Stuðmenn

Icelandic rock band founded in 1970 at the Mentskólinar at Hamrahlíð.

The original members of the band were Jakob Frímann Magnússon, Valgeir Guðjónsson, Gylfi Kristinsson and Ragnar Danielsen. Supporters recorded Summer in Syria, which was released in the summer of 1975 and was a huge hit. Tómas Tómasson, Egill Ólafsson and Sigurður Bjóla had then joined the band. The album was set up as a semi-valid concept album that humorously described the evolution of Iceland's entertainment culture from brandy culture to hippie culture. A year later, they followed it up with Tivoli, which was a more pure and political concept piece and also became hugely popular. Guitarist Þórður Árnason had then joined Studmenn. In 1978, Egill, Tómas, Ásgeir Óskarsson and Þórður Árnason founded the avant-garde rock band Þursaflokkinn, which released four albums in the next four years. Valgeir went to Norway to study and Jakob lived in London and later Los Angeles where he recorded several solo albums, including for Warner Brothers, Capitol and Golden Boy, which he followed with concert tours as well as recording and playing in concerts with Long John Baldry's band, Kevin Ayers et al.