Public Enemies was a Norwegian

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

band from

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

, known for its performances at

Club 7 Club 7 was a cultural club in Oslo, Norway, active from 1963 to 1985. It was regarded a centre for counterculture in Norway in the 1960s through the 1970s. There was a wide tolerance for alternative lifestyles, including homosexuality. History Clu ...

and later work with

Karin Krog Karin Krog (born 15 May 1937) is a Norwegian jazz singer. Life and career Krog began singing jazz as a teenager and attracted attention while performing in jam sessions in Oslo. In 1955, she was hired by the pianist Kjell Karlsen to sing in ...

. They released a notable version of ''Sunny and Watermelon Man'' with Karin Krog. The group toured Northern Europe, sharing stages with, among others,

Steve Winwood Stephen Lawrence Winwood (born 12 May 1948) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter whose genres include blue-eyed soul, rhythm and blues, blues rock, and pop rock. Though primarily a keyboard player and vocalist prominent for his disti ...

from

Traffic Traffic comprises pedestrians, vehicles, ridden or herded animals, trains, and other conveyances that use public ways (roads) for travel and transportation. Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffic ...

Band members

The members of Public Enemies were Hans Petter Holm (vocals, guitar, bass), Bjørn Johansen (guitar, vocals), Thomas Berg Monsen (harmonica, vocals), Arild Boman (organ), Hans Marius Stormoen (bass) and Jan Lie (drums, vocals).

Success

Public Enemies was voted the most popular band in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

in 1966, with a good margin down to

The Pussycats The Pussycats were a Norwegian rock band from Tromsø. Their members from 1963 to 1967 were bassist and vocalist Sverre Kjelsberg, guitarist and vocalist Trond Graff, drummer Kaare Larsen, lead guitarist Ottar Aasegg, and keyboardist and voca ...

. They featured in the Norwegian film ''Hurra for Andersens'', performing their hit single "Shotgun". Later that year "Shotgun" reached #7 on

Radio Luxembourg Radio Luxembourg was a multilingual commercial broadcaster in Luxembourg. It is known in most non-English languages as RTL (for Radio Television Luxembourg). The English-language service of Radio Luxembourg began in 1933 as one of the earlies ...

Top 20, making Public Enemies the first Norwegian band with success on international hit lists. Their 1967 album ''From Public Enemies Without Love'', simply titled ''Public Enemies'', was released also in Italy with a different cover on the Thunder label.

Dissolution

In 1967 Christian Reim (organ) joined Public Enemies. The band was dissolved the same year when Hans Marius Stormoen and Reim went on to form Dream with

Terje Rypdal Terje Rypdal (born 23 August 1947) is a Norwegian guitarist and composer. He has been an important member in the Norwegian jazz community, and has also given show concerts with guitarists Ronni Le Tekrø and Mads Eriksen as "N3". Career Rypdal ...

. Bjørn Johansen and Jan Lie later formed the band The Prophets.

Discography

*''I Call It Pretty Music'' ( EP, 1965) *''Elevate Me'' ( EP,

Volt The volt (symbol: V) is the unit of electric potential, electric potential difference (voltage), and electromotive force in the International System of Units (SI). It is named after the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta (1745–1827). Defi ...

, 1965) *''Believe Me'' ( EP, Thunder, 1966) *''Shotgun'' ( EP, Triola, 1966) *''Familien Andersen'' ( EP, 1966) *''Sunny/Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On'' ( EP,

Sonet Synchronous optical networking (SONET) and synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) are standardized protocols that transfer multiple digital bit streams synchronously over optical fiber using lasers or highly coherent light from light-emitting diode ...

, featuring

, 1966) *''From Public Enemies Without Love'' ( LP,

, 1966) *''Public Enemies'' ( LP, Thunder, 1966)

References

External links

Hurra for Andersens
��IMDB. {{Authority control Norwegian rhythm and blues musical groups Musical groups established in 1965 1965 establishments in Norway Musical groups disestablished in 1967 1967 disestablishments in Norway Musical groups from Oslo