When the name of Danish guitarist Jorgen Ingmann is mentioned in North America, the immediate connection is with his 1961 hit single Apache. But Ingmann began his career as a jazz artist in the 1940s. Then after hearing the recordings of Les Paul, he began experimenting with multitrack recording in the following decade.
But despite his decades of recording in Denmark, his one claim to fame outside his home country is Apache. He wasn't the first to record the tune: That honour went to British guitarist Bert Weedon, who died earlier this month. Then the U.K. guitar group The Shadows recorded it and had the hit in Europe. But in the U.S. and Canada the version of choice was Ingmann's.
In 2005, Apache and 100 other recordings by Ingmann (some dating back to the early 1950s) were gathered in a deluxe box set called Danish Guitar Ace. This set was hard to find even when it was first released and now the highly reliable German mail order company Bear Family appears to be the only place still selling it. It'll set you back about $67, which may seem like a lot, but you get 101 selections on four CDs (excellent quality) plus a 60-page booklet with rare photos and deluxe longbox packaging.
To whet your appetite, here's Ingmann's version of You, You, You (a hit for the Ames Brothers), recorded in 1953 and taken from Danish Guitar Ace.
You, You, You
Those with a more limited music budget (or a more a limited appetite for Jorgen Ingmann) may wish to consider the selection of Ingmann recordings available as downloads. You, You, You is among them. Listen before you buy as some of these may be dubbed from vinyl. As well some tracks are duplicated in several of the available albums.
And to close, from YouTube, here's a version of Apache you may not have heard before. It's by Jorgen Ingmann but it's a re-recording done in the 1970s. Enjoy.
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