History

    The rock group Autumn Breeze was started 1972 and have done several live performances and recordings.

 The group was initiated in 1972 by Gert Nilsson and Leif Forsberg along with Sven-Ove Appelgren (bass) and Ingmar Blom (drums). Birgitta Nilsson joined in 1973 . In 1974 Autumn Breeze consisted from Leif Forsberg vocals, Leif "Taggen" Persson, keyboards, Gert Nilsson guitar, Tommy Wall drums, and Jan Nielsen bass guitar.

In 1977 Jan Warnqvist was a student at a music boarding school and had just a letter from Swedish Radio concerning some compositions which he had promised to complete and maybe record for radio broadcast. Jan found himself suddenly looking for a rock group - the compositions were aimed for rock group, string ensemble,and  mixed choir- and decided to contact Gert Nilsson after reading a newspaper article about Autumn Breeze. After the radio recording Jan decided to stay as a permanent member of Autumn Breeze.

Gert Magnusson, Krister Hildén and Tomas Andersson was by that time already members of Autumn Breeze.

Krister Hildén left the group after recording the radio show and was first replaced by Kent Pettersson and later the same year  by Kenneth Halvarsson . Shortley before that decided  Tomas Andersson to leave Autumn Breeze for joining the Christian music group "För invärtes bruk". He was replaced by Lennart Olsson, who made his first recording with Autumn Breeze in KM Studio where a demo tape with the songs Nr 646, Dialog, Vintern and Secret space agency were recorded. Lennart was from that point the drum player of Autumn Breeze.

The first album "Höstbris" was recorded in CMC Studio in Arvika in one week and later released on the Ö-records label.Before qualifying for the recording Autumn Breeze made  a demo tape in the very same studio with the same technician,Jens Carlsson. Gert Magnusson did not participate on the demo tape recording, he was in Asia, gathering material for his next book, his third as an author. All members of the band became very happy when he came to the studio for recording of the album with his magic flute.

Half a year after the album release, Jan decided to leave the band due to family reasons. Autumn Breeze was still active for a short while afterwards, but split up without any further common plans.

The two founders of the band, Gert Nilsson and Leif Forsberg deceased a couple of decades afterwards.

In 2010 the band joined together again for the recording of a new album "The Autumn Band" and a music video to the song "Life is just another day" from the same album. Two new members joined Autumn Breeze; Linus Bornlöf, vocals and William Bellbrant, guitar.

One of the first pictures on Autumn Breeze from 1974. From the left:

Leif Forsberg vocals, Leif "Taggen" Persson, keyboards, Gert Nilsson guitar, Tommy Wall drums and Jan Nielsen bass guitar

Copyright: Nya Waermlands-tidningen AB

From Autumn Breeze manager Tony Skantz:

: 

 Sporadic memories and reflections from a passed 70-tie:

1970 moved our family from Stockholm to Forshaga in Värmland. It was where I became familiar with the family Nilsson; Rune and Gerd and their youngsters Gert, Monica, Gunilla and Birgitta. I want to remember that it was via Sune that I met Gunilla when she and Sune became a pair. I and Sune had the musical taste common, we where both committed Black Sabbath-fans and made sure that we always had their last vinyl record. I do not remember what Gert and the members in the band called themselves before they became Autumn Breeze. I remember however that Gert tried my brother to begin to play saxophone in order to play with the band. The years went bye and the band members alternated, the band took itself the name Autumn Breeze.  For example, Birgitta joined to sing in the band. (Birgitta and I had a small love affair in the middle of the 70ties.) 1974 I moved from Forshaga to Orrholmen in Karlstad because I began to work on I2, the military restaurant. There, I met with Gert again when he did his compulsory military service.  Two years later I moved home to Stockholm again. I had a lot of visits of buddies from Värmland that for example Sune and Gunilla, Gert and Kerstin and Birgitta. With that I still had contact with my buddies in Värmland, after my relocation back to Stockholm. I also knew what happened with “Gert's band”. During one of my visits in Forshaga home at Gert he let me listen to a production from the radio. Gert asked if I could arrange some gigs in Stockholm. I had at that time 1977, been touring with different theatre projects so I said that I could to do it as an experiment. To my quite big surprise I succeeded to arrange three gigs: It was on the restaurant Kristina on Västerlånggatan, the youth centre 4: an on Lästmakargatan and on a youth centre in Skogås, south of Stockholm. I found recently among my old papers a contract from 4:an´s youth centre. The gig took place in 27/10-78 at .20.30 - 22.30, 2 x 30 minutes. The agreed pay was 850 SEK.   I remember with blessing the gig in the restaurant Kristina in Gamla Stan. The first comment from the owner to Kristina when we began carry in the instruments and the equipment: “what is this, is the worst frank Zappa! ???” He was of course used to have song artists that most often come with their guitar and sometimes increased with an amplifier. I remembered that it became hugely brusque in the premises when we had to find space on stage for all 7 members in the band plus all equipment. I believe that Lennart with his drums literally sat in the window. There was a huge positive atmosphere during the concert and the audience liked what they saw and heard!

 I had a couple of days before put Autumn Breeze posters in the vicinity of the youth centre (in Skogås) in order to do publicity for the band and for the gig. The deal was namely that the youth centre should not pay the band anything but the publicity. The band was relatively pleased with all the gigs as I remember it. I miss you, my soul mates, friends and acquaintances: Sune Pettersson, Gert Nilsson and Leif Forsberg. 

Tony Skantz