Roy Lønhøiden (born in

Kongsvinger Kongsvinger () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Glåmdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kongsvinger. Other settlements in the municipality include Aust ...

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 ...

, on 4 May 1964) is a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

composer and singer-songwriter in the

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

genre. His music is considered a blend of traditional Norwegian folk and

American roots music The term American folk music encompasses numerous music genres, variously known as ''traditional music'', ''traditional folk music'', ''contemporary folk music'', ''vernacular music,'' or ''roots music''. Many traditional songs have been sung ...

Biography

Lønhøiden was born in

Finnskogen Finnskogen ("Forest of the Finns") is an area of Norway and Sweden situated in the counties of Innlandet and Värmland respectively, so named because of immigration of Finnish people in the 17th century, the so-called '' Skogfinner/"Forest Finns"''. ...

and grew up near Lake Vingersjøen by the district of Langeland in

. His mother and grandparents were in the

Pentecostal church Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

and would often perform for

prisoner A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...

s with her congregation. He formed a group with

Kristin Solli Schøien Kristin Solli Schøien (born July 14, 1954 in Oslo) is a Norwegians, Norwegian author and composer. Schøien studied at NLA University College, the University of Oslo, and the Norwegian Academy of Music. She is especially known for her hymnwritin ...

called Peyton Place in 1994 and they received an offer for a contract with

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...

. Despite this, Lønhøiden decided to travel to the United States in 1995, where he lived with relatives and friends. He is influenced by

Hank Williams Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

, and

Townes Van Zandt John Townes Van Zandt (March 7, 1944 – January 1, 1997) was an American singer-songwriter.

and although he returned to Norway after a year, he has been back to visit the US multiple times. Lønhøiden then started a solo career, being nominated for

Spellemannprisen Spellemannprisen, often referred to as the Norwegian Grammy Awards in English, is a Norwegian music award presented to Norwegian musicians. The award was established by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), an organizati ...

(considered the Norwegian equivalent of a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

) for three of his albums, ''Sanger fra skogen'' (2006), ''Når dagen demrer blått'' (2008), and ''Du spør meg om sannhet'' (2015). In 2015 he moved to Sweden. In 2021 Lønhøiden was entangled in legal trouble when he tried to cross the Norwegian–Swedish border and inadvertently violated Norwegian COVID-19 regulations.

Discography

Albums

;Solo albums *2004: ''Det ensomme landet'' *2006: ''Sanger fra skogen'' *2008: ''Når dagen demrer blått'' *2012: ''Sanger fra veien'' *2015: "Du spør meg om sannhet" ;Collaborative albums *1994: ''Peyton Place'' with Kristin Solli Schøien *1998: ''Kulseth & Lønhøiden Almenning'' with Stein and Bjørn Kulseth *2004: ''Fattige var de som først fikk se'' with Veronica Akselsen ;Compilation albums *1995: ''Huset – 13 år på nåde'' *1998: ''Markens gang'' *2005: ''That´s Hillbilly'' *2005: ''Dansbare Takras og andre lekkerbiskener'' *2007: ''Pay Me My Money Down – The Bluegrass Album'' *2007: ''Cowboy & Indianer Sessions Vol. 1'' *2008: ''Norsk visesang i 50 år'' (3CD)

Video (DVD-VHS)

*1992: ''Tell Me I'm Your Choice'' *1994: ''Song for the Roses'' with Peyton Place *2004: ''En fin kveld å leve'' *2006: ''Til jeg kan reise meg igjen''

EPs

*1994: ''Song for the Roses'' with Peyton Place

Singles

*1994: "Fool for Love" with Peyton Place *1994: "Song for the Roses" with Peyton Place *2004: "Kjære vakre vene" *2008: "Vann og ved" *2012: "Veien til Savona"

References

External links

Last.fm
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lonhoiden, Roy 1964 births Living people Norwegian male singers Norwegian songwriters Musicians from Kongsvinger