John Magnar Bernes, alias Hungry John, (born 10 May 1951) is a Norwegian musician (harmonica and vocals).

Biography

Bernes was born in

Bergen, Norway Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, secon ...

, and is best known as a member and founder of the blues band

Bergen Blues Band Bergen Blues Band (1974 - 1984) was a Norwegian blues band from Bergen, Norway. Biography The band was founded and led by John Magnar Bernes (vocalist and harmonica player, alias «Hungry John»), along with Per Jørgensen on guitar (replace ...

(1974–84), performing at the

Nattjazz Bergen International Jazz Festival or Nattjazz, is one of the largest jazz festivals of Norway. The festival has a musical profile with an emphasis on ethnic and contemporary jazz. It is held annually in late May, coinciding with Festspillene ...

in 1975. There after he formed the band 'Hungry John and the Blue Shadows', which is still going strong. In 2009 he reunited Bergen Blues Band and released a new album with a compilation of their best songs. Sometime in the 1960s came Bernes started listening to some blue albums. He started playing the harmonica while listening to records of

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago b ...

, Sonny Boy Williamson,

Little Walter Marion Walter Jacobs (May 1, 1930 – February 15, 1968), known as Little Walter, was an American blues musician, singer, and songwriter, whose revolutionary approach to the harmonica had a strong impact on succeeding generations, earning him ...

Sonny Terry Saunders Terrell (October 24, 1911 – March 11, 1986), known as Sonny Terry, was an American Piedmont blues and folk musician, who was known for his energetic blues harmonica style, which frequently included vocal whoops and hollers and oc ...

, Paul Butterfield,

John Mayall John Mayall, OBE (born 29 November 1933) is an English blues singer, musician and songwriter, whose musical career spans over sixty years. In the 1960s, he was the founder of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, a band that has counted among it ...

among others. His greatest inspiration was, and still is, Muddy Waters, and in 1966 he initiated his first band 'Green Onions', playing blues and soul music. In 1968 Bernes was part of initiating the "Alfonso Band". Blues was now getting more accepted as dance and concert music. They gave many gigs with different line-ups. From 1970 Bernes lived in London for long periods. He worked as a street musician and was also in many festivals and clubs. He listened to most of the live bands in England at the time, and was himself "vagabonding" with his music and harmonica, and got his nickname "Hungry John". In 1975 Bernes started the

together with

Per Jørgensen Per Jørgensen (born 9 September 1952) is a Norwegian multi-instrumentalist with trumpet as his main instrument, also known for his vocal contributions, in collaboration with Dag Arnesen, Knut Kristiansen, Alex Riel, Jon Christensen (musician), ...

(gitar),

Edvard Askeland Edvard Askeland (born 10 December 1954) is a Norwegian jazz bassist, known from a series of album releases in various genres and for being regular in Dag Arnesens lineups in 1970-80, and within Cutting Edge. Career Askeland was born in Bergen ...

(bass), Kåre Sandvik (piano) and

Frank Jakobsen Frank Jakobsen (born 28 April 1954) is a Norwegian jazz musician (drums), known from a number of recordings, and central to the jazz scenes in Bergen and Oslo. Career Jakobsen was born and raised in Bergen, where he played in local groups li ...

(drums). Willy Korneliussen replaced Jakobsen as drummer the year after. Bernes also played bass in the Alfonso Band, but when Edvard Askeland, the best bass player in Bergen at the time, joined them he got rid of the bass and concentrated on the harmonica and vocals. The rest of the band was also known as "the best" in Bergen on their instruments, which gave the band a flying start. One of the strengths was that they presented their own written material by Bernes, who has written more than hundred tunes. The band released three albums, ''Bergen Blues Band'' (1980), ''Another Blues'' (1981) and ''Blues Hit Me'' (1983). When they released the first album, it got right on the charts. At the time there was something called the top in Europe, and the band reached a fifth place there. Perhaps the best song, "Jump 'n Shout' n Dance", was number one in Ireland. The three albums sold a total of over 60, 000 copies. BBB toured Scandinavia. The songs were played on radio in the USA and Australia. Bernes started 'Hungry John and The Blue Shadows' in 1985, and in 2000 he initiated a long lasting collaboration with

Mads Eriksen Mads Eriksen (born 15 July 1977) is a Norwegian cartoonist, best known for the comic strips '' M'' and ''Gnom''. Biography Eriksen was born in Malvik. His career in comics began in 2000, when his first comic strip, ''Gnom'', was accepted into ...

resulting in the album ''Travelin'' (2007) and ''Just What The World Needs'' (2010).

Honors

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

: Bluesprisen, The Norwegian Blues Award, at Notodden Blues Festival

Discography

Solo albums

*2000: ''It's All Right'' (Hungry Records ) *2003: ``So Fine `` (Hungry Records ) *2008: ``Bad Men Risin `` (Hungry Records ) *2012: ``Have You Heard`` (Hungry Records ) *2018: ``Hungry John Live`` (Bluestown Records )

Collaborations

;With

Bjørn Eidsvåg Bjørn Eidsvåg (born 17 March 1954) is a Norwegian pop singer, songwriter, and ordained Lutheran minister. He was born in Sauda, and is a graduate of the MF Norwegian School of Theology. He has released more than 25 albums since his 1976 debu ...

*1978: ''Bakerste Benk'' ( Kirkelig Kulturverksted) *1985: ''Bjørn's Beste'' (Kirkelig Kulturverksted) ;With Helge Nilsen and

Rune Larsen Rune Larsen (born 8 August 1948) is a Norwegian journalist, singer, musician, record producer and television presenter. He was born in Bergen. He made his stage debut in 1957, and his television debut in 1964. By that time, he had already played w ...

*1979: ''Barn Av Samme Jord'' (

Bergens Tidende ''Bergens Tidende'' is Norway's fifth-largest newspaper, and the country's largest newspaper outside Oslo. ''Bergens Tidende'' is owned by the public company Schibsted ASA. Norwegian owners held a mere 42% of the shares in Schibsted at the end ...

) *1981: ''Sweet Mints'' (Snowflake Records) ; With

*1980: ''Bergen Blues Band'' (Harvest Records) *1982: ''Another Blues'' (

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...

/Harvest Records) *1983: ''Blues Hit Me'' (EMI) *2009: ``The Best of Bergen Blues Band`` (Hungry Records) ;With Hungry John and the Blue Shadows *1986: ''Nice Guys'' (Famous Records) *1989: ''Hungry John and the Blue Shadows Live'' (Hungry Records) *1991: ''Hungry John and the Blue Shadows'' (EMI) ;With Mad & Hungry *2007: ''Travelin (Hungry Records) *2010: ''Just What The World Needs'' (Hungry Records)

References

External links

*
Hungry John – Desire – (Official Video)
on YouTube {{DEFAULTSORT:Bernes, Jon Magnar Harmonica players Norwegian male singers Musicians from Bergen 1951 births Living people