Europe

Swedish hard rockers with a lite-metal tinge

The band Europe took root in a suburb outside Stockholm. Singer-songwriter Joey Tempest met guitarist John Norum in 1979 when they were teenagers. Inspired by artists like Thin Lizzy and Deep Purple, they formed the band Force with bassist Peter Olsson and drummer Tony Reno and recorded demos that were rejected by several labels.

Deciding to change their name to Europe, the group entered and won a televised rock band competition in 1982 called Rock-SM that included a deal with Hot Records.