Jaak Joala

Jaak Joala was born in Viljandi, Estonia and grew up in Tallinn. His mother, Helgi Ridamäe, was a music teacher at various schools in Tallinn. His father was Arno Joala, who was a musician and who was later also known as a healer. When Jaak turned seven years old, he started to take piano lessons and in adolescence also began taking flute lessons.[1]

Joala is considered a music legend by some.[2]

He began his musical career with the beat group Kristallid (English: The Crystals) in 1966 as a flautist, then as a singer and bassist. In 1968, he was the bassist and lead singer in the popular group Virmalised (English: Northern Lights). With Virmalised, he sang several of Toivo Kurmet's songs: Ainult sul (Only You Have), Ma ei tea, miks (I Don't Know Why), Naer (Laughter), Taas on päev (Once Again The Day) and Üksinda (Alone). Joala introduced western rock music to Estonian and Soviet audiences by singing in his native language.[3]

Joala performing in Tallinn in 1974

In the 1980s, he earned the nickname Kremlin's Nightingale because he often performed and recorded in Russia, and a large part of his repertoire, comprising songs written by such great composers as Raimonds Pauls, David Tukhmanov and Alexander Zatsepin, at that time was sung in Russian.[4]

Joala's bandmate Paap Kõlar recounted that eventually Joala grew tired of performing, saying that Goskontsert, the Soviet entertainment agency, demanded that he perform. Kõlar suggested that Joala did not have much choice as to whether to perform or not.[5]

In the 1990s, Joala's most well-known projects as a singer were with Kollane Allveelaev G (English: Yellow Submarine G). They performed 1960s music along with Ivo Linna, Karl Madis, Meelis Punder and others. In the middle of the 1990s he performed in joint concerts with Ivo Linna and Tõnis Mägi. The concert tour was informally nicknamed The Three Tenors Tour. After the 1990s Joala devoted his time to teaching, producing and hosting on TV/radio. In the last ten years of his life he was largely reclusive.[1]