Dag Spantell (born March 24, 1950 in
Oslo,
Norway) is a Norwegian singer who was at his most popular in the 1970s.
At the age of twelve he was inspired by
The Shadows to start his own instrumental band called ''Beatboys'', where he played rhythm guitar.
[Forfod, Erik (2005)]
Gjenhør med Dag Spantell
, ''På dansefot'', January 12, 2005. Retrieved 28 October 2010 A huge fan of
The Beatles he later joined the band ''Misfits'' in 1964, where he was a member until co-founding the band ''Happie'' in 1967. Writing many of his own songs he was clearly inspired by ''The Beatles'', vocal harmonies and the psychedelia of the time. At 18 he had his first TV appearance with ''Happie'' and their song ''Flowergirl''.
Spantell looked set on retiring from music life, and educated himself as a cook in 1969. However he would continue as a musician, mainly as the lead singer of the dance band
Kjell Karlsens Orkester
Kjell is a Scandinavian male given name. In Denmark, the cognate is Kjeld or Keld. The name comes from the Old Norse word ''kętill'', which means " kettle" and probably also "helmet" or perhaps "cauldron". Examples of old spellings or forms a ...
. In 1973 he was given the song ''Kjendis-party'', a Norwegian translation of the
Ricky Nelson-hit ''Garden Party''. The song became widely popular and reached No. 4 on
Norsktoppen (an official chart for music in Norwegian). In 1975 his song ''En helt alminnelig sang om sommer'' reached the No. 1 spot.
Through the 1970s Spantell recorded numerous singles and two albums as a solo artist, but most notably he appeared on several albums together with other artists. From 1975 to 1978 he became a part of the enormously popular ''På Treff''-gang, a group of four singers (the others being
Inger Lise Rypdal,
Stein Ingebrigtsen
Stein Ingebrigtsen (born 23 August 1945) is a Norwegian singer. He was enormously popular in Norway in the 1970s, nicknamed "Mr. Norsktoppen" for his countless hits topping Norsktoppen, an official chart for music in Norwegian.
Biography
From ...
and
Gro Anita Schønn) who put out several albums with covers of international hit songs, often translated to Norwegian (during this period the four released nine albums). He toured extensively through the decade, often as part of ''På Treff'', and participated four times in the Norwegian finals for the
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
. For a period he was also lead singer in another dance band, ''Torry Enghs''.
In 1978 he had a gig in the small fishing community of
Båtsfjord in Northern Norway when a fight broke out. Spantell stepped in to separate the fighters and was dealt a serious blow to the throat that crushed his
larynx
The larynx (), commonly called the voice box, is an organ in the top of the neck involved in breathing, producing sound and protecting the trachea against food aspiration. The opening of larynx into pharynx known as the laryngeal inlet is about ...
. His singing career seemed over, but he forced himself to participate on the song ''Sol'' with the band ''Strikk'', which became a huge radio hit in the summer of 1980.
Spantell then left the music industry and opened up a convenience store.
In 1989 he made a brief stint singing in a band performing at the Royal Palace in Oslo, for the 18th birthday of
Princess Märtha Louise
Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince.
Princess as a subst ...
. He then became the manager for two popular restaurants in
Tønsberg and
Risør, co-owned by three other artists. From 1996 to 2002 he was cruise manager for the ferry between
Bergen, Norway and
Newcastle, England before returning to the music business.
In 2004 the up-and-coming Norwegian rappers
Jaa9 and OnklP
Jaa9 & OnklP is a Norwegian rapping duo made up of Jaa9 (real name Johnny Engdal Silseth) and OnklP (real name Pål Tøien). Both are members of the Norwegian rap collective Dirty Oppland.
The duo were discovered by Poppa Lars (real name Lars San ...
contacted him about doing a new version of his 1973-hit ''Kjendis-party''. The song became the national breakthrough for the young rappers and one of the most played songs of 2004. Spantell himself made several concert appearances with the boys and its success laid the foundation for a comeback on the Norwegian music scene.
In 2005 he released his first solo album since the 1970s, ''Det beste fra Dag Spantell'', a greatest hits collection including 22 of his songs from 1968 to 1970.
[Rakvaag, Geir (2004)]
Gamle sanger fra jukeboksen
", ''Dagsavisen'', December 27, 2004. Retrieved 28 October 2010 Spantell was back performing, and as he himself put it in a 2004-interview: "Now I want to end my life singing."
Discography
Solo albums
* ''Nye spor'' (1975)
* ''I dag – i går'' (1976)
* ''Det beste fra Dag Spantell'' (2005)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spantell, Dag
1950 births
Living people
Norwegian male singers
Melodi Grand Prix contestants