Kim Larsen

Kim Larsen (born October 23, 1945 in Copenhagen) is a Danish rock musician.



Inspired by The Beatles and rock'n'roll, he started with song writing and playing guitar. In 1969 he met Franz Beckerlee and Willi Jnsson. The three together founded Gasolin which later was joined by drummer Sren Berlev and became one of the most successful Danish rock bands but was dissolved in the late 1970s.



He released a number of solo albums in the early eighties, topping in 1983 with the album "Midt om natten" (In the Middle of the Night). In 1986, he founded a new band Kim Larsen & Bellami and released four albums until until 1992, where the band had broken up and he released another solo album named "Hvem kan sige nej til en engel" (Who Turns Down an Angel). In 1995, Kim moved to Odense and found new success with his new band Kim Larsen & Kjukken and the Swedish producer Max Lorentz.



In the 1970s, following trends found in North America and the United Kingdom, Danish popular music styles began to diverge and audiences fragment. Many rock musicians in Denmark began to compose music and texts that reflected more realistic Danish social settings and ideals. Danish musicologist Charlotte Rrdam Larsen argues that in the 1970s, Danish groups such as Kim Larsen's Gasolin' gave Danish music a special Danish rhythm and significance, linguistically, if not wholely distinct musically from international styles.



Kim Larsen has through the 80s, 90s and 00s as a solo artists had a number of successful album releases and is one of the most popular artists in Danish popular music history. He remains a top concert draw and is the holder of the most sold Danish music album in history, 1983's 'Midt om natten' which has sold more than 532.000 copies. In total as a solo artists Kim Larsen has sold approximately 3 million records, a remarkable feat considering Denmark's total population of approximately 5,4 million people (as of 2005).



www.kimlarsen.dk