Kim Larsen

One of Danish rock's leading best-sellers and most respected artists, Kim Larsen, rose to prominence as a member of what many consider to be Denmark's greatest contribution to the rock canon: the '70s band <a href="spotify:artist:0e7UgnX6ObqqX5EcMeuA0E">Gasolin'</a>. In the '80s, he became a fixture on the Danish charts with his solo band Kim Larsen & Bellami, and in the '90s until his death in 2018, with Kim Larsen & Kjukken.

Born in Copenhagen on October 23, 1945, Larsen teamed up with Franz Beckerlee, Wili Jønsson, and Søren Berlev in 1969 as <a href="spotify:artist:0e7UgnX6ObqqX5EcMeuA0E">Gasolin'</a>. The band would soon become the most significant act in Danish pop/rock, releasing nine albums from 1971 to 1978 and keeping its legacy intact by refusing to regroup in any way, shape, or form -- outside of interviews and the like. Although Larsen released a solo work in 1973, it was not until the breakup of <a href="spotify:artist:0e7UgnX6ObqqX5EcMeuA0E">Gasolin'</a> that the Dane's solo career got moving. In 1978, Larsen began releasing a steady stream of solo efforts that would find him equaling the sales tallies his former group had roped in. His 1983 album, Midt Om Natten (Middle of the Night), became the biggest-selling album to date in that nation's history, with over 500,000 units sold. In the late '80s, Larsen formed the first of his side bands, Kim Larsen & Bellami, which released four albums from 1986 to 1992. He released another solo platter, Hvem Kan Sige Nej Til en Engel? (Who Can Say No to an Angel?), in 1994, before forming another group for 1996's eponymous Kim Larsen & Kjukken. With Kjukken, Larsen issued a string of well-received work, including eight releases from 1996 to 2006's Gammel Hankat (Old Tomcat). In 2007, in keeping with Larsen's propensity for prevalent work in Denmark, Larsen & Kjukken released the number one live collection En Lille Pose Støj.

The group remained busy into the 2010s, releasing the studio LPs Du Glade Verden and Øst For Vesterled in 2012 and 2017, respectively. During the tour in support of the latter effort, Larsen was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He passed away at his home in Odense in September of 2018. ~ Chris True, Rovi