Rolf Graf (28 April 1960 in

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 ...

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 ...

– 1 July 2013 in

) was 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 ...

singer,

bass guitarist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboard bass or a low bra ...

, composer and

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

, and the younger brother of keyboardist Haakon Graf (b. 21 March 1955) and the

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

singer Randi Elisabeth Graf (b. 12 September 1966). He is best known as the bassist in the band

Lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...

, but was also recognized as music producer, musician and songwriter for other artists like

Randy Crawford Veronica "Randy" Crawford (born February 18, 1952) is an American jazz and R&B singer. She has been more successful in Europe than in the United States, where she has not entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 as a solo artist. However, she has ap ...

, Mezzoforte and

Sissel Kyrkjebø Sissel Kyrkjebø (; born 24 June 1969), also simply known as Sissel, is a Norwegian soprano. Sissel is considered one of the world's top crossover sopranos. Her musical style ranges from pop recordings and folk songs, to classical vocals and op ...

. He also released three solo albums and was editor of the journal "Musikkpraksis".

Career

Musician

Graf was raised in a musical family and was greatly inspired by his older brother Haakon known from bands like 'Ruphus', 'Hawk on Flight', and collaborations with such as

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 ...

and

Jan Garbarek Jan Garbarek () (born 4 March 1947) is a Norwegian jazz saxophonist, who is also active in classical music and world music. Garbarek was born in Mysen, Østfold, southeastern Norway, the only child of a former Polish prisoner of war, Czesław ...

. Graf started his career in 1967 on trumpet, and debuted as a soloist 1 Christmas Day 1972 in Manglerud church. In 1974 he substituted the trumpet to bass guitar and started the following year a rock band together with the guitarist Marius Müller. In 1979 he got his first professional studio job as a funk bass player. Graf was among the first

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

bassists in Norway that restrained slap and snap technique, and the artist and vocalist Alex, or Alex Naumik Sandøy, who was among the first artists to introduced the funk rock in Norway, hired him to play on her album ''Daddy Child'', because her bass player and producer Svein Gundersen failed to play this new style. The same year he also received a request from Svein Dag Hauge to join the band

, where Marius Müller just had joined and recommended Graf, after meeting with Hauge. Lava's second album ''Cruisin, sold to Silver and climbed the charts. Grafs first composition, "Take Your Time" (with lyrics by Ivar Dyrhaug), climbed to the top of the European summit. Seven CD album was recorded at Lava and a variety of studio work, as well as a composer and producer on numerous recordings. In 1985 Graf recorded his debut solo album ''The Boy Next Door'', which was released in 13 European countries. This led to appearances in British and Danish TV shows. From the mid 1980s onwards 1990s Graf worked in various compositions, including with Olav Stedje og Egil Eldøen in the band project 'Stedje/Graf/Eldøen', and this was the first band to play at the opening of

Rockefeller Music Hall Rockefeller Music Hall, ordinarily referred to simply as Rockefeller, is a concert venue located in Torggata, downtown Oslo, Norway. The building, known as "Torggata Bad" ("Market Street Bath"), used to house a public bathing facility. To this day ...

in 1986. Otherwise contributed Graf as a studio musician with artists like

and

Elisabeth Andreassen Elisabeth Gunilla Andreassen (; born 28 March 1958), also known as just Bettan, is a Norwegian-Swedish singer who has finished both first and second in the Eurovision Song Contest. Career Her talent was discovered in 1979 by Swedish musician and ...

. For a period in the 1990s, Graf worked in Los Angeles and New York as a songwriter and producer, and had the production of an American band called 'The Ancestors' where he replaced the producer

Eddie Kramer Edwin H. Kramer (born 19 April 1942) is a British recording producer and engineer. He has collaborated with several artists now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, including Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppel ...

, and collaborated with musician and actor

Rick Springfield Richard Lewis Springthorpe (born 23 August 1949), known professionally as Rick Springfield, is an Australian-American musician and actor. He was a member of the pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971, then started his solo career with his debut ...

as songwriter. Graf has also produced the debut album ''Stille vann'' by Norwegian artist Torhild Nigar in the New York studio Manhattan Center Studios. Lava made their comeback album ''Polarity'' in 2003. This led to a lot of activity on the Norwegian music scene, and appearances on NRK television along with

Hanne Boel Hanne Boel (born 31 August 1957 in Bagsværd, Copenhagen) is a Danish singer. Boel covers in her songs a range of styles including pop, soul, gospel, rock, and jazz. Over the course of her career, she has sold over 2.5 million records, and has ...

, among others. In 2005 the band released the sequel ''Alibi'', and in 2009 Lava released their last album, ''Symphonic Journey'', in collaboration with Kringkastingsorkesteret.

Composer

Graf was invited to participate as a composer in

Melodi Grand Prix Melodi Grand Prix (), commonly known as Grand Prix and MGP, sometimes as Norwegian Melodi Grand Prix ( no, Norsk Melodi Grand Prix), is an annual music competition organised by Norwegian public broadcaster Norsk Rikskringkasting (NRK). It dete ...

1983, and delivered the song "Melodi" performed by

Olav Stedje Olav Stedje (Born 8 June 1953 in Sogndal, Norway) is a Norwegian singer-songwriter, known for a number of soft rock recordings, six silver albums and three attempts in Melodi Grand Prix. Career Stedje debuted as a solo singer within the band ...

as number four. In Melodi Grand Prix 1985 he performed his self-composed song, "II & II". Since this he participated several times in the 1980s and 1990s, but then only as a songwriter. In 1984 he launched a side project called 'Mr. Walker & The Walkmen' together with Steinar Fjeld and Ståle Rasmussen, and got a hit with "This Is Your Walkman Talking". During 1985, 30 of his compositions released on record with different musicians, including himself. Best known from this time were the ballad "Shine", performed together with Egil Eldøen and the Swedish singer Frank Ådahl. The song was the highlight of Grafs debut solo album, ''The Boy Next Door''. The album was released in 13 countries, and Graf appeared on television in England and Denmark.

Producer

As a producer worked Graf with several other musicians, including

(USA), Mezzoforte (Iceland),

The Ancestors ''The Ancestors'' is an album by Tim Berne and which was released on the Italian-based Soul Note label in 1983. It features three lengthy tracks which, typical of Berne, are structured in suite-like sections. The music is performed by the Tim Ber ...

(USA), Tindrum, Aina Olsen,

Trine Rein Trine Rein is an American-Norwegian singer. Her album sales have exceeded more than a million records. She was born in San Francisco in 1970, and is married to Norwegian adventurer Lars Monsen. Biography Debut Trine Rein released her first sol ...

Jan Werner Danielsen Jan Werner Danielsen, known professionally as Jan Werner, (10 April 1976 – 28 September 2006) was a Norwegian pop singer, also known for his interpretations of musical, classical, and rock standards. He was famous for his powerful voice which ...

, Torhild Nigar and 'Floweryard'. He also created music for the movies ''Frida – med hjertet i hånden'', ''Petra og kuule småkryp'' by Torhild Nigar and ''Brødrene Dal Og Vikingsverdets Forbannelse''. In 1996 he produced the album ''I evighet'' by

, who received second place in the international

final in Oslo Spektrum. Late 1980s Graf started a trio with Egil Eldøen and

. Musically, this was a continuation of the acoustic,

country rock Country rock is a genre of music which fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal s ...

, inspired by

Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

and

Crosby, Stills & Nash Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) were a folk rock supergroup made up of American singer-songwriters David Crosby and Stephen Stills and English singer-songwriter Graham Nash. When joined by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young as a fourth member, ...

. The trio was disbanded before they managed to make a record together. In the early 1990s he was oriented towards

Latin music Latin music (Portuguese language, Portuguese and es, música latina) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America (including Music of Spain, Spain and Portuguese music, Portugal) ...

within the trio 'Some Like It Hot' including Lakki Patey (band leader) and

Sergio Gonzales Sergio may refer to: * Sergio (given name), for people with the given name Sergio * Sergio (carbonado), the largest rough diamond ever found * ''Sergio'' (album), a 1994 album by Sergio Blass * ''Sergio'' (2009 film), a documentary film * ''Se ...

(reunited in 2004). In 2001 Graf finally found time to record a new solo album ''Oddity Two Acceptance'', where he played almost all the instruments by himself. The album also includes a retake of "Shine". Graf also taught in 'Knowledge of the music industry' at 'Nordisk Institutt for Scene og Studio', and wrote a recipe for the project ''Opp og Fram'' on behalf of Høgskolen i Harstad. In recent years (2011) Graf worked with other musicians and artists like

Ronni Le Tekrø Ronni Le Tekrø (born Rolf Ågrim Tekrø, 5 October 1963) is a Norwegian guitarist best known for playing with the Norwegian hard rock band TNT and as a solo guitarist cooperating with guitarists Terje Rypdal and Mads Eriksen as "N3". LeTekrø ...

and Jan Ingvar Toft. Graf was buried in

Holmenkollen Chapel Holmenkollen Chapel (''Holmenkollen kapell'') is located in the neighborhood of Holmenkollen in the Vestre Aker borough of Oslo, Norway. The original chapel from 1903 was destroyed by arson in 1992. The new chapel was completed in 1996. Holmenk ...

11 July 2013.

Discography

Solo albums

*1985: ''The Boy Next Door'' (Mariann) *1997: ''Floating'' (MultiMusic) *2001: ''Oddity To Acceptance'' (MultiMusic)

Collaborations

;Tom Bråthen & Phoenix *1979: ''Jeg Drømmer Om Nashville'' ;

*1980: ''Lava'' (

Polydor Records Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

) *1981: ''Cruisin (Polydor Records) *1982: ''Prime Time'' (Polydor Records) *1984: ''Fire'' (Polydor Records) *1985: ''Prime Cuts'' (Polydor Records) *1990: ''Rhythm of Love'' (Polydor Records) *1996: ''The Very Best of Lava'' (Polydor Records) *2003: ''Polarity'' (Polydor Records) *2005: ''Alibi (album), Alibi'' (Polydor Records) *2009: ''Symphonic Journey'' (Polydor Records) ;Svein Strøm *1980: ''My Life Is My Life'' ;Gry Jannicke Jarlum *1981: ''Min Stil'' *1983: ''Draculas Datter'' *1989: ''Svake mennesker'' *2005: ''Aksepterad – De 18 Beste Norske'' ;Eigil Berg *1981: ''Alhambra'' *1986: ''Here We Go Again'' ;

Trond-Viggo Torgersen Trond-Viggo Torgersen (born 14 June 1952 in Oslo, Norway) is a Norwegian physician, broadcaster, television host, actor, comedian, singer, songwriter, artist and former children's ombudsman. Artistic career Torgersen started in NRK making progra ...

*1981: ''Det by'ner nå!'' *1997: ''Trond-Viggos beste'' ; Marius Müller *1981: ''Den Du Veit'' *1982: ''Er'e Så Nøye 'A'' *1983: ''Marius'' ; Prima Vera *1981: ''Den 5te'' ;

Dollie de Luxe Dollie de Luxe were a Norwegian pop duo consisting of Benedicte Adrian (lead vocal) and Ingrid Bjørnov (keyboard and vocal). Their debut album ''Første Akt'' from 1980 was awarded Spellemannprisen. They represented Norway in the Eurovision Song ...

*1981: ''Dollies dagbok'' *1982: ''First Act'' ;

Trond Granlund Trond Granlund (born in Oslo, Norway on 29 July 1950)Ballad.no: Trond Granlund biography

*1981: ''Pleasant Surprise'' ;
Olav Stedje Olav Stedje (Born 8 June 1953 in Sogndal, Norway) is a Norwegian singer-songwriter, known for a number of soft rock recordings, six silver albums and three attempts in Melodi Grand Prix. Career Stedje debuted as a solo singer within the band ...
*1982: ''Olav Stedje'' *1982: ''Tredje Stedje'' *1995: ''Bot og bedring'' *1998: ''21 Beste'' *2009: ''I Levande Live'' ;
Hilde Heltberg Hilde Heltberg (30 September 1959 – 4 September 2011) was a Norwegian singer, guitarist and songwriter, born in Oslo, Norway. Career Heltberg started her career in the late 70s when she entered a talent competition judged by Stein Ove Berg, who ...
*1982: ''Hilde Heltberg'' *1991: ''Girls Don't'' ;Thorleif Larsen alias Igor Kill *1983: ''Igor Kill'' ;
Vazelina Bilopphøggers Vazelina Bilopphøggers were a Norwegian band founded in 1979, in Gjøvik, Norway.Vazelina Bilopphøggers
i ...
*1983: ''Vælkømmin Tel Øss'' ;Bjarte Leithaug *1984: ''En underlig familie'' ;
Arnold Børud Arnold Børud (born 28 October 1947) is a Norwegian singer, musician and record producer. Biography He grew up in Askim, and has been a devout Christian since the age of 18, when a friend invited him to a Christian camp. Only two years later, ...
*1984: ''Balladen Om Jesus – Rock-Opera'' ;Forente artister *1985: ''Sammen For Livet'' ;
Alf Cranner Alf Cranner (25 October 1936 – 3 March 2020) was a major Norwegian folk singer, lyricist and painter, considered by many to be the pioneer of the Norwegian folk music wave of the 1960s. (in Norwegian) (in Norwegian) The citation for the award ...
*1985: ''Din tanke er fri'' ;
Bobbysocks Bobbysocks is a Norwegian pop duo consisting of Norwegian Hanne Krogh and Swedish-Norwegian Elisabeth Andreassen. They won the Eurovision Song Contest 1985 with the song "La det swinge" ("Let it swing"). Elisabeth went by the surname Andreasson ...
*1985: ''
Bobbysocks Bobbysocks is a Norwegian pop duo consisting of Norwegian Hanne Krogh and Swedish-Norwegian Elisabeth Andreassen. They won the Eurovision Song Contest 1985 with the song "La det swinge" ("Let it swing"). Elisabeth went by the surname Andreasson ...
'' *1986: ''
Waiting for the Morning ''Waiting for the Morning'' is a 1986 pop album by Norwegian pop duo Bobbysocks. One week before the release date the album had sold over 60,000 copies to record stores in Norway. Because of this, Elisabeth Andreasson and Hanne Krogh were awarded ...
'' ;
Randi Hansen Randi Hansen (born 24 November 1958, in Tromsø) is a Norwegian pop singer who formerly lived in Harstad, where she had a background as a music teacher at Heggen videregående skole. She was most active in the 1980s, and is best known for the song ...
*1985: ''Ansiktet i speilet'' ;Mr. Walker and the Walkmen *1985: ''Walking'' ;
Randy Crawford Veronica "Randy" Crawford (born February 18, 1952) is an American jazz and R&B singer. She has been more successful in Europe than in the United States, where she has not entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 as a solo artist. However, she has ap ...
*1986: '' Abstract Emotions'' *1992: ''
Through the Eyes of Love "Through the Eyes of Love (Theme from ''Ice Castles'')" (sometimes incorrectly referred to as "Looking Through the Eyes of Love"), is an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award-nominated ballad performed by American singer Melissa Manchester, from ...
'' *1999: ''Hits'' ;Aina S. Olsen *1988: ''Living in a Boy's World'' ;Small Affairs *1988: ''Out of Memory'' ;
Rita Eriksen Rita Eriksen (born May 26, 1966 in Sola, Norway) is a Norwegian singer, as solo artist and in the 1990s, as part of the Norwegian singing duo Eriksen with her sibling guitarist and singer Frank Eriksen. Rita Eriksen was also briefly a member of vo ...
*1988: ''Back from Wonderland'' (1988) ; Mezzoforte *1989: ''Playing for Time'' *2003: ''The Very Best of Mezzoforte'' *2007: ''Anniversary Edition'' *2008: '' Live in Reykjavik'' ;Tvers *1989: ''Tvers synger Crouch'' ;Viggo & Reidar *1989: ''Tidligere utgitt på alvor'' ;
Romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...
*1989: ''Angel'' ;Ola Fjellvikås *1989: ''Min Mona Lisa'' ;Captain Miracle *1990: ''Voyage To Sensational Alex Harvey Band'' ; TinDrum *1991: ''Cool, Calm and Collected'' ;Oks Singers & Band *1992: ''Live! Camp Meeting'' ;
Hanne Krogh Hanne Krogh (born 24 January 1956) is a Norwegian singer and actress from Haugesund and Oslo. Krogh is among the most selling record artists in Norway ever and is internationally well known for winning the Eurovision Song Contest 1985 with Elisab ...
*1994: ''40 Beste'' ;Torhild Nigar *1994: ''Stille Vann'' ;
Jan Werner Danielsen Jan Werner Danielsen, known professionally as Jan Werner, (10 April 1976 – 28 September 2006) was a Norwegian pop singer, also known for his interpretations of musical, classical, and rock standards. He was famous for his powerful voice which ...
*1994: ''All By Myself'' ;
Elisabeth Andreassen Elisabeth Gunilla Andreassen (; born 28 March 1958), also known as just Bettan, is a Norwegian-Swedish singer who has finished both first and second in the Eurovision Song Contest. Career Her talent was discovered in 1979 by Swedish musician and ...
*1996: ''I evighet'' *1996: ''Eternity'' ;Bare Egil Band *1996: ''Absolutt Ikke Bare Egil Band'' ;
Merethe Trøan Merethe Trøan (born 19 May 1970, Trondheim) is a Norwegian singer, best known for her participation in the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest. In her teens, Trøan and her sister were members of vocal group Pastel together with two brothers (not rela ...
*1996: ''Æ Gir Dæ Min Vår'' *1996: ''Søtt & Salt'' (1996) *1996: ''Kom Te Mæ'' (1996) *1997: ''Ild & vann'' (1997) ;Jannicke Abrahamsen *199: ''Jannicke 7'' ;KLM *1997: ''Viking Arne'' *1997: ''Brødrene Dal på vikingtokt'' *2002: ''De Beste'' ;
Triple & Touch Triple & Touch is a Swedish pop duo formed in Gothenburg in 1983. Earlier, Lasse Kronér (born 1962 in Gothenburg) was also a member until 1999, when he succeeded Leif Olsson for the leadership for the TV gameshow ''Bingolotto''. History ...
*1998: ''De 3 Vise Männen'' *2008: ''1000 Gånger'' ;
Oslo Gospel Choir Oslo Gospel Choir is a Norwegian gospel choir centred in Oslo, Norway conducted by Tore W. Aas. The choir started up in 1988 and has since then become one of the most successful in Europe with success both in Europe and America. They have release ...
*1999: ''Millenium'' *1999: ''Power'' ;Øyvind Blunck *1999: ''Fridtjofs Helaften'' ;
Kikki, Bettan & Lotta __NOTOC__ Kikki, Bettan & Lotta was a Swedish-Norwegian super trio, active 2001-2004 and consisting of Kikki Danielsson, Elisabeth "Bettan" Andreassen and Lotta Engberg. Career In November 2000, Kikki Danielsson, Elisabeth "Bettan" Andreassen ...
*2002: ''
Vem é dé du vill ha Vem é dé du vill ha ("Who is it you want") is a pop song in Swedish, written by Thomas G:son and Calle Kindbom. With the song, Kikki, Bettan & Lotta competed in the Swedish Melodifestivalen 2002, where the song finished 3rd. The song is an old ...
'' ;Floweryard *2003: ''The Rain'' *2003: ''Path of Tears'' *2003:''Morning Mist'' ;Clausen + Wille *2003: ''Fri'' ;Tommy Michaelsen *2005: ''Completely'' ;Trygve Wikstøl *2006: ''Hei'' ;Det Betales *2007: ''Har du det bra?'' *2007: ''Guri & en Chevy'' ;Hovedøen Social Club *2009: ''Ay caramba!'' ;Otto Graf *2009: ''Autographs'' ;Cecilie Nesstrand *2011: ''Tør du tenke'', with
Jan Toft Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Numb ...
*2011: ''Ett Liv'' ;Other projects *1983: ''DEFA-kampanjen 83–84'' *1989: ''Musikalen Jungelboken'' *1992: ''Norwegian Power Ballads'' *1994: ''Up And Coming: The Sound Of Young Norway'' *1994: ''Fine Norske Vinterlåter'' *1994: ''Gloryland WorldCup USA 94'' *1995: ''Solskiva – Årets Nye Sommersanger'' *1996: ''Topp Hits 2'' *1996: ''Smurfehits 1'' *1996: ''Norsk Gull! Topplag Med 20 Norske Artister'' *2003: ''Våre Beste Vinterlåter'' *2004: ''En Annen Dans'' *2006: ''Barna Synger Pophits''

References

External links
*
Rolf Graf: – Når historien må kjempe mot kunnskapsløshet
at Ballade.no (in Norwegian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Graf, Rolf 1960 births 2013 deaths Musicians from Oslo 20th-century Norwegian bass guitarists Norwegian male bass guitarists 21st-century Norwegian bass guitarists Norwegian jazz bass guitarists Norwegian jazz composers Jazz-pop musicians Melodi Grand Prix contestants 20th-century bass guitarists 21st-century Norwegian guitarists Male jazz composers 20th-century Norwegian male musicians 21st-century Norwegian male musicians Lava (band) members