Knutsen & Ludvigsen

A Norwegian children's music duo of cult stature, Knutsen & Ludvigsen were primarily active during the 1970s and early to mid-'80s and peaked in success in 1983 with the award-winning album Juba Juba. After the turn of the century, the duo made something of a comeback, returning to the spotlight for a series of reunion concerts. Comprised of singer/songwriters Øystein Dolmen and Gustav Lorentzen, the duo made its eponymous album debut in 1970 with Knutsen og Ludvigsen. Second album Knutsen og Ludvigsen: Brunost No Igjæn? (1972) brought the duo critical acolades in the form of a Spellemannprisen (i.e., Norwegian Grammy award) for Best Children's Music. The follow-up album, Knutsen og Ludvigsen Nr. 3: Tut (1974), was accompanied by the release of a feature film, Knutsen & Ludvigsen (1974), a comedy starring the duo. A couple more full-length efforts, Ned Med Nidaros (1975) and Du Milde Mosart! (1976), followed before the duo receded from the album marketplace for the remainder of the decade. During the early to mid-'80s Knutsen & Ludvigsen released only a few albums -- Fiskepudding! Lakrisbåter! (1980), Juba Juba (1983), and Knutsen & Ludvigsen Samleplate (1984), the latter a retrospective compilation -- and won a second Spellemannprisen (in 1983 for Juba Juba, which was also a commercial blockbuster success, going all the way to number three on the Norwegian albums chart and spawning a theater adaptation). From the mid-'80s onward, the duo essentially put its act to rest. During the mid-'90s a round of retrospective compilations, Knutsen & Ludvigsens Beste (1996) and Knutsen & Ludvigsens Ver'ste' (1997), sparked a revival of interest in the duo's music; the former release was particularly popular, reaching the Top Five of the Norwegian charts. After the turn of the century, Knutsen & Ludvigsen made something of a comeback, performing a series of reunion concerts beginning in 2004. These latter-day performances further solidified the duo's cult status among thirty- and fortysomething Norwegians who grew up listening to classic Knutsen & Ludvigsen songs such as "Grevling I Taket," "Hallo! Hallo!," and "Dum Og Deilig." Released in the wake of the duo's comeback performances, the retrospective compilation Dum og Deilig: Knutsen & Ludvigsens Beste (2008) was a Top Ten hit. ~ Jason Birchmeier