Grethe Kausland
Encyclopedia
Grethe Kausland was a Norwegian
singer, performer and actress. As a child star she was one of Norway's most popular singers (her debut single “Teddyen min” from 1955, sold more than 100 000 records), and she participated in several films as a child. She represented Norway in the European Song Contest 1972 singing Småting
with Benny Borg
. From 1973 she performed regularly with the entertaining group Dizzie Tunes
. Awarded "Spellemannprisen" 1978 for the album A Taste of Grethe Kausland, and "Leonardstatuetten
" 1991 for her achievements on the revue scene.
She died from lung cancer
on 16 November 2007 in Oslo
, Norway
.
Her music albums with Dizzie Tunes: Toppop 1 (1972), Mere Ra-ta-ta-ta (1972), Folk i nord (1973), Hei-hå-hei-hå (1973), Norsklåt (1973), På go'fot med Dizzie Tunes (1973), Memories of Music (1982), Go'biter med Dizzie Tunes (1992).
and Rodney Fischer's show A Star is Torn Grethe Kausland portrayed nine tragical female fates in popular music: Bessie Smith
, Helen Morgan
, Judy Garland
, Billie Holiday
, Edith Piaf
, Marie Lloyd
, Marilyn Monroe
, Dinah Washington
and Janis Joplin
. A full evening one-woman-performance, first at Rogaland Teater
(Stavanger, 1993, 45 performances
), and later at Victoria Teater (Oslo, 1995).
(1996) she starred as "Vera", with Jon Skolmen
as her husband "Bernt". In the situation comedy
Karl & Co
(63 episodes, running 1998–2001) she appeared regularly as "Ruth Frantzen". She played the role "Mamsen" in the children's series Jul i Blåfjell in 1999. This series became quite popular, it received the Gullruten
award in 2000 for Best TV drama, a music album from the series received Spellemannprisen
in 1999 for Best children's album, and the follow-up series Jul på månetoppen appeared in 2002.
. She did not revert to her maiden name Nilsen after the end of the marriage, but kept the name Kausland.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
singer, performer and actress. As a child star she was one of Norway's most popular singers (her debut single “Teddyen min” from 1955, sold more than 100 000 records), and she participated in several films as a child. She represented Norway in the European Song Contest 1972 singing Småting
Småting
"Småting" was the Norwegian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1972, performed in Norwegian by Grethe & Benny.The song is a ballad, with the duo comparing the great successes of human life with the "little things", such as watching a sunset, which they sing are superior experiences.The song was...
with Benny Borg
Benny Borg
Benny Borg is a Swedish singer and composer.He was born in Gothenburg, but moved to Norway in 1968, and was married to Kirsti Sparboe from 1972 to 1978. He is known for his cooperation with the Dizzie Tunes, and with Grethe Kausland...
. From 1973 she performed regularly with the entertaining group Dizzie Tunes
Dizzie Tunes
Dizzie Tunes is a former Norwegian musical show group, one of the most successful in Norwegian show business. The group was founded as the dance band Rex Band in 1959, was named Dizzie Tunes in 1962, and disbanded in 2002. The regular group members were Yngvar Numme, Svein-Helge Høgberg, Øyvind...
. Awarded "Spellemannprisen" 1978 for the album A Taste of Grethe Kausland, and "Leonardstatuetten
Leonardstatuetten
Leonardstatuetten is a prize awarded by the Norwegian Comedy Writers' Association. The award is named after revue instructor, composer and director Einar Leonard Schanke, one of Norway's most important revue personalities. The prize is regarded the highest distinction in Norwegian revue...
" 1991 for her achievements on the revue scene.
She died from lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
on 16 November 2007 in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
.
Child career
Grethe made her stage debut only four years old at a local revue scene. Winning a radio-transmitted amateur competition eight years old led to her first record – "Teddyen min"/Cowboyhelten" (1955), selling over 100 000 and becoming a big radio hit. Her film career started with Smuglere i smoking 1957. As a twelve years old girl she had already issued ten records and played in five movies. She was known to be "crazy about jazz" already as a child, "illegally" visiting jazz clubs. Despite her girl's voice, she was "swinging" like a grown-up jazz singer.Shows with Dizzie Tunes
Kausland's cooperation with the show group Dizzie Tunes started with her Chat Noir Theatre debut På go'fot (1973). Later followed the shows Showkade med og uten fyll (1974), Vi spillopper (1976, film version 1979), Memories Of Music (1979/1980, also video), The Show Must Go Home (1984, also video), Festsprell i Dizzie Tider (1988). She also participated in many of their TV shows. Sing Sala Bim (1973) was awarded Bronze Rose at the Montreux festival.Her music albums with Dizzie Tunes: Toppop 1 (1972), Mere Ra-ta-ta-ta (1972), Folk i nord (1973), Hei-hå-hei-hå (1973), Norsklåt (1973), På go'fot med Dizzie Tunes (1973), Memories of Music (1982), Go'biter med Dizzie Tunes (1992).
A Star is Torn
In a 1993 adaption of Robyn ArcherRobyn Archer
Robyn Archer AO CdOAL is an Australian singer, writer, stage and director, artistic director, and public advocate of the arts, in Australia and internationally.-Life:Archer was born Robyn Smith in Prospect, South Australia...
and Rodney Fischer's show A Star is Torn Grethe Kausland portrayed nine tragical female fates in popular music: Bessie Smith
Bessie Smith
Bessie Smith was an American blues singer.Sometimes referred to as The Empress of the Blues, Smith was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s...
, Helen Morgan
Helen Morgan
Helen Morgan was an American singer and actress who worked in films and on the stage. A quintessential torch singer, she made a big splash in the Chicago club scene in the 1920s...
, Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
, Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
, Edith Piaf
Édith Piaf
Édith Piaf , born Édith Giovanna Gassion, was a French singer and cultural icon who became widely regarded as France's greatest popular singer. Her singing reflected her life, with her specialty being ballads...
, Marie Lloyd
Marie Lloyd
Matilda Alice Victoria Wood was an English music hall singer, best known as Marie Lloyd. Her ability to add lewdness to the most innocent of lyrics led to frequent clashes with the guardians of morality...
, Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
, Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington, born Ruth Lee Jones , was an American blues, R&B and jazz singer. She has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the '50s", and called "The Queen of the Blues"...
and Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
. A full evening one-woman-performance, first at Rogaland Teater
Rogaland Teater
Rogaland Teater is a theatre in Stavanger, Norway.-Background:The theatre building was built in 1883, on a parcel of Kannik prestegård. It was designed by architect Hartvig Sverdrup Eckhoff, and had initially almost 500 seats. The building housed Stavanger Faste Scene from 1914 to 1921, and...
(Stavanger, 1993, 45 performances
), and later at Victoria Teater (Oslo, 1995).
Television series
From the late 1990s Kausland participated in several TV series. In D'ække bare, bare BerntD'ække bare, bare Bernt
D'ække bare, bare Bernt was a Norwegian sitcom that aired on TV3 from 1996 to 1997, starring Jon Skolmen and Grethe Kausland as the married couple Bernt and Vera Brantenberg.-Plot:...
(1996) she starred as "Vera", with Jon Skolmen
Jon Skolmen
Jon Skolmen is a Norwegian actor and comedian. Between 1963 and 1981, he was employed by the Norwegian state broadcasting company NRK, where he most notably co-wrote and appeared in "The Nor-Way to Broadcasting" alongside Trond Kirkvaag, which won the Golden Rose of Montreux and Chaplin Award at...
as her husband "Bernt". In the situation comedy
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Karl & Co
Karl & Co
Karl & Co is a Norwegian situation comedy created by Tore Ryen, starring Nils Vogt reprising his role as Karl Reverud from the popular sitcom Mot i brøstet. It aired on TV 2, running for three seasons from 1998 to 2001, a total of 63 episodes...
(63 episodes, running 1998–2001) she appeared regularly as "Ruth Frantzen". She played the role "Mamsen" in the children's series Jul i Blåfjell in 1999. This series became quite popular, it received the Gullruten
Gullruten
Gullruten is an annual award for the Norwegian TV business, founded in 1998 by Norske Film- og TV-produsenters forening. The awarding committee has representatives from the major national TV companies, NRK, TV2, TV3 and TVNorge...
award in 2000 for Best TV drama, a music album from the series received Spellemannprisen
Spellemannprisen
Spellemannprisen is an award presented to Norwegian musicians for their contributions.-Operation:The award was established on the initiative of International Federation of the Phonographic Industry , an organization that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide...
in 1999 for Best children's album, and the follow-up series Jul på månetoppen appeared in 2002.
Singles on the Columbia label (as child star)
- 1955: "Teddyen min"/"Cowboyhelten"
- 1956: "Den lille kjøkkenskriver"/"Jeg vil gifte meg med pappa" (with Frank Robert)
- 1956: "Maria Fly-fly"/"Eventyrswing"
- 1956: "Grethemor"/"Dukkestuen"
- 1956: "Til Nisseland"/"Ding-dong"
- 1957: "Min lille mandolin"/"Kjære lille vov-vov"
- 1957: "Hipp Hurra!"/"Lolly Poll"
- 1958: "Lillesøster"/"Musefest i kjelleren"
- 1959: "På tivoli"/"Pappas lille pike"
- 1960: "Souvenirs"/"Conny"
- 1960: "Det finns millioner"/"Europa Non Stop"
- 1963: "Gullregnen"/"Ønskedrømmen"
- 1964: "Hjerte"/"Hvis jeg var gutt"
Albums
- Grethe gjennom 10 år (Columbia, 1964)
- A Taste of Grethe Kausland (Troll, 1978)
- Grethe synger Lille Grethe (Troll, 1979)
- Stay With Me (Troll, 1984)
- Jazzway to Norway (1991) (with several artists)
- Jazz my way (Curling Legs, 2008)
Filmography
- Smuglere i smoking (1957)
- Selv om de er små (1957)
- Far til fire og onkel Sofus (1957)
- Far til fire og ulveungerne (1958)
- Ugler i mosen (1959) (directed by Ivo CaprinoIvo CaprinoIvo Caprino was a Norwegian film director and writer, best known for his puppet films. His most famous film is Flåklypa Grand Prix , made in 1975.- Early career :...
) - To på topp (1965)
- Tut og kjør (1975)
- Vi spillopper (1979)
- Over stork og stein (Stork Staring Mad, 1994)
- Solan, Ludvig og Gurin med reverompa (Gurin with the Foxtail, 1998) (voice)
TV series
- D'ække bare, bare BerntD'ække bare, bare BerntD'ække bare, bare Bernt was a Norwegian sitcom that aired on TV3 from 1996 to 1997, starring Jon Skolmen and Grethe Kausland as the married couple Bernt and Vera Brantenberg.-Plot:...
(1996) - Karl & CoKarl & CoKarl & Co is a Norwegian situation comedy created by Tore Ryen, starring Nils Vogt reprising his role as Karl Reverud from the popular sitcom Mot i brøstet. It aired on TV 2, running for three seasons from 1998 to 2001, a total of 63 episodes...
(1997–2000) - Jul i Blåfjell (1999) (Awarded GullrutenGullrutenGullruten is an annual award for the Norwegian TV business, founded in 1998 by Norske Film- og TV-produsenters forening. The awarding committee has representatives from the major national TV companies, NRK, TV2, TV3 and TVNorge...
2000 for Best TV drama, and SpellemannprisenSpellemannprisenSpellemannprisen is an award presented to Norwegian musicians for their contributions.-Operation:The award was established on the initiative of International Federation of the Phonographic Industry , an organization that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide...
1999 for Best children's album) - Jul på månetoppen (2002)
- Brødrene Dal og mysteriet med Karl XIIs gamasjer (2005) (mini TV Series)
- Hos MartinHos MartinHos Martin is a Norwegian situation comedy that premiered on TV2 on January 6, 2004.-Plot:Martin , is an ordinary, uncomplicated man who runs his own café. He is married to Elisabeth , a determined and conservative woman who always has to have the last word...
(2005 episode)
Personal life
From 1966 to 1979 she was married to jazz guitarist Halvard KauslandHalvard Kausland
Halvard Magne Kausland is a Norwegian jazz guitarist and civil servant.He hails from Sund. He has his education from the Norges kommunal- og sosialhøgskole, Agder Regional College and the University of Bergen...
. She did not revert to her maiden name Nilsen after the end of the marriage, but kept the name Kausland.