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 countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

, on 4 May 1964) is a Norwegian composer and singer-songwriter in the

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

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 ''Forest Finns, Skogfinner/"Fo ...

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 movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...

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 or captivity in a prison or physical restraint. The term usually applies to one serving a Sentence (law), se ...

s with her congregation. He formed a group with Kristin Solli Schøien called Peyton Place in 1994 and they received an offer for a contract with

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...

. 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 Hiram "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. An early pioneer of country music, he is regarded as one of the most significant and influential musicians of the 20th century. W ...

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

, 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 The Spellemannprisen (also referred to as the Norwegian Grammy Awards) is a Norwegian music award ceremony presented by International Federation of the Phonographic Industry#Local associations, IFPI Norge and :no:FONO, FONO. It was first awarded i ...

(considered the Norwegian equivalent of a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

) 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 Veronica, Veronika, etc., may refer to: People * Veronica (name) * Saint Veronica * Saint Veronica of Syria Arts and media Comics and literature * ''Veronica'', an 1870 novel by Frances Eleanor Trollope * '' Veronica (novel)'', a 2005 novel b ...

;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