Slow-Blues.com — Global Blues Encyclopedia
Back to artists
Sky High (Clas Yngström)
Photo: Håkan Henriksson / Narking (CC BY 3.0)
Classic

Sky High (Clas Yngström)

Also known as: Claes Yngström

• Sweden• Active: 1978–present
Blues RockNordic Blues

Fender Stratocaster-wielding bandleader of Sky High since 1978 — blues-rock guitar heroics from "Red House" (1979) to "Get Out! Stay Out!" (1989), still touring more than four decades on.

Clas Yngström was born on 16 December 1952 in Borlänge, Dalarna, and built his career as a composer, guitarist and lyricist through the fertile Swedish rock scene of the 1970s, playing through bands including Parapernalia, Röda Ropet and Soffgruppen before co-founding Sky High in 1978 — the band he has continued touring with for over four decades since (Kilde: Wikipedia). Sky High's recorded output stretches from their 1979 debut single "Red House" (a direct nod to Jimi Hendrix) through albums including "Sky High" (1980), "Still Rockin'" (1982), "I Ain't Beggin'" (1985), "Freezin' Hot" (1985), "Humanizer" (1987), "Hard Man" (1988) and "Get Out! Stay Out!" (1989) — a catalog rooted in blues-rock guitar heroics and driven by Yngström's playing (Kilde: Discogs). Equipment-wise, Yngström is closely associated with Fender Stratocasters, though Gibson SG guitars featured heavily in his early-1970s work, and he later became a brand ambassador for Swedish guitar maker Hagström. Beyond music, he has contributed to Swedish film, including work on "Jägarna" (1996) and "Från opium till krysantemum" (2000) (Kilde: Wikipedia). Sky High released their politically charged single "Säj Nej...Till Kärnkraft / Säj Ja...Till Livet" ("Say No to Nuclear Power / Say Yes to Life") in 1980, reflecting the anti-nuclear sentiment sweeping Sweden after the Three Mile Island accident — a reminder that even a straight-ahead blues-rock band could speak directly to its national political moment. Yngström and Sky High remain active performers on the Swedish rock and blues circuit (Kilde: Wikipedia; Discogs).

Musical Influence

Yngström's more than four-decade run with Sky High makes him one of the longest continuously active blues-rock guitarists in Sweden, a career of consistency rather than flash. (Kilde: Wikipedia)

Influences

Jimi HendrixBlues rock

Instruments & Equipment

Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

His primary guitar; used Gibson SG extensively in the early 1970s. Later a Hagström brand ambassador.

Stories & Anecdotes

"Sky High's 1979 debut single, "Red House," was a direct cover of the Jimi Hendrix blues standard — a clear statement of the band's guitar-hero blues-rock ambitions right from the start. (Kilde: Discogs)"
"In 1980, at the height of Sweden's post-Three Mile Island anti-nuclear movement, Sky High released the topical single "Säj Nej...Till Kärnkraft / Säj Ja...Till Livet," showing the band engaging directly with national politics. (Kilde: Wikipedia)"

Collaborators

Sky High

His band since 1978.

Cecilia Ringkvist

Documented collaborator/performance partner.

Watch & Listen

Featured

Sky High — Voodoo Chile (1980)

Ursprungsbo

Sky High — Regnbågsbarn

Sky High — Regnbågsbarn

Sky High — Pengablues

Sky High — Pengablues

Sky High — I Ain't Beggin' (Clas Yngström)

Sky High — I Ain't Beggin' (Clas Yngström)

Watch & Listen

Henter videoer fra YouTube…

Discography

YearTitleProducerStudioLabelChartSalesMusiciansYouTubeNotes
1979Red House——Sista Bussen———Debut single, a cover of the Jimi Hendrix blues standard.
1980Sky High——————Debut album; includes "Regnbågsbarn," "Pengablues" and a cover of Hendrix's "Voodoo Chile."
1985I Ain't Beggin'———————
1987Humanizer——Metronome———Includes "Tune Me to Your Station" and "Don't Move."
1989Get Out! Stay Out!——Pike Records————

Famous songs

01Red House
02Regnbågsbarn
03Voodoo Chile

Booking / Contact

Are you the artist, or do you represent the band or booking agency? We want the booking information here to always be accurate and current. Please send us the correct details via our contact form, and we'll update the profile as soon as possible. Go to the contact form

Sources

Keep SlowBlues independent. Official merch — wear the blues.

Shop merch