Samuli Putro, the longtime frontman of the Finnish rock band
Zen Café, with whom he experienced years of chart-topping success, is a singer/songwriter who made his blockbuster solo album debut in 2009. Born on August 21, 1970, in Helsinki, he co-founded
Zen Café in 1992. The band includes Kari Nylander (bass) and
Pete Parkkonen (drums), in addition to
Putro (vocals, guitar).
Zen Café made their album debut in 1997 with
Romuna. Subsequent albums include
Idiootti (1998),
Ua Ua (1999), and
Helvetisti Järkeä (2001).
Zen Café then hit number one with each of their next three albums,
Helvetisti Järkeä (2001),
Vuokralainen (2002), and
Jättiläinen (2003); moreover, these albums include the Top Ten hit singles "Aamuisin," "Piha Ilman Sadettajaa," and "Tavallaan Jokainen On Surullinen." The latter-day albums
Laiska, Tyhmä Ja Saamaton (2005) and
Stop (2006) were similarly successful, hitting number two and one, respectively. Well known for his longtime frontman status in
Zen Café,
Putro made his blockbuster solo album debut in 2009 with
Elämä On Juhla. Yet another in a long line of chart-topping albums for
Putro,
Elämä On Juhla includes the singles "Elämä On Juhla," "Älä Huuda Mulle," and "Mitäpä Jos." ~ Jason Birchmeier