Biography
Otto Pyykkönen
Otto Pyykkönen was a Finnish American tenor (born October 6, 1890 in Vaasa, Finland [then Nikolainkaupunki, Russian Empire] - died February 4, 1972 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA)
Pyykkönen came to the United States in 1913. He studied voice with Karl Buren Stein at the Waukegan, IL, conservatory while working as a clerk at a Finnish grocery store, first in Waukegan, then in Englewood. In the 1920s, he moved to New York City, where he sang first tenor in the New Yorkin Laulumiehet, a Finnish men's choir.
Between 1924 and 1928, Pyykkönen recorded 34 titles for Victor (May 1924), Columbia (January 1924-February 1928), and Edison (June 1924 and March 1928) in New York City.
In 1930, he worked for a hardware store in New York City. By 1940, he had moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he worked as a salesman and an orderly. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1943 and legally assumed the name Otto Pyke.
Pyykkönen came to the United States in 1913. He studied voice with Karl Buren Stein at the Waukegan, IL, conservatory while working as a clerk at a Finnish grocery store, first in Waukegan, then in Englewood. In the 1920s, he moved to New York City, where he sang first tenor in the New Yorkin Laulumiehet, a Finnish men's choir.
Between 1924 and 1928, Pyykkönen recorded 34 titles for Victor (May 1924), Columbia (January 1924-February 1928), and Edison (June 1924 and March 1928) in New York City.
In 1930, he worked for a hardware store in New York City. By 1940, he had moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he worked as a salesman and an orderly. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1943 and legally assumed the name Otto Pyke.