The Savage Rose

The Savage Rose are a Danish art-rock/psych band from København, formed in 1967. The band’s initial run produced seven albums on Polydor between 1968 and 1973.

Members: Annisette (vocals), Anders Koppel (organ, 1967-75, 1990-92), Thomas Koppel (keyboards, 1967-2006), Flemming Ostermann (guitar, 1967-68), Jens Rugsted (bass, 1967-71), Alex Riel (drums, 1967-71), Ilse Maria Koppel (harpsichord, piano, 1967-69), Nils Tuxen (guitar, 1968-71), John Uribe (guitar, 1971), Rudolph Hansen (bass, 1972-?), Peer Frost (guitar, 1973-74, 1977-80, 1989-2006), Ken Gudman (drums, 1973-?), John Ravn (drums, 1978-91), Naja Rosa (backing vocals, vocals, 1992-present), Moussa Diallo (bass, 1995, 2004-06), Palle Hjorth (piano, organ, 2006-?), Anders Christensen (bass, double bass, 2006-?), Rune Kjeldsen (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, 2006-present), Frank Hasselstrøm (piano, trumpet, trombone, 2012-present), Anders Holm (drums, 2012-present)

The Savage Rose was formed in 1967 for as the backing band on a Copenhagen television show. Most of the members had backgrounds on the Danish music scene.

Keyboardist and songwriter Thomas Koppel (1944–2006) wrote the theme for the 1965 opera Historien om en Moder, adapted from The Story of a Mother by Hans Christian Andersen. Thomas and his organist brother Anders Koppel (b. 1947) were the sons of classical pianist/composer Herman D. Koppel (1908–1998). Pianist and harpsichord player Ilse Maria Koppel was married to Thomas at the time.

Drummer Alex Riel (b. 1940) had played in a series of jazz combos going back to the late 1950s, including Rågeleje Jazz, Stuff Smith Quartet, and the Alex Riel Trio. During the mid-’60s, he played on two albums by American saxophonist Ben Webster.

Guitarist Flemming Ostermann and bassist Jens Rugsted (b. 1947) hailed from beatsters The Dandy Swingers, which issued two singles in 1965, followed by two further singles in collaboration with vocalist Annisette (b. 1948), who’d been cutting records since age twelve. 

In May 1968, Savage Rose made their official debut as a rock band at the Plænen in Tivoli in Copenhagen.

Discography:

• Savage Rose (1968)
  
• In the Plain (1968)
  
• Travelin’ (1969)
  
• Your Daily Gift (1970)
  
• Refugee (1971)
  
• Dødens triumf (1972)
  
• Wild Child (1973)
  
• Solen var også din (1978)
  
• En vugge af stål (1982)
  
• Vi kæmper for at sejre (1984)
  
• Kejserens nye klæder (1986)
  
• Sangen for livet (1988)
  
• Ild og frihed (1989)

Sources:

• Discogs: The Savage Rose