John Magnar Bernes

Last updated

John Magnar Bernes
Also known asHungry John
Born (1951-05-10) 10 May 1951 (age 73)
Bergen, Norway
Origin Norwegian
Genres Blues
Occupation(s)Musician, composer
Instrument(s)Harmonica and vocals
LabelsHarvest Records
EMI
Hungry Records
Website www.hungryjohn.com

John Magnar Bernes, alias Hungry John, (born 10 May 1951) is a Norwegian musician (harmonica and vocals).

Contents

Biography

Bernes was born in Bergen, Norway, and is best known as a member and founder of the blues band Bergen Blues Band (1974–84), performing at the Nattjazz in 1975. There after he formed the band 'Hungry John and the Blue Shadows', which is still going strong. In 2009 he reunited Bergen Blues Band and released a new album with a compilation of their best songs. [1]

Sometime in the 1960s came Bernes started listening to some blue albums. He started playing the harmonica while listening to records of Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, Little Walter, Sonny Terry, Paul Butterfield, John Mayall among others. His greatest inspiration was, and still is, Muddy Waters, and in 1966 he initiated his first band 'Green Onions', playing blues and soul music.

In 1968 Bernes was part of initiating the "Alfonso Band". Blues was now getting more accepted as dance and concert music. They gave many gigs with different line-ups. From 1970 Bernes lived in London for long periods. He worked as a street musician and was also in many festivals and clubs. He listened to most of the live bands in England at the time, and was himself "vagabonding" with his music and harmonica, and got his nickname "Hungry John".

In 1975 Bernes started the Bergen Blues Band together with Per Jørgensen (gitar), Edvard Askeland (bass), Kåre Sandvik (piano) and Frank Jakobsen (drums). Willy Korneliussen replaced Jakobsen as drummer the year after. Bernes also played bass in the Alfonso Band, but when Edvard Askeland, the best bass player in Bergen at the time, joined them he got rid of the bass and concentrated on the harmonica and vocals. The rest of the band was also known as "the best" in Bergen on their instruments, which gave the band a flying start. One of the strengths was that they presented their own written material by Bernes, who has written more than hundred tunes. The band released three albums, Bergen Blues Band (1980), Another Blues (1981) and Blues Hit Me (1983). When they released the first album, it got right on the charts. At the time there was something called the top in Europe, and the band reached a fifth place there. Perhaps the best song, "Jump 'n Shout' n Dance", was number one in Ireland. The three albums sold a total of over 60, 000 copies. BBB toured Scandinavia. The songs were played on radio in the USA and Australia. [1]

Bernes started 'Hungry John and The Blue Shadows' in 1985, and in 2000 he initiated a long lasting collaboration with Mads Eriksen resulting in the album Travelin (2007) and Just What The World Needs (2010). [2]

Honors

Discography

Solo albums

Collaborations

With Bjørn Eidsvåg
With Helge Nilsen and Rune Larsen
With Bergen Blues Band
With Hungry John and the Blue Shadows
With Mad & Hungry

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oslo Gospel Choir</span> Musical artist

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 released around 20 albums. They are very much influenced by the American black gospel sound and Andraé Crouch is a major source of inspiration, with his approach in taking the gospel out of the churches and into other arenas, reaching a larger audience. Crouch has sung and been involved on several of their albums. The choir has sold over 1.5 million albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arild Andersen</span> Norwegian jazz musician bassist (born 1945)

Arild Andersen is a Norwegian jazz musician bassist, known as the most famous Norwegian bass player in the international jazz scene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knut Reiersrud</span> Musical artist

Knut Reiersrud is a Norwegian blues guitarist. His work also incorporates elements of Norwegian traditional music and African music. Reiersrud has recorded and played with David Lindley, the Blind Boys Of Alabama, Rickie Lee Jones, Nina Hagen and Swedish blues musician Sven Zetterberg. He has also numerous collaborations with Middle East performers like Rim Banna and Mahsa Vahdat. He lives in Oslo. He has collaborated extensively with the Norwegian organist Iver Kleive. He is lead guitarist and one of the original members of Cloudberry Cream.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jarle Vespestad</span> Musical artist

Jarle Vespestad is a Norwegian jazz musician (percussion), the younger brother of jazz musician Liz Tove Vespestad, and a central member of Tord Gustavsen's projects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stian Carstensen</span> Norwegian jazz musician

Stian Carstensen is a multi-instrument Norwegian musician, entertainer and with Jarle Vespestad (drums) and Nils-Olav Johansen, central members of the Balkan-jazz orchestra Farmers Market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenneth Sivertsen (musician)</span> Norwegian musician, composer, poet, and comedian

Kenneth Sivertsen was a Norwegian musician, composer, poet, and comedian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bendik Hofseth</span> Norwegian jazz musician

Bendik Hofseth is a Norwegian jazz musician, who plays the saxophone and sings. He is also a bandleader, and arranges and composes music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ole Thomsen</span> Musical artist

Ole Thomsen is a Norwegian jazz guitarist and composer, known since 1977 as a central figure in the Bergen jazz scene. He is the older brother of guitarist Kåre Thomsen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cutting Edge (band)</span> Norwegian jazz-rock band

Cutting Edge established in Oslo, Norway, was a Norwegian jazz-rock quintet, known from three recordings in the 1980s, and cooperation with Jan Eggum on the album E.G.G.U.M (1985).

Frank Hovland is a Norwegian luthier, rock musician and music producer from Bergen, known for his work with the band Program 81/82 along with his partner Kate Augestad, and collaborations with Ronni Le Tekrø, Terje Rypdal, Chris Thompson and Mads Eriksen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magne Thormodsæter</span> Norwegian jazz upright bassist and composer

Magne Thormodsæter is a Norwegian jazz musician and composer, known from a dozen releases and cooperations with the likes of Terje Rypdal, Ståle Storløkken, Paolo Vinaccia, Karin Krog and John Surman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edvard Askeland</span> Norwegian jazz bassist

Edvard Askeland is a Norwegian jazz bassist, known from a series of album releases in various genres and for being regular in Dag Arnesens lineups in 1970–80, and within Cutting Edge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Wallumrød</span> Norwegian pianist

David Wallumrød is a Norwegian pianist, known from cooperations with artists such as Knut Reiersrud, Torun Eriksen, Jarle Bernhoft, Marit Larsen, Maria Solheim, Vidar Busk, Bigbang, Maria Mena, Thomas Dybdahl and Bjørn Eidsvåg. He is the cousin of the musical artists Susanna Wallumrød, Fredrik Wallumrød and Christian Wallumrød.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tor Egil Kreken</span> Norwegian musician (born 1977)

Tor Egil Kreken is a Norwegian musician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Per Hillestad</span> Norwegian drummer and record producer

Per Hillestad is a Norwegian musician (drums) and record producer, known as drummer in Lava and was contributing in releases by a-ha, Vamp, Jonas Fjeld, Bjølsen Valsemølle and Marius Müller.

Ivar Anton Waagaard is a Norwegian pianist. He has collaborated with several Norwegian artists like Sigmund Groven, Ole Edvard Antonsen, Arve Tellefsen, Truls Mørk, Aage Kvalbein, Solveig Kringlebotn, Randi Stene, Aage Kvalbein, Tora Augestad, Jannike Kruse, Silje Nergaard, Jonas Fjeld and Lars Klevstrand.

Bergen Blues Band was a Norwegian blues band from Bergen, Norway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trygve Thue</span> Norwegian guitarist and music producer (1950–2022)

Trygve Thue was a Norwegian guitarist and music producer, and an original member of the Norwegian band Saft. He was the brother of the folk singer Ove Thue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Børge Petersen-Øverleir</span> Musical artist

Børge Petersen-Øverleir is a Norwegian guitarist, raised in Bergen and Bodø, early active in heavy rock, autodidact in jazz centered around in Bodø.

Marthe Haaland Wang is a Norwegian singer-songwriter born and raised in Bergen. She sings about hope, wonder and relationships and about the past, future and present in the Bergen dialect. Her music can be described as timeless, melodious, playful and serious. The genuine and organic soundscape covers both pop, folk and jazz.

References

  1. 1 2 Haukaas, Per (12 April 2014). "Bluesbrødre med musikk på blå resept" (in Norwegian). Bergensavisen . Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  2. ↑ "Mad & Hungry". Biography (in Norwegian). KvalitetsArtister.no. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  3. ↑ "Bluesprisen 2003 til Hungry John" (in Norwegian). MIC.no. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  4. ↑ "John Magnar Bernes". Discography. Discogs.com . Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  5. ↑ Haukaas, Per (26 September 2007). "Mad & Hungry". Musical reviews (in Norwegian). Bergensavisen . Retrieved 13 May 2015.
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.