Reijo Taipale is a popular Finnish iskelm? (schlager) performer, best known and most loved for his tangos. Finnish schlager music, unlike its Central European cousin, is often represented by melancholy and melodramatic ballads and frequently includes elements of both Nordic folk music and Argentine tangos. Reijo Taipale was born March 9, 1940, to a farming family. He started singing at age 12, and in the following decade he was very successful in local singing competitions. His idol was Olavi Virta, perhaps the finest tango singer ever from Finland. One of Taipale's first hits was the quintessential 1962 recording of the classic Finnish tango "Satumaa" (Dreamland). This Unto Mononen song was even covered by Frank Zappa later on, and popular songs referencing the song were successfully released in the 2000s by Maija Vilkkumaa and Tuomari Nurmio. Taipale has said he has performed the song over 6,000 times in concert since his initial recording.