by Bruce Eder Swedish keyboard player/composer Bo Hansson first emerged in the 1960s, as part of a duo that made a name for itself, first in Sweden and then on tour in Europe, and a series of three albums. Jimi Hendrix heard the group and recorded some jams with Hansson that are still unreleased. The guitarist recorded one of Hansson's songs ("Tax-Free"), the group later toured with the Experience. During the early '70s, Hansson burst on the international scene with his concept album Lord of the Rings, an all-instrumental album inspired by the literary trilogy written by J.R.R. Tolkien, which had been a best-seller for years among college students. The album received Gold Record awards in England and Australia. Licenced by Tony Stratton-Smith's Charisma Records label in England and America, the album was the subject of an extensive television advertising campaign that turned it into a hit in progressive rock circles. Two subsequent albums, Magician's Hat and Attic Thoughts, were also released throughout Europe and in America. Hansson has been incapacitated by illness in recent years, and hasn't recorded since the 1980s.