Backstreet Girls

Last updated
Backstreet Girls
Bjorn Muller 02.jpg
Lead singer Bjørn Müller performing with the band in 2017.
Background information
Origin Oslo, Norway
Genres Boogie rock, punk rock, hard rock, rock n' roll
Years active1984–present
Labels Voices of Wonder · Mercury · Vertigo Records · WEA · FaceFront · Revolution Records
Members
  • Petter Baarli
  • Gaute Vaag
  • Jonas Amazonas
Past members Full list
Website https://backstreetgirls.no/

Backstreet Girls are a Norwegian rock band formed in 1984. The band's current lineup consists of guitarist Petter Baarli, bassist Gaute Vaag and drummer Jonas Amazonas. Backstreet Girls have released sixteen studio albums since the band's formation.

Contents

History

Backstreet Girls was formed in 1984 by brothers Pål and Tom Kristensen on bass and vocals respectively, guitarist Petter Baarli and drummer Petter Hafstad. [1] Hafstad left the band in September of that year and was replaced by Baarli's brother Bjørn Terje Baarli, while Tom Kristensen left the band in 1985 and was replaced by Arne Aarnes. Later that year, the band started writing and recording their first album, and also contributed to the soundtrack of the Norwegian film X . In 1986, Backstreet Girls released their debut album Mental Shakedown on the small independent label Medicine Records. Later that year, Aarnes left the band, and was replaced by Bjørn Müller. The line-up of Petter Baarli, Pål Kristensen, Bjørn Terje Baarli and Bjørn Müller remained for the subsequent three albums, Boogie Till' You Puke (1988), Party On Elmstreet (1989) and Coming Down Hard (1989).

Guitarist Petter Baarli performing in 2018. Hans Petter Baarli Bla 2018 (204746).jpg
Guitarist Petter Baarli performing in 2018.

In May 1991, Müller left the band, and was replaced by the band's fourth vocalist, Ole Hillborg. [2] [3] The band's next album, Let's Have It, was released in October 1992 on Warner Music. In 1993, the band released their first live album, while Hillborg left the band shortly thereafter. Backstreet Girls traveled to London to audition new singers, eventually recruiting Irishman Pat Diamond, and returned to Norway to record a new album. [3] [4] The album Don't Fake It Too Long was finalized in 1995, but not released until 2008 due to Diamond being deported from Norway. [4] Upon returning to Norway, Diamond was fired and Bjørn Müller rejoined the band as lead vocalist in 1995. [2] Backstreet Girls' next album, Hellway To High, was released in 1999. In October of that year, founding member and bassist Kristensen left the band and was replaced by Morten Lunde. [5] In November 2000, Universal Records released the band's first compilation album, Boogie Till' You Bleed.

In March 2001, the band released their eight studio album, Tuff Tuff Tuff, and went on a summer tour of Europe with long-time influence Rose Tattoo. [6] Live recordings from these concerts along, with new studio songsm were released in September 2002 on the album Black Boogie Death Rock N' Roll. Towards the end of that year, bassist Lunde left the band and was replaced by Dan Thunderbird. [7] In June 2003, the band released the album Sick My Duck. In 2007, dummer Bjørn Terje Baarli left Backstreet Girls after 23 years with the band and was replaced by Swede Martin H-Son. The new lineup of Müller, Baarli, Thunderbird and H-Son would go on to release four studio albums during the next ten years. In 2015, a documentary about the band, Backstreet Girls: Back to Muoatathal, was released. [8] In 2018, H-Son departed the band and was replaced by Frank Albin Tostrup, while Thunderbird left the following year and was replaced by Gaute Vaag. [9] The band's fifteenth album, Normal Is Dangerous, was released in 2019. Drummer Tostrup left the band the following year and was replaced by Jonas Amazonas. [10] In 2023, the album In Lust We Trust was released. [10] On 18 November 2024, frontman Bjørn Müller died at the age of 64. [11]

Members

Current members

Former members

Discography

Studio albums

Compilations

Live albums

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Fabulous Thunderbirds</span> American blues rock band

The Fabulous Thunderbirds is an American blues band formed in 1974. Singer Kim Wilson is the only constant member through the band's entire history. Their 1986 album Tuff Enuff sold over a million copies, and spawned two minor hit singles: the title track and "Wrap It Up".

Windir was a black metal band from Sogndal, Norway. The band was formed in 1994 by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Terje "Valfar" Bakken, and released its debut album, Sóknardalr, in 1997. Windir combined black metal with Scandinavian folk music, folklore, and mythology, and many of the band's lyrics were written in Sognamål. Windir produced four albums in their nearly ten years of existence. The band broke up in March 2004 after frontman Valfar died of hypothermia after becoming caught in a blizzard on his way to his family's cabin in Norway. Following his death, the remaining band members went on to form several new bands, including Vreid, Mistur, and Cor Scorpii.

Thorns, also known as Stigma Diabolicum, is a Norwegian black metal band that formed in 1989 and was part of the early Norwegian black metal scene. They made two highly influential demos in the early 1990s, Grymyrk and Trøndertun, but have only released one full-length album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DumDum Boys</span> Norwegian rock band

DumDum Boys are a Norwegian rock band from Trondheim, formed in 1979 and originally known as Wannskrækk. The band is one of the most successful Norwegian rock acts of all time, and are considered one of the "big four" bands who popularized modern rock with Norwegian lyrics in the 1980s alongside Jokke & Valentinerne, Raga Rockers and DeLillos.

Trail of Tears is a Norwegian gothic/symphonic black metal formed in 1997. Through most of their career the band emphasised the use of contrasting soprano and death grunt vocals, except for the release of Free Fall into Fear in 2005, in which the band switched this contrast mostly to tenor and growls, with less frequent soprano passages. The band disbanded in 2013, being succeeded by Thorsen's project Viper Solfa. In 2020, they reformed with old and new members, including previous Sirenia vocalist Ailyn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skambankt</span> Norwegian hard rock band

Skambankt was a Norwegian hard rock band from Klepp, just south of Stavanger, formed in 1994. They played their last concert on November 4, 2022, at the DNB Arena in Stavanger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gothminister</span> Norwegian gothic metal band

Gothminister is a Norwegian gothic metal band. Formed in 1999, they released eight studio albums and gained success in Germany. They played in several German music festivals, including Wave-Gotik-Treffen (WGT), the Dark Storm Festival and the M'era Luna Festival, and performed in front of over 10,000 people at the Schattenreich Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shining (Norwegian band)</span> Norwegian band

Shining (stylized as SHINING) is a Norwegian experimental band from Oslo. Thirteen musicians have been a part of the band's lineup in its history, with singer, guitarist, saxophonist, and songwriter Jørgen Munkeby as its leading force and only constant member. The band is also called SHINING (NOR) to avoid confusion with the Swedish black metal band of the same name.

The Contenders were a Norwegian roots rock band in the early 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leviticus (band)</span> Swedish Christian metal band

Leviticus was a Christian metal band from Sweden. The band formed in 1981 and was led by Bjorn Stigsson. They released four albums before breaking up in 1990.

<i>Tuff Enuff</i> 1986 studio album by The Fabulous Thunderbirds

Tuff Enuff is a 1986 studio album by Texas-based blues rock band the Fabulous Thunderbirds, which pointed the band in a more mainstream direction. The single "Tuff Enuff" was featured in the films Gung Ho and Tough Guys, as was the follow-up single "Wrap It Up". It has also been played a number of times on the sitcom Married... with Children. "Tuff Enuff" remains the band's only Top 40 hit, peaking at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.

<i>Soldiers Gun</i> 1985 album by Stage Dolls

Soldier's Gun is the first studio album by the Norwegian hard rock band Stage Dolls. The album was recorded in the fall of 1984 at Nidaros Studios in Trondheim, Norway with the same producer, Bjørn Nessjø, and engineer, Rune Nordahl, as fellow Trondheim hard-rockers TNT. The album was released in the early winter of 1985 after a successful nationwide tour in Norway supporting the same TNT. Soldier's Gun barely made it onto the Norwegian album chart (VG) for one week as number 20. The album sold in excess of 20,000 copies in Norway.

Cor Scorpii is a black metal band from Sogndal, Norway, founded in 2004 by Gaute Refsnes, the former keyboardist of Windir. Cor Scorpii is an alternative name of Antares, the 15th brightest star in the sky. The name was chosen because the band members felt that it conveyed a mysterious and atmospheric feeling, corresponding to the musical and lyrical content.

<i>Girls Go Wild</i> 1979 studio album by The Fabulous Thunderbirds

Girls Go Wild is the alternate title of the 1979 debut studio album by the Texas-based blues rock band The Fabulous Thunderbirds. The album was an eponymous release, but due to the prominence of the words "Girls Go Wild" on the cover it has often been referred to by that name. The album was reissued via Benchmark Recordings in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Public Enemies (group)</span> Musical artist

Public Enemies was a Norwegian rhythm and blues band from Oslo, known for its performances at Club 7 and later work with Karin Krog. 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 from Traffic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knut Værnes</span> Norwegian jazz musician, composer and band leader

Knut Værnes is a Norwegian jazz musician (guitar), composer and band leader, known from several recordings in the jazz rock genre. He grew up at Bøler in Oslo, where he became an accomplished guitarist.

Knut Riisnæs was a Norwegian jazz musician, arranger, and composer, son of pianist Eline Nygaard Riisnæs and brother of classical pianist Anne Eline Riisnæs (1951–) and jazz saxophonist Odd Riisnæs (1953–). The brothers are both known from a variety of recordings in Norway and internationally.

Odd Riisnæs is a Norwegian jazz musician (saxophone) and composer. He was born in Oslo, Norway, the son of pianist Eline Nygaard Riisnæs and the younger brother of jazz saxophonist Knut Riisnæs. He is known from a series of releases and cooperations with the likes of Dag Arnesen, Arve Henriksen, Kjell Karlsen, Geir Lysne, Iver Kleive, Nils Petter Molvær, Jon Eberson, Terje Gewelt, Jon Balke, Audun Kleive and Oslo 13

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bjørn Klakegg</span> Musical artist

Bjørn Klakegg is a Norwegian jazz musician (guitar) and composer, known from a number of recordings and cooperations with the likes of Nils Petter Molvær, Sverre Gjørvad, Ernst-Wiggo Sandbakk, Frode Alnæs, Knut Værnes, Knut Reiersrud, Hanne Hukkelberg, Tove Karoline Knutsen, Terje Gewelt and Tore Brunborg.

<i>A Portrait of Jon Larsen</i> 2009 compilation album by Jon Larsen

A Portrait of Jon Larsen is a compilation album by Norwegian jazz guitarist Jon Larsen that was released on his label, Hot Club Records.

References

  1. ↑ Steen, Knut (2004-11-12). "20 år med Backstreet Girls: - Vi fortsetter til vi stuper!". ballade.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  2. 1 2 Johansen, Øystein David; Lynau, Jan Petter (2014-08-28). "Backstreet Girls fyller 30 år og gir seg ikke: - Det er alltid ei ny låt". VG (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  3. 1 2 Gregersen, Ann-Mari (2001-03-07). "80-tallet rocker igjen". www.aftenbladet.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  4. 1 2 Gjersøe, Jørn (2008-09-18). "Backstreet gir ut uutgitt album". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  5. ↑ Moen, Per Erik (2004-11-12). "Boogie til de dør". Dagsavisen (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  6. ↑ Mathiesen, Trygve (June 11, 2001). "Backstreet Girls til kontinentet". Musikkavisen Puls (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  7. ↑ Bentzen, Asle (June 25, 2007). "- Smeller like heftig hver gang". www.klikk.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  8. ↑ "Tilbake til Muotathal" ["Back to Muotathal"] (in Norwegian). Oslo. 2015-05-08.
  9. ↑ Johannessen, Gitte (2019-09-10). "Ny start for Backstreet Girls: – Energien er voldsom". Sunnmørsposten (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  10. 1 2 "Backstreet Girls: – Vi røyker og drikker og håper vi overlever lengst mulig". www.bt.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). 2023-09-03. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  11. ↑ Johannesborg, Philip Andre (2024-11-19). "Vokalist Bjørn Müller i Backstreet Girls er død". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2024-11-19.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.