt

A major figure in Sweden's rock history, guitarist/singer/composer Roine Stolt led two of his country's most successful progressive rock bands: Kaipa in the 1970s and The Flower Kings in the 1990s onward. His distinctive guitar style combined David GILMOUR's debonair mid-tempo, Steve HOWE's sharp edges, and Frank ZAPPA's virtuosity. His vision of a positive world governed by beauty (akin to Yes's singer Jon ANDERSON) gave his music an aura that appealed to many progressive rock fans.

Born in Uppsala, Sweden, on September 5, 1956, Roine Stolt started playing bass in the late '60s in local rock cover bands. He quickly discovered the burgeoning British progressive rock scene and had switched to electric guitar by the summer of 1974 when, at age 17, he became the lead guitarist of the professional prog rock band KAIPA. This band recorded three albums for the Decca label (reissued on CD by Musea) and is still considered to be the most important Scandinavian prog act of the '70s.