Allan Olsen (born 18 March 1956 in
Grønholt,
Vendsyssel
Vendsyssel () is the northernmost traditional district of Denmark and of Jutland. Being divided from mainland Jutland by the Limfjord, it is technically a part of the North Jutlandic Island, but the name often used informally for the entire island. ...
) is a Danish folkrock musician and singer-songwriter. His famous live performances combine his songs with satirical and dryly-tempered anecdotes. The music is delivered either acoustically or with a rock band.
From 1983 to 1992 he was part of
Dalton
Dalton may refer to:
Science
* Dalton (crater), a lunar crater
* Dalton (program), chemistry software
* Dalton (unit) (Da), the atomic mass unit
* John Dalton, chemist, physicist and meteorologist
Entertainment
* Dalton (Buffyverse), minor ch ...
, a
supergroup trio made of Olsen,
Lars Lilholt
Lars Lilholt (born in Herlev, Denmark on 14 March 1953) is a Danish singer, violinist, guitarist and composer.
Career Kræn Bysted's
In the early 1970s, he was part of Kræn Bysted's, a Danish acoustic folk, electric folk and rock group made ...
and
Johnny Madsen.
Career
Allan Olsen grew up enjoying the musical styles of
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
,
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...
and
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhyt ...
a.m.. Olsen picked up a guitar himself in the seventies, and hit the road – initially as a low key performer, often playing in the outskirts of Denmark and with a style inspired by
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
,
Bert Jansch
Herbert Jansch (3 November 1943 – 5 October 2011) was a Scottish folk musician and founding member of the band Pentangle. He was born in Glasgow and came to prominence in London in the 1960s as an acoustic guitarist and singer-songwriter ...
and
Randy Newman.
In 1989, the then 33-year-old performer signed his first record contract, with an obligation to record a minimum of three albums within the next five years. The debut album "Norlan" hits the style of British and American rock, combined with a lyrical talent for storytelling that sparsely used dialect (north
Jutlandic
Jutlandic, or Jutish (Danish: ''jysk''; ), is the western variety of Danish, spoken on the peninsula of Jutland in Denmark.
Generally, Jutlandic can be divided into two different dialects: general or Northern Jutlandic ( ; further divided int ...
). The album is a success. The following two albums and intense touring consolidate his name and a large loyal following, especially in
West Denmark
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...
.
In the autumn of 1993 Allan Olsen spends time in Ireland in search of musicians to play with him on his next album. "Jern" (i.e. "Iron") is released in the spring of 1996 and receives ovations from the musical press and the album is rewarded with a Danish Grammy (later
Danish Music Award
The Danish Music Awards (DMA) is a Danish award show. The show has been arranged by IFPI since 1989, and was originally called ''IFPI-prisen'' ("IFPI-Award") until 1991, when it changed its name to ''Dansk Grammy'' ("Danish Grammy"). It was chang ...
). The album flavours Olsens folkrock style with Irish instruments as does 1998's "Sange for Rygere" (i.e. "Songs for Smokers").
Later albums have seen Olsen increasingly experimenting with musical styles and lyrical escapades – but also maintaining artistic focus and critical integrity and still beholding his original inspiration in Dylanesque storytelling – Jansch' poetic nerve and Newmans' wit and eccentricism. His album in 2007's ''Multo Importanto'' is a focused affair that has been praised by old as well as newer fans. In 2013 he released the album Jøwt, an album sung in dialect.
In band Dalton
He was also part of a Danish supergroup named
Dalton
Dalton may refer to:
Science
* Dalton (crater), a lunar crater
* Dalton (program), chemistry software
* Dalton (unit) (Da), the atomic mass unit
* John Dalton, chemist, physicist and meteorologist
Entertainment
* Dalton (Buffyverse), minor ch ...
made up of Olsen in addition to
Lars Lilholt
Lars Lilholt (born in Herlev, Denmark on 14 March 1953) is a Danish singer, violinist, guitarist and composer.
Career Kræn Bysted's
In the early 1970s, he was part of Kræn Bysted's, a Danish acoustic folk, electric folk and rock group made ...
and Johnny Madsen. It was formed in 1983 but had to wait till 1992 for their first album. They reunited in 2005 to work on new materials and had a comeback in 2010 for a grand tour.
Discography
Albums
Solo
Live albums
In
Dalton
Dalton may refer to:
Science
* Dalton (crater), a lunar crater
* Dalton (program), chemistry software
* Dalton (unit) (Da), the atomic mass unit
* John Dalton, chemist, physicist and meteorologist
Entertainment
* Dalton (Buffyverse), minor ch ...
*1992: ''Dalton''
*2009: ''Tyve Ti''
*2010: ''Var Her'' (Live 2 CDs +DVD) (with Johnny Madsen and Lars Lilholt)
DVDs
*2008: ''Allan Olsen & Band'' – Vol. 1 (also album CD)
*2009: ''Solo live'' – Vol. 2, (also album CD)
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olsen, Allan
1956 births
Living people
Danish rock guitarists
Danish rock singers
Danish songwriters
People from Frederikshavn Municipality