Jim Pembroke

James Francis Pembroke (27 January 1946 – 8 October 2021) was a British music producer, musician and the vocalist of the Finnish progressive rock band Wigwam.

Life and career

Pembroke was born in London, and played with London group Taverners' Guild before arriving in Finland in 1965.

He immediately found himself in some demand, gigging on an ad hoc basis with various lineups such as the Beatmakers, later renamed Jormas, until forming The Pems. He joined Blues Section in 1967, recording a blues-jazz-pop fusion album now considered seminal in Finnish rock. After the band folded, Pembroke taught himself piano, then joined Wigwam in early 1969. He remained their frontman and principal songwriter, while also releasing occasional solo records. In 2013, Pembroke was granted an artist's pension by the Finnish state.

In the mid-1990s, he moved to the United States, married, and later lived in Kansas City, Missouri.

Pembroke died in Kansas City on 8 October 2021, aged 75.