Ole Frimer Band

Virtuoso Scandinavian guitarist and singer Ole Frimer is known for his soulful blues and roots music. A mainstay on the European blues scene since his emergence in the late 1980s, Frimer garnered attention in the '90s with albums like Handmade and Sheltered Roads. Wider acclaim followed in Europe with his band Blue Junction, with whom he earned a Danish Music Award for Best Blues Album for 2007's Live Out of Love. Following collaborations with Peter Thorup and Greenland's Varna, he relaunched his Frimer Band, releasing albums like 2014's Blålys and 2020's faerd. Born in 1952 in Aalborg, Denmark, Frimer bought his first guitar at age 13. He formed his first blues group while still in high school and developed quickly, drawing inspiration from artists like Johnny Winter, Albert King, Otis Redding, and others. By 1968, he was also playing bass in a local soul band. At age 20, Frimer began studying biology at the University of Aarhus, Denmark, splitting his time between attending classes and hitting the local music clubs. He befriended singer/guitarist Peter Thorup and was soon ensconced in the city's vibrant roots and blues scene. After graduating, he launched his blues-oriented Frimer Band and in 1990 released a debut album, Blues Uncovered. However, a job as scientific director of Copenhagen University's Arctic Station in Qeqertarsuaq, Greenland, took him away from music for several years. He eventually returned to Copenhagen, where he obtained his PhD in biology and re-formed the Frimer Band, releasing a handful of well-regarded albums, including 1995's Handmade and 1997's Sheltered Roads. In the mid-'90s, Frimer also formed the group Blue Junction with guitarist Uffe Steen. They debuted in 1998 with 22:17 Live in Aarhuas and went on to earn a number of accolades, including picking up two American Real Blues Awards. Their final album, 2007's Live Out of Love, also received a Danish Music Award for Best Danish Blues Album. Away from Blue Junction, Frimer formed a duo with a longtime friend of his, guitarist/producer Peter Thorup. They released the 2006 live album Pa Stedet and toured regularly until Thorup's death in 2007. Other side projects included recording Greenland vocalist Varna's 2006 debut album, I Wish. Following the dissolution of Blue Junction, Frimer put together a second version of his own Frimer Band. The group debuted with 2014's Blålys, which earned a Danish Music Award nomination for Blues Album of the Year. Another Danish Music Award nomination arrived the following year for the band's concert album Live at Blues Baltica. In January 2020, they released the studio album faerd, and followed that August with the Live in Eppingen.
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